Identification and Quantification of Phases in Steels by X Ray Diffraction Using Rietveld Refinement

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Abstract
X-ray diffraction has been applied in the investigation of phase formation in steels, operating in industrial environments. In this work, identification and quantification of phases by X-ray diffraction and peak fitting, using the Rietveld method, were employed. In a first scenario, two different types of steels, subjected to abrasive surface cleaning, suffered contamination from the blasting operation that compromise between 10 and 36% of the blasted surface, as revealed by the quantitative phase analysis. Such high values of particulates can jeopardize the corrosion protection offered by posterior coating application. In a second scenario, duplex steels (DS) subjected to aggressive environments and high temperatures of service went through phase transformation that formed amounts up to 3.5% of a deleterious phase, known as sigma phase. This phase compromises the steel mechanical resistance and corrosion protection, and its quantification is crucial for the assurance of the material integrity. The quantitative phase analysis (QPA) by X-ray diffraction provided the diagnosis of forthcoming problems related to the presence of such phases in the investigated steels, allowing the optimization of techniques and the choice of correct process parameters.

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