Oxidation behavior of Fe-25Cr-20Ni-2.8Si during isothermal oxidation at 1,286 K; Life-time prediction

Abstract

The oxidation behavior of an austenitic steel, type 1.4841, with a Cr content of 25 wt% and a high-Si content of 2.8 wt% was studied during isothermal oxidation at 1,286 K in air. A thick, crystalline Cr2O3 layer, on top of a much thinner, amorphous SiO2 layer, developed on the alloy substrate. After formation of a closed Cr2O3 scale, parabolic growth kinetics prevailed as long as the associated constant, steady-state Cr concentration in the alloy at the substrate/oxide interface of about 13 ± 1 wt% was maintained. Upon prolonged oxidation, successive cracking and spallation of the thickening oxide scale eventually led to breakaway oxidation, because the "bulk-"Cr concentration in the interior of the alloy dropped below the critical value required to 'heal' the protective oxide layer after oxide spallation. Application of a lifetime prediction model of the alloy substrate under isothermal oxidation conditions allowed determination of the breakaway-oxidation time as a function of alloy-sheet thickness, by employing the Cr volume-diffusion coefficient in the alloy and the parabolic growth-rate constant, both determined in the present study by fitting calculated to experimental Cr-depletion profiles for various oxidation times. © 2008 The Author(s).