New insights into the effects of silicon content on the oxidation process in silicon-containing steels

Simultaneous thermal analysis (STA) was used to investigate the effects of silicon content on the oxidation kinetics of silicon- containing steels under an atmosphere and heating procedures similar to those used in industrial reheating furnaces for the production of hot-rolled strips. Our results show that when the heating temperature was greater than the melting point of Fe₂SiO₄, the oxidation rates of steels with different silicon contents were the same; the total mass gain decreased with increasing silicon content, whereas it increased with increasing oxygen content. The oxidation rates for steels with different silicon contents were constant with respect to time under isothermal conditions. In addition, the starting oxidation temperature, the intense oxidation temperature, and the finishing oxidation temperature increased with increasing silicon content; the intense oxidation temperature had no correlation with the melting of Fe₂SiO₄. Moreover, the silicon distributed in two forms: as Fe₂SiO₄ at the interface between the innermost layer of oxide scale and the iron matrix, and as particles containing silicon in grains and grain boundaries in the iron matrix.