An Aluminide Surface Layer Containing Lower-Al on Ferritic-Martensitic Steel Formed by Lower-Temperature Aluminization

An aluminide（AlFe and α-（FeAl）） surface layer containing lower-Al was formed on ferritic-martensitic steel P92 by means of surface mechanical attrition treatment（SMAT） combined with a duplex aluminization process at lower temperatures,i.e.a packed aluminization followed by a diffusion annealing treatment below its tempering temperature.Indentation tests indicated that the lower-Al surface layer formed on the SMAT sample is more resistant to cracking and has better adhesion to the substrate in comparison with the Al 5Fe 2 layer formed on the as-received sample after the duplex aluminization process.Isothermal steam oxidation measurements showed that the oxidation resistance is increased significantly by the lower-Al surface layer due to the formation of a protective（Fe,Cr）Al 2O 4 layer.The rate constant of oxidation was estimated to decrease from-0.849 mg^2 cm^-4h^-1 of the as-received material to^0.011 mg^2 cm^-4 h^-1 of the AlFe layer at 700 ℃.