Chemical reactions during sintering of Fe-Cr-Mn-Si-Ni-Mo-C-steels with special reference to processing in semi-closed containers

Sintering of Cr, Mn and Si bearing steels has recently attracted both experimental and theoretical attention and processing in semiclosed containers has been reproposed. This paper brings together relevant thermodynamic data and considers the kinetics of some relevant chemical reactions. These involve iron and carbon, water vapour, carbon monoxide and dioxide, hydrogen and nitrogen of the sintering atmospheres and the alloying elements Cr, Mn, Mo and Si. The paper concludes by presenting mechanical properties data for three steels sintered in local microatmosphere with nitrogen, hydrogen, nitrogen-5% hydrogen and air as the furnace gas.