Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM)
The oxidation behaviour of any alloy is a key issue which determines whether this material is suited for application. In this study, a single-phase equiatomic CrFeNi alloy was exposed to synthetic air at 1000 - 1100 °C for 24 - 1000 h and compared to 316L steel. The oxidation rate of CrFeNi was parabolic at the lower temperatures 1000 °C and 1050 °C, but at 1100 °C a first breakaway occurred after 4 h of exposure. In all cases, the oxide scales were found to partially spall off. As expected, Cr diffuses outwards to form a Cr2O3 layer at the gas/oxide interface. A thin layer of (Cr, Fe, Ni)3O4 is identified at the oxide/alloy interface. The CrFeNi alloy does not show any catastrophic oxidation behaviour at the investigated conditions unlike the 316L alloy, which contains more Mn and Fe.
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