The oxidation of a number of chromized and chrome‐aluminized alloys in flowing air and flue gas atmospheres

DISCUSSION The chromium coating thicknesses used in this work were comparable to those used commercially, being between 70 and 170 micrometres approximately. Even after oxidation for the temperatures and times stated the chromium concentrations at the metal‐oxide interface were between 20% and 60%. These concentrations fell steadily to approximately 13% over the approximate depth stated above before reducing sharply to zero at what was the ferrite‐austenite transformation boundary during the coating process. This is contrary to the structure observed in aluminized stainless steels where a complex structure is produced due to the existence of intermetallic phases. Hence during all the oxidation experiments performed the chromium level of the surface offered for oxidation was never below 13% and complete oxidative breakdown therefore did not occur, excluding spalling effects. Many workers have shown that the oxidation rate of iron‐chromium alloys initially drops sharply with increasing chromium but eventually reaches a minimum of about 20% chromium and then rises for more chromium rich alloys. From the graph of oxidation rate in pure oxygen against chromium content given by Mortimer et al., from 13% chromium to 100% chromium the oxidation rate increases by approximately 6 × 10−9 g.cm−2 sec.−1 It is reasonable to assume that for a diffusion coating the oxidation behaviour will be markedly affected by the composition at its outer surface layer and much less by the composition gradient. If oxidation was continued for sufficiently long periods the latter could affect the general availability of chromium ions for the oxidation process. Over the first 5?m the average chromium levels were between 63% and 20% for the chromised and chrome‐aluminized respectively. From the figures given by Mortimer et al the oxidation rate of the 63% chromium coating would be expected to be 0.5 × 10−9 g.cm−2 sec−1 greater than the 20% chromium coating on the chrome‐aluminized specimens at 600°C, on the basis of the chromium content alone. The results obtained here vary in this manner, hence it is reasonable to conclude that the general oxidation behaviour of the coatings will be very similar to that of pure iron‐chromium alloys containing the same chromium content as in the outer few micrometres of the respective coatings. Even though the true surface area is greater with diffusion treated specimens their oxidation rates are lower that for the corresponding pure alloys.