The development of alumina-forming austenitic stainless steels for high-temperature structural use

Abstract

A new family of alumina-forming austenitic stainless steels is under development at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for structural use in aggressive oxidizing environments at 600-900°C. Data obtained to date indicate the potential to achieve superior oxidation resistance compared to conventional Cr2O3-forming iron- and nickel-based heat-resistant alloys, with creep strength comparable to state-of-the-art advanced austenitic stainless steels. A preliminary assessment also indicated that the newly developed alloys are amenable to welding Details of the alloy design approach and composition-microstructure-property relationships are presented.