Oxidation of a Dispersion-Strengthened Powder Metallurgical FeCrAl Alloy in the Presence of O2 at 1,100 °C: The Influence of Water Vapour

The oxidation behaviour of the FeCrAl alloy Kanthal® APMT in O2 + N2 and O2 + N2 + H2O environments at 1,100 °C was investigated using thermogravimetry and detailed analyses of the scale morphology with SEM/EDX and STEM/EDX. Wrought FeCrAl alloy Kanthal® AF was used as a reference. Exposure time was up to 168 h. Water vapour influenced the early oxide growth kinetics. This effect is explained in terms of water acting as an oxidant, simultaneously with O2. During later stages of the exposures, H2O had no effect on the kinetics of oxidation.