Characterization of Oxidation Resistance of Stainless Steels at High Temperature by Metallographic Examinations and In-Situ Electrical Resistance Measurements

Practically all metals and alloys survive high-temperature exposure by growing oxide scales and/or by precipitation of the oxide particles in the matrix. Formed products can grow in shape of external oxide layers on surfaces, or as discrete oxide particles precipitated in a metal matrix. The first case represents external oxidation, and the other case is called internal oxidation. These processes are very important, because they determine the properties and applicability of metallic materials. Generally, they are undesired, because they cause deterioration of the mechanical properties and decomposition of metallic material. On the other side, the controlled process of external oxidation could be used for formation of protective coatings and the internal oxidation for dispersion strengthening of materials. In this paper we present monitoring of high-temperature oxidation of X12Cr13 stainless steel by in-situ electrical resistance measurements at different annealing temperatures in the air atmosphere. We determined the kinetics of oxide scale formation and its morphology with additional metallographic examination made by optical and scanning electron microscopy. The results of this research work show that in-situ monitoring and characterization of high-temperature oxidation present a strong tool that will contribute to a better fundamental understanding of the phenomena that occur during high-temperature oxidation of metallic materials.