Surface Oxidation Behavior and Wear Performance of a Fe-21.3Cr-3.5Al-0.5Ti-0.4Zr Steel

Abstract

A type of Fe-21.3Cr-3.5Al-0.5Ti-0.4Zr steel was produced for application of spot-welding location pins in automobile industry. The oxidation behavior at temperatures of 1220–1340 °C and wear performance were investigated. The morphologies and constituent phases of the oxide layers were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The hardness and wear performance of the oxide layers were also measured. The results showed that the mass gain presented a stage characteristic with increasing temperature, i.e., a small increasing at 1220–1260 °C, a moderate increasing at 1280–1300 °C, and a great increasing at 1320–1340 °C. The oxide layer primarily consisted of Al2O3 phase and a small amount of ZrO2 phase. ZrO2 increased in amount with temperature rising from 1220 to 1340 °C. The oxidized surface exhibited an increase of hardness with increasing temperature, but the lowest wear loss occurred at the oxidation temperature of 1280 °C.