Solid-State Reaction Between Fe-Al-Ca Alloy and Al2O3-CaO-FeO Oxide During Heat Treatment at 1473 K (1200 °C)

The aim of this study was to control the physicochemical characteristics of inclusions in steel through appropriate heat treatment. Using a confocal scanning laser microscope (CSLM) and pipe furnace, the solid-state reactions between Fe-Al-Ca alloy and Al2O3-CaO-FeO oxide during heat treatment at 1473 K (1200 °C) and the influence of these reactions on the compositions of and phases in the alloy and oxide were investigated by the diffusion couple method. Suitable pretreatment of the oxide using a CSLM and production of the diffusion couple of Fe-Al-Ca alloy and Al2O3-CaO-FeO oxide gave good contact between the alloy and oxide. The diffusion couple was then sealed in a quartz tube with a piece of Ti foil to lower oxygen partial pressure and a block of Fe-Al-Ca alloy was introduced to conduct heat treatment experiments. Solid-state reactions between the alloy and oxide during heat treatment at 1473 K (1200 °C) were analyzed and discussed. A dynamic model to calculate the width of the particle precipitation zone based on the Wagner model of internal oxidation of metal was proposed. This model was helpful to understand the solid-state reaction mechanism between Fe-Al-Ca alloy and Al2O3-CaO-FeO oxide.