Abstract
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Three commercial ferritic stainless steels were investigated at 1200 °C by a thermogravimetric analyser (TGA) in air. The oxidation kinetics of the ferritic stainless steels differed significantly. The adhesion of the Cr 2 O 3 scale, the morphology of the SiO 2 , with or without (Cr, Mn) 3 O 4 spinel on the top can greatly influence the oxidation and the degradation behaviour of the steels. Although the SUS430 steel had less Cr among the ferritic stainless steels (16.2 wt% Cr), it did not show more degradation behaviour than the B443NT steel (21.0 wt% Cr). The spallation of the protective oxide scale on the B443NT steel was caused by vacancy condensation at the scale/substrate interface where the SiO 2 particles were and the developed compressive stresses within the oxide scale during oxidation. (Cr, Mn) 3 O 4 spinel on the top of the Cr 2 O 3 scale on the B445J1M steel influenced its evaporation rate. The thermodynamic aspect of the chemical composition and oxidation atmosphere of the Fe–Cr–O system was also discussed.