Effect of Oxidation on Hot Ductility Behavior of Plain Carbon Steel

The effects of oxidation behavior on the hot ductility of plain carbon steels were investigated at various temperatures in order to simulate the continuous casting process more precisely, in which the process undergoes in air atmosphere rather than Ar atmosphere. The high temperature oxidation behavior and scale morphology of the carbon steels exposed to the air and Ar atmosphere at various temperatures were also investigated in order to assess the mechanism of the RA value decreasing in an air atmosphere. The RA values obtained from the air atmosphere were marked below 45% by the test temperature, except for over 1000 degrees C, with the RA values remaining in low values in both the low and high temperature region, at which the RA values generally recovered in the Ar atmosphere. The surface roughness of the specimen was developed by external and internal oxidation when the specimen was deformed in an air atmosphere at high temperature, with the result being the stress concentrated at the roughness of the specimen surface, resulting in low RA values. The hot ductility in the air atmosphere was found to be likely controlled by the oxidation rate instead of the microstructures corresponding to test temperatures.