Erosion Layer Growth between Solid 316L Stainless Steel and Al–Li Alloy Melt

Abstract

The erosion experiments of Al–Li melt on 316L stainless steel were carried out at different temperatures and holding times. In this study, the microstructure and composition of an Al–Li/316L liquid–solid interface was analyzed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscope (ICP-AES), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The phase transformation and structure evolution of the erosion process were studied to explain the erosion mechanism and kinetics. The results showed that Fe/Cr/Ni–Al intermetallic compounds (IMC) were formed at the Al–Li/316L interface, and the diffusion of Cr atoms lead to the accumulation of Ti in the Al–Li melt, to form TiAl3 and CrAl4. With the increase in temperature and holding time, the thickness of the Fe-containing erosion layer (EL) increased, and the morphology of Ti-containing erosion particles (EP) became larger and more regular. The apparent activation energy (Ea) of the Fe-containing erosion layer was 124.82 kJ·mol−1. Meanwhile, a kinetics equation for predicting the service life of 316L was obtained. The research results provided a theoretical guidance for the smelting and casting of an Al–Li alloy.