Thermogravimetry and insitu mass spectrometry at high temperatures compared to thermochemical modelling – The weight loss during selective decarburisation at 800 °C

•Insitu mass spectrometry near the sample surface for high temperature experiments.•Minimal interference allows simultaneous recording of thermogravimetry.•Numerical calculations for decarburisation (local equilibria) will be presented.•Differences between experiment and theoretical results will be discussed.•The work is based on the example of pearlite decarburisation for good comparison.

The insitu mass spectrometry detection of volatile species during high temperature corrosion processes, exemplified by decarburisation of plain carbon steel, will be presented. Without influencing the thermobalance signal, changes of the gas composition can be measured by introducing a small quartz capillary into the reaction chamber in close proximity to the sample surface.Experiments with the eutectoid composition Fe, 0.8 wt% C have been chosen intentionally as this alloy represents one of the most intensely studied compositions in steel research. This allows good verification with commonly accepted knowledge. Furthermore, comparison between experimental observations and theoretical simulations will be given and critically discussed.