Effect of Arsenic and Copper+Arsenic on High Temperature Oxidation and Hot Shortness Behavior of C–Mn Steel

To avoid surface hot shortness of C–Mn steels containing arsenic and copper+arsenic, high temperature oxidation behavior of the steels were systematically investigated. The results showed that the presence of arsenic and copper+arsenic accelerated oxidation degree of C–Mn steel. Meanwhile, arsenic alone contributed to grain boundaries oxidation, which resulted in the formation of noticeable oxide particles band along grain boundaries at 1000°C and 1050°C. Furthermore, arsenic enrichment degree and the penetration of copper-rich liquid phase containing arsenic into grain boundaries was most severe at 1050°C, while arsenic enrichment degree and the penetration of copper-rich liquid phase were reduced when oxidation temperatures exceeded 1100°C due to diffusion of arsenic and copper+arsenic back into the metal and the occlusion of arsenic-rich/copper-rich particles into oxide scale. The hot-compression testing results were confirmed to agree well with enrichment characteristics of arsenic and copper+arsenic in thermogravimetric (TG) investigations.