Effects of 0.1 wt.% manganese, aluminum, and silicon on oxidation and copper-rich liquid phase formation in an iron-0.3 wt.% copper-0.15 Wt.% nickel alloy

This study investigated the effect of easily oxidizable impurities on the oxidation behavior of iron containing small amounts of copper and nickel. The motivation for this work stems from a cracking phenomenon in low carbon steels known as hot shortness. This type of cracking is caused by formation of a copper-rich liquid layer and is reduced in the presence of easily oxidizable impurities. This work studied iron alloys with 0.3 wt.% copper, 0.15 wt.% nickel, and 0.1 wt.% (manganese, aluminum, or silicon) oxidized in air at 1,150 °C. Parabolic oxidation rates were not affected by manganese or aluminum but were decreased with silicon additions. Manganese and aluminum additions led to internal MnO and hercynite formation. These slightly increased the amount of material entrapped into the oxide. Silicon additions led to a nearly continuous fayalite layer near the oxide/metal interface that decreased the oxidation rate and therefore the amount of copper-rich liquid.