Diffusion and Interaction of W and Re in Fe-Cr Alloys

The diffusivity of refractory elements in heat resistant steels is crucial for the basic understanding of the microstructural stability during creep. The purposes of this study are to estimate the diffusivity in Fe-Cr alloys as a base alloy for the bcc matrix phase in high Cr ferritic steels and also to investigate the alloying effect of Re on the W diffusivity in them. Fe-15Cr and Fe-20Cr binary alloys, Fe-15Cr-5Re, Fe-15Cr-5W, Fe-20Cr-5Re ternary alloys [mol%] were used in this study. On the basis of the modified ternary Boltzmann-Matano method, the interdiffusion coefficients were obtained in Fe-Cr-Re ternary system. The apparent interdiffusion coefficient for the Re-doped Fe-Cr-W alloy was about one fifth of that for the Re-free alloy. It is concluded that the existence of Re retarded significantly the W diffusion in Fe-15mol%Cr based alloy. This is probably the main reason why a small amount of Re addition suppress the microstructural evolution of W containing high Cr ferritic steels.