Kinetics of phosphorus segregation at grain boundaries of low-alloy low-carbon steel

In a temperature range of 280–320°C, the mechanism and kinetics of segregation of impurities in steels have yet remained insufficiently studied. Under these conditions diffusion of impurities in the bulk of steel grains practically ceases, and for describing the kinetics of the process it is incorrect to use the Langmuir-McLean equation. In this work we put forward two new approaches to describe the mechanism and kinetics of phosphorus segregation in steels: a model of sequential changes in the state of phosphorus based on first-order reactions and a model of diffusion redistribution of phosphorus between boundaries of carbide precipitates, structure defects, and boundaries of steel grains. A comparative analysis of the suggested models has been conducted, and estimates of the kinetics of segregation based on them have been made; these estimates have been compared with the experimental results obtained in the temperature range of 280–320°C for test times to ∼20 years. It has been shown that these models fairly well describe the experimental kinetics of phosphorus segregation in boundaries of steel grains.