Steam Treatment of Ferrous P/M parts

Steam treating, also known as steam oxidizing, is a low-temperature (510 ~ 570 C, 1 to 2 h)

heat treatment process in which P/M steel parts are exposed to superheated steam to form a
layer of black iron oxide identified as magnetite, in the surface porosity, according to
the chemical reaction:
3Fe + 4H2O (steam) Fe3O4 + 4H2 (gas).
The steam reacts with the iron surface converting it to an adherent, protective bluegrey
iron oxide (Fe3O4). Because the steam can penetrate the porosity, the oxide layer can be
0.020 to 0.050 in. deep depending on the processing conditions.
Steam treating cannot truly be described as a heat treatment because no structural
changes occur in the matrix. In the process, magnetite (Fe 3O4) is formed at the
interconnecting surface porosity, filling the porosity with a second phase. Magnetite has a
hardness equivalent to 50 HRC. The process itself is straightforward; the primary variables
are temperature, time, and steam pressure. Caution must be exercised to prevent the
formation of hydroxides and lower oxide such as ferrous oxide (FeO) and ferric oxide (Fe 2O3),
which is red rust. Also, adhesion of the surface oxide layer is an important variable to control.
Adhesion is strongly influenced by process time at temperature.
Spalling or flaking of the surface oxide layer can occur if the process temperature
exceeds 570 C and process times exceed 4 h. The maximum thickness of the surface oxide
layer should not exceed 7 m. Beyond this thickness, flaking can occur due to an increase in
surface tensile stress.
The process can be conducted in batch, pressurized furnaces, or continuous belt
furnaces.
Steam treating enhances the product by:

Increasing wear resistance

Increasing surface hardness

Improving corrosion resistance

Increasing compressive yield strength

Providing low-pressure leak tightness

Formation of this oxide layer unfortunately reduces tensile strength and ductility 10 to 20%,
depending on the material system and processing conditions.

The recommended procedure for steam treating is:

1. Preclean parts to remove any oil or lubricants that may have been absorbed into the
porosity from prior machining, sizing, or finishing operations.
2. Load clean sintered parts in loosely packed baskets and place fixture into a furnace
preheated to 315 C.
3. Heat parts in air until the center of the load has stabilized at the set temperature.
4. Introduce superheated steam at a line pressure of 35 to 105 kPa (5 to 15 psi) and allow
furnace to purge for at least 15 min.
5. Increase furnace temperature to desired steam treatment temperature and hold for no
longer than 4 h at heat.
6. On completion of the treatment, reduce furnace temperature to 315 C (600 F). When
parts reach this temperature, the steam can be shut off and the parts unloaded.
Caution should be used when opening the furnace door after the steam cycle. As
indicated above, hydrogen is produced during this process and can ignite. It is recommended
that a nitrogen purge be applied prior to unloading. This process, when correctly applied, can
impart improved surface properties and, depending on steel composition, increase
compressive yield strength.
Equipment must be properly sealed to prevent air contamination, or erratic oxide
formation, and discoloration can occur.
In steam-treated P/M steels, the ductility is significantly reduced due to the internal
stresses created by the formation of the iron oxide. Care must be taken when steam treating
high-carbon P/M steels because these internal stresses can initiate microcracking and cause
severe loss of ductility. The best recommendation for preventing such an incident is to specify
a maximum carbon content of 0.5% for P/M parts that are to be steam treated.
Sintered density is an important consideration when applying steam treating for
improved strength and hardness. Its ability to increase the wear resistance of the substrate
material depends on the available porosity for oxidation. As density is increased, the amount
of oxide formed is decreased, which minimizes the improvement in apparent hardness
attributed to steam treating.

Micrograph of steam-treated structure of alloy FC-0205 (6.75 g/cm3). Unetched, 200

References:
1. ASM Volume 7; Powder Metal Technologies and Applications