Long-term oxidation kinetics of aluminide coatings on alloy steels by low temperature pack cementation process

The long-term oxidation kinetics of the P92 steel and iron aluminide diffusion coating formed on its surface by the pack cementation process have been investigated at 650 °C over a period of more than 7000 h both in 100% steam and in air under normal one atmospheric pressure by intermittent weight measurement at room temperature. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) techniques were used to analyse the oxidised surfaces. For the P92 steel substrate, the scale formed by oxidation is largely magnetite (Fe₃O₄) in steam and haematite (Fe₂O₃) in air. Despite this difference in the type of oxide scales formed, it was found that the long-term oxidation kinetics of the P92 steel substrate in both steam and air can be described by a logarithmic time relationship: Δm _t = k _lln(t/t° + 1); the constants k _l and t° were subsequently determined using a closest fit process for oxidations in steam and air. For the coating, the oxide scale formed in both steam and air was Al₂O₃, which provided the long-term oxidation resistance. It was observed that the long-term oxidation kinetics of the coating in both steam and air can be best described by Δm _t = Δm ₀ + k _c t ^1/3; the rate constant k _c of oxidation in steam and air was then determined by the least squares method. For both the P92 steel substrate and coating, the rate of oxidation is faster in steam than in air at 650 °C particularly in the case of the P92 steel substrate.