Determination of the types of nitrogen in steels containing aluminium or titanium by an extraction method with hydrogen

The extraction method with hydrogen, hitherto used to determine mobile nitrogen in steels over the temperature range 350–450°C, has been employed at higher temperatures to determine nitrogen bound as aluminium nitride, or as titanium nitride or carbonitride. In steels containing only silicon and titanium as deoxidizers, the nitrogen remaining after passage of hydrogen at 600 or 750°C is present as titanium nitride or carbonitride and can be determined by difference. In steels containing only silicon and aluminium as deoxidizers, the nitrogen remaining after passage of hydrogen at 600°C is present as aluminium nitride and can also be determined by difference. This was verified by determining the aluminium nitride indirectly. The nitrogen released from both the aluminium and titanium steels in hydrogen at 600°C probably results from dissociation of submicroscopic particles of manganese silicon nitride.