Solid state amorphization in a thin Fe-Si-Mg-O surface film triggered by the reduction of elements from oxides in the temperature range of the α-γ transformation

Abstract

The study of the processes occurring in the surface layer of the MgO coated commercial alloy Fe-3%Si-0.5%Cu (grain oriented electrical steel) demonstrated that the amorphous phase in the form of a Fe-based solid solution is formed during continuous heating in the 95%N2 + 5%H2 atmosphere. For the purposes of this study, the following methods were used: non-ambient XRD at 20 –1060°C with heating and cooling at a rate of 0.5 dps, layer-by-layer chemical analysis performed by a glow discharge analyzer, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. ThermoCalc software was used to calculate the potential phase equilibrium states. The amorphous phase was formed in the α → γ transformation temperature range, when the heating rates were altered in the surface layer of 1 µm initially consisted of a solid α-Fe-based solution with ~1– 2 wt.% Si with (MgFe)2 SiO4, (MgFe)O, SiO2 oxide inclusions. We suppose that (MgFe)2 SiO4 oxides are partly reduced by H2 to Mg2 Si molecular complexes, which become solid solutions in the temperature range of the metastability of the α-Fe crystal lattice with subsequent amorphization as an alternative to the α → γ transition. The amorphous state is obtained at 920 – 960°C and is retained both at subsequent heating (to 1060°C) and cooling (to 20°С), which is super-stable compared to the established metallic glasses. The composition of the amorphous phase can be described by the formula Fe89.5 Si6 Mg4 Cu0.5. © 2020, Institute for Metals Superplasticity Problems of Russian Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.