Papers by Author: Peter Schmidt

Abstract: The prediction of the applicability range of beta titanium alloys in hydrogen containing environments and the systematic study of hydrogen effects on the microstructure during heat treatment require reliable information about the hydrogen diffusion coefficient DH in the respective titanium alloy. Up to now the little information available on hydrogen diffusivity in commercial titanium alloys indicates a higher hydrogen diffusion coefficient in beta titanium alloys as compared to alpha and alpha + beta titanium alloys. In the present study, the hydrogen diffusion coefficients were determined systematically by means of electrochemically charging the half length of thin titanium rods and subsequent annealing, thereby enabling hydrogen diffusion. The Matano technique was applied in order to identify any effect of hydrogen concentration on DH. The hydrogen diffusion coefficients determined were correlated with results from microstructure examination applying optical and electron microscopy. Since molybdenum and vanadium are the most important beta-stabilizing alloying elements, binary titanium alloys of the Ti–Mo and the Ti–V systems at various contents of the respective alloying element were systematically studied in addition to commerical beta titanium alloys. The results of the experiments revealed the strong effect of beta stability and phase composition on hydrogen diffusion.

Abstract: Even though the oxidation behavior of steels is generally considered as to be widely understood, a closer look reveals some open questions, e.g. regarding the influence of the substrate grain size on the overall oxidation kinetics. At temperatures below 570°C the main constituent of the oxide scale formed on top of low alloy steels is magnetite. As shown by gold marker experiments it grows outward and inward at the same time, the latter exhibiting a gradual transition to the more stable spinel compound FeCr2O4. As indicated by intergranular-oxidation attack below the superficial scale, inward oxide growth seems to be driven by oxygen transport along the grain boundaries serving as fast diffusion paths. This is supported by thermogravimetric oxidation tests in air on low-Cr steels with varying grain size: The smaller the grains the higher the oxidation rate. Recently, a numerical model for the diffusive transport processes based on the finite-difference approach has been developed, which distinguishes between fast grain-boundary diffusion and bulk diffusion. Qualitatively, it is capable to predict the relationship between substrate grain size and inward oxide growth kinetics. Together with the thermodynamic tool ChemApp and in combination with a data set for the Fe-Cr-O system the mechanism-based simulation of the overall oxidation process of low-Cr steels is possible.