PREVENTION OF THE INTERGRANULAR FRACTURE AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURES BY ADDITION OF PHOSPHORUS TO A HIGH PURITY Fe0 002% SALLOY

Theeffectof phosphorusonthehotductility andthesegregation ofsulfuratgrain boundariesin high purityironcontaining 0 002 % sulfur werequantitativelyinvestigated bytensiletestat973 K, SEMobservation of fracture surface and scanning Auger electron spectroscopy.Theexperimental resultscan besum marized as follows:(1) addition of phosphorustothe iron remarkablysuppressestheintergranular fractureinduced bythesegregation of sulfur at973 Kandincreasesthe hot ductility;(2) phosphorusstrikingly decreasesthesegregation ofsulfur atgrain boundaries, whichisresponsibleforthesuppressionoftheintergranularfrac tureat973 K;(3) theremarkably decreasedsegregation ofsulfur atgrain boundariesbytheaddition of phosphoruscan beexplained bythesitecompetitioneffectandtherepulsiveinter action at grain boundariesbetweensulfuratomsand phosphorusatoms;(4) sulfurstrikinglysegregatestothevoid surfacesformed on grain boundaries, while phosphorushaslittlesegre gationtothevoid surfaces.