Nitrogen solubility in complex liquid Fe−Cr−Ni alloys

Measurements of nitrogen solubility were performed in a series of liquid iron-chromium-nickel alloys near the composition of the commercial superalloy INCOLOY^* 800 (I:21 pct Cr, 33 pct Ni, bal. Fe). This work was carried out at 1450 to 1600°C and up to one atmosphere of nitrogen gas pressure. Sieverts' law was obeyed by nitrogen in all the alloys. Changes were observed in the compositions of all the melts studied, mainly due to the chromium loss by volatilization. These changes necessitated nitrogen solubility measurements in a series of alloys immediately surrounding alloy I. The experimental results have been prepared as a regression polynomial equation for the logarithm of nitrogen solubility as a function of temperature and reported weight percentages of chromium and nickel in the alloys. The standard Gibbs free energy of nitrogen solution in a region around alloy I is given as ΓG ^o=−58,700+48.20T Joules/g atom N. At 1600°C, the temperature coefficient of nitrogen solubility in I is −2.65×10⁻⁴ pct N/K. The shape of a portion, of the nitrogen solubility surface for the Fe−Cr−Ni system near to alloy I at 1600°C is defined.