High-temperature oxidation of Fe-Cr-Al-Si alloys extruded into honeycomb structures

The oxidation behavior of Fe–20Cr–5Al–(0.5–5)Si and Fe–(12–20)Cr–(5–7)Al–(1–2)Si alloys extruded into honeycomb structures has been investigated at 1150°C in air for up to 500 hr. The oxidation weight gains decrease with increasing Si and Cr contents in the 5-Al alloys. Si additions are more efficient than Cr additions to reduce the weight gain. Increasing Si content in the 5-Al alloys suppresses the formation of an iron-chromium complex oxide, forming mullite and vitreous silica in the scale, although the location is not clearly indicated. The 5-Si alloy shows anisotropy in elongation of the honeycomb specimen during oxidation in the Fe–20Cr–5Al–xSi alloys, whereas alloying with Si and Cr does not improve the oxidation resistance of the 7-Al alloys significantly. These results are explained by Wagner's theory of a secondary getter. However, we point out additionally that the difference between Si and Cr in the Pilling-Bedworth ratio and the solubility of their oxides in the Al₂O₃ scale may contribute to the significant effect of Si additions. Finally, this paper demonstrates that the selected Fe–Cr–Al–Si honeycombs having walls 200 m thick show excellent oxidation resistance over 500 hr at 1150°C in air. The time to catastrophic oxidation is roughly proportional to the wall thickness in extruded honeycombs.