Decarburization

Decarburization is a generated or unintentional process in which a melt, a semi-finished or finished part carbon is partially or completely withdrawn.

The affinity of carbon to oxygen, particularly at elevated temperatures, is the cause of the decrease of the carbon content in the considered system. The decarburization of steel melting is carried out in the process of refining by chemical reactions with oxygen or in the secondary metallurgy by a vacuum treatment ( Tiefentkohlung to 20 ppm), while in the decarburization of solids usually by diffusion processes only lose outer layers of carbon. For all materials (eg steel, cast iron, malleable ) based on iron -carbon alloys, are the processes of decarbonization of some importance for their mechanical properties. Steel materials are decarburised means of hydrogen / water vapor atmosphere or moistened with water vapor, ammonia cracking gas in long annealing processes.

The depth of the surface zone of steel products, has been withdrawn due to diffusion of carbon, is the depth of decarburization. Prepared using metallographic methods section samples to be etched accordingly so that all structural components and their grain boundaries are visible and can be measured from the cut edge to the unchanged basic structure under the microscope. The execution of this test is to be performed at a magnification ratio of 50:1 and with an ocular micrometer to / - 0.02 mm to measure accurately.