Coatings for decarburization prevention and the influence of electromagnetic field on carbón diffusion in iron

Abstract

The purpose of this project is to study the influence of a combination of electric and magnetic field on the diffusion process of carbon atoms in iron. The experiment is carried out by putting a 26 x 9 mm two-dimensional, partially-graphite-glue-covered sample into a furnace under electromagnetic field at 1000ºC. The experiment is done in a primary vacuum environment. The sample is being observed and recorded by an optical microscope in order to register changes of the microstructure during the process.

For this experiment to be successful it is essential the application of a coating that prevents the decarburization process once the carbon atoms are in the sample, for that, the first part of the project is dedicated to finding a coating capable of preventing decarburization, it should be inert with both carbon and iron, stable under the thermal environment of the experiment and, in an ideal scenario, be transparent so the optical observation during the experiment can still take place.