Thermal Diffusivity and Microstructure in API5L-X52

The determination of the thermal diffusivity of API5L-X52 carbon steel at room temperature, by means of the photoacoustic technique in a heat transmission configuration, is reported for the first time. Since literature values of thermal diffusivity for this low carbon steel do not exist, comparisons among our thermal diffusivity (α) results for API5L-X52 steel and those reported in the literature for steels with similar compositions are reported. Moreover, a study of the microstructure of this low carbon steel by means of scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) is presented.