Comparison Study of Oxidation Behavior of Low Carbon Steel at Elevated Temperatures

Abstract

Comparison study of oxidation behavior of low carbon steel was conducted at the temperature range of 500°C to 700°C under a 0.2 atm oxygen pressure by continuous and discontinuous oxidation methods. Oxidation rate of both cases was found to be increased with increasing temperature from 500°C to 700°C and obeyed parabolic rate law. In addition, activation energy for the continuous oxidation of steel was found to be a 164.8 kJ/mole, which means that oxidation rate is proportionally dependant on temperature. In case of cyclic oxidation, the oxidation rate was shown to faster than continuous oxidation at all temperatures due to direction oxidation through spallation of the oxide layer.