Austenitic and ferritic stainless steels are susceptible to breakaway oxidation when exposed to
oxidizing gases containing water vapor at elevated temperatures. The normally protective chromium
oxide film is disrupted by rapidly-growing mixed oxide nodules. This phenomenon can result in
significant damage to the metal substrate, particularly for thin foil sections. A model has been created to
predict the onset of failure in air containing water vapor for several austenitic stainless steels, based on
testing and analysis of a large number of laboratory specimens.