Influence of phosphorus addition on the surface tension of liquid iron and segregation of phosphorus on the surface of Fe-P alloy

This article presents a study of the surface tension and phosphorus surface segregation in Fe-P alloys. The surface tension was measured by the sessile drop technique. The result of the dynamic surface tension for the low phosphorus content alloys shows that the alloy surface vaporization has a clear effect on the surface tension and causes a positive surface tension temperature coefficient. However, from this article, it is evident that phosphorus in liquid iron acts as a surface active element similar to arsenic. The surface segregation was determined using Auger electron spectroscopy. The result on the surface analysis of as-solidified sample indicates that the adsorption of impurity elements, such as oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen, can conceal phosphorus segregation on the free surface. Phosphorus segregation was also examined in the samples as-cleaned by Ar⁺ and then treated 30 minutes at 650°C. Phosphorus was found to segregate extensively on the surface of the alloys. On the basis of the analysis of the published data, the surface active intensity sequence of some nonmetallic elements was arrayed, and the surface active intensity of fluorine and boron in liquid iron was estimated.