COMBINED USE OF EPMA, XPS, GDOS FOR THE CHARACTERIZATION OF STEEL SURFACES

Surface segregation phenomena were investigated in low carbon steels. More specifically, a morphological and microchemical investigation was carried out on the surface layers of decarburized sheets, characterized by a wide range of reactivities to be correlated with the surface and sub-surface chemical composition. As an example, results are illustrated for two samples, designated HR and LR, having the highest and lowest reactivity respectively. Preliminary information is given by the different SEM morphology.