The precipitation strengthening behavior of Cu-rich phase in Nb contained advanced Fe-Cr-Ni type austenitic heat resistant steel for USC power plant application

Copper has been used as a strengthening element in newly developed Fe-Cr-Ni type austenitic heat resistant steel for inducing Cu-rich phase precipitation to meet high temperature strength requirement f...     

Phase stability in an austenitic Fe-Cr-Mn (W,V) alloy

By means of deformation and long term aging, the stability and phase equilibrim characteristic of the C+N synthetically strengthening austenitic Fe-Cr-Mn (W,V) alloy were investigated. Experimental results indicate that the austenitic alloy remains stability and no γ→α transformation occurs under 500℃. Synthetic addition of C and N causes the grains to refine and powerfully retards formation of ε martensite and precipitation of σ phase. M_s point is elevated with long term aging at elevated temperature (500-700℃) due to a large number of strain induced carbides precipitate. Along with accelerated decomposition of strain induced α' martensite and occurrence of recrystallization, γ→α transformation and σ phase precipitation are promoted so that austenite becomes unstable.     

Precipitation behavior of B2-like particles in Fe-Cu binary alloy

The precipitation behavior in Fe-Cu binary alloy was investigated under transmission electron microscope (TEM) during aging at 650℃ for the time range of 100 s to 300 h. In addition to the zones with higher copper content and ε-Cu were observed, a metastable phase with B2-like structure was found in the early stage of the precipitation process, which is quite different from the equilibrium copper phase shown in the Fe-Cu binary phase diagram and has perfect coherent relationship to the α-Fe matrix. The appearance of B2-like structure is very important concerning the mechanism of aging strengthening effect and mechanical properties of corresponding engineering steels and alloys containing copper.     

Mechanical properties and characteristics of nanometer-sized precipitates in hot-rolled low-carbon ferritic steel

The microstructures and properties of hot-rolled low-carbon ferritic steel have been investigated by optical microscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and tensile tests after isothermal transformation from 600℃ to 700℃ for 60 min. It is found that the strength of the steel decreases with the increment of isothermal temperature, whereas the hole expansion ratio and the fraction of high-angle grain boundaries increase. A large amount of nanometer-sized carbides were homogeneously distributed throughout the material, and fine (Ti, Mo)C precipitates have a significant precipitation strengthening effect on the ferrite phase because of their high density. The nanometer-sized carbides have a lattice parameter of 0.411–0.431 nm. After isothermal transformation at 650℃ for 60 min, the ferrite phase can be strengthened above 300 MPa by precipitation strengthening according to the Ashby-Orowan mechanism.     

Influence of isothermal aging on σ precipitation in super duplex stainless steel

The time-temperature-transformation (TTT) curve of the 00Cr25Ni7Mo4N duplex stainless steel was obtained with a Formastor-digital thermal dilatometer, and the influence of isothermal aging on σ precipitation was studied by metallographic observation, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that the decomposition of ferrite phase is accompanied by the formation of σ phase at 750–1000℃, especially in the range of 800–900℃. The longer the aging time, the higher the amount of σ precipitation. The area fraction of various phases remains at a certain value upon the completion of ferrite deformation. The temperature of 850℃ is the most sensitive transaction temperature, the incubation time for the formation of σ precipitation is less than 1 min, and aging for 20 min leads to the complete transformation of ferrite. The σ phase is formed preferentially at the α/α/γ junction, and then grows along the α/α boundary in the matrix.     

Microstructure evolution of T91 heat-resistant steels after long-time aging

To investigate the evolution of microstructure damage degree and the precipitated phases of heat-resistant metal in power plant under high temperature and stress environment, the high-temperature aging tests were conducted to investigate the aging behavior of T91 steel at different temperatures and stress. The optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were used to investigate the structure and precipitated phases, the results showed that the orientation characteristics of tempered martensite was dispersed, and the grain size is obviously increased. The density of dislocation decreased with increasing temperature and stress. The important strengthening phase of M23C6 (M=Fe, Cr) was coarsened by the diffusion of main alloying elements Cr, while the smaller size MX (M=Nb,V; X=C, N) phase distributed in the grain is relatively stable in the aging.     

Coarsening behavior of MX carbonitrides in type 347H heat-resistant austenitic steel during thermal aging

In this work, the growth kinetics of MX (M = metal, X = C/N) nanoprecipitates in type 347H austenitic steel was systematically studied. To investigate the coarsening behavior and the growth mechanism of MX carbonitrides during long-term aging, experiments were performed at 700, 800, 850, and 900℃ for different periods (1, 24, 70, and 100 h). The precipitation behavior of carbonitrides in specimens subjected to various aging conditions was explored using carbon replicas and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations. The corresponding sizes of MX carbonitrides were measured. The results demonstrates that MX carbonitrides precipitate in type 347H austenitic steel as Nb(C,N). The coarsening rate constant is time-independent; however, an increase in aging temperature results in an increase in coarsening rate of Nb(C,N). The coarsening process was analyzed according to the calculated diffusion activation energy of Nb(C,N). When the aging temperature was 800–900℃, the mean activation energy was 294 kJ·mol-1, and the coarsening behavior was controlled primarily by the diffusion of Nb atoms.     

Solute atom migration in GH4169 superalloy under electrostatic fields

Electric field treatment (EFT) was applied on GH4169 alloy during aging at 500–800℃ to investigate the microstructure and property variation of the alloy under the action of EFT. The results demonstrate that the short-distance diffusion of Al, Ti, and Nb atoms can be accelerated by EFT, which results in the coarsening of γ′ and γ″ phases. Meanwhile, lattice distortion can be caused by the segregation of Fe and Cr atoms, owing to the vacancy flows migrating toward the charged surfaces of the alloy. Therefore, the alloy is hardened by the application of EFT, even if the strength of the alloy is partly reduced, which is caused by precipitation coarsening.     

Influence of isothermal aging onσprecipitation in super duplex stainless steel

<正>The time-temperature-transformation(TTT) curve of the 00Cr25Ni7Mo4N duplex stainless steel was obtained with a Formastor -digital thermal dilatometer,and the influence of isothermal aging onσprecipitation was studied by metallographic observation,X-ray diffraction(XRD),and transmission electron microscopy(TEM).The results show that the decomposition of ferrite phase is accompanied by the formation ofσphase at 750-1000℃,especially in the range of 800-900℃.The longer the aging time,the higher the amount ofσprecipitation. The area fraction of various phases remains at a certain value upon the completion of ferrite deformation.The temperature of 850℃is the most sensitive transaction temperature,the incubation time for the formation ofσprecipitation is less than 1 min,and aging for 20 min leads to the complete transformation of ferrite.Theσphase is formed preferentially at theα/α/γjunction,and then grows along theα/αboundary in the matrix.     

Effect of aging temperature on the microstructures and mechanical properties of ZG12Cr9Mo1Co1NiVNbNB ferritic heat-resistant steel

The effect of aging on the mechanical properties and microstructures of a new ZG12Cr9Mo1Co1NiVNbNB ferritic heat resistant steel was investigated in this work to satisfy the high steam parameters of the ultra-supercritical power plant. The results show that the main precipitates during aging are Fe(Cr, Mo)₂₃C₆, V(Nb)C, and (Fe₂Mo) Laves in the steel. The amounts of the precipitated phases increase during aging, and correspondingly, the morphologies of phases are similar to be round. Fe(Cr, Mo)₂₃C₆ appears along boundaries and grows with increasing temperature. In addition, it is revealed that the martensitic laths are coarsened and eventually happen to be polygonization. The hardness and strength decrease gradually, whereas the plasticity of the steel increases. What’s more, the hardness of this steel after creep is similar to that of other 9%–12%Cr ferritic steels. Thus, ZG12Cr9Mo1Co1NiVNbNB can be used in the project.     

Effect of ECAP temperature on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloy

The effect of equal channel angular pressing(ECAP) at different temperatures(room temperature, 120,150 and 180 °C) on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-7075 solid solution alloy was investigated. Microstructure of the specimens was examined using orientation imaging microscopy,transmission electron microscopy as well as X-ray diffractometer, and mechanical properties were measured by Vickers microhardness and tensile tests. Microstructural investigations showed that after3 or 4 passes of ECAP, fi ne grains with average grain sizes in range of 300–1000 nm could be obtained at different ECAP temperatures. Increasing ECAP temperature from 120 to 180 °C caused a decrease in mechanical properties as a result of increasing grains and precipitates sizes, decreasing fraction of high angle boundaries and also transformation of η′ into η phase, while increasing ECAP temperature from RT to 120 °C leads to an increase in mechanical properties due to the formation of small η′ precipitates. So it can be concluded that ECAP process at 120 °C is the optimum process for attaining maximum mechanical properties. Quantitative estimates of various strengthening mechanisms revealed that the improvement of mechanical properties was mainly attributed to grain re fi nement strengthening, precipitation strengthening and dislocation strengthening.     

Effect of heat treatment on the microstructure of a Ni–Fe based superalloy for advanced ultra-supercritical power plant applications

The effect of heat treatment on the microstructure and microhardness of a Ni–Fe based superalloy for700 °C advanced ultra-supercritical coalfi red power plants was investigated. Results showed that the main phases in the alloy were γ, γ′, MC and M_23C_6, and no harmful phase was observed in the alloy.M_23C_6-type carbides discretely distributed nearby grain boundaries as the alloy was aged at above840 °C. The microhardness decreased with increasing aging temperature. The coarsening of γ′ led to the increment of microhardness at 780 °C and 810 °C for a short aging time, and a signi fi cant decrease in microhardness after aging at 840 °C. The aging temperature had more signi fi cant role on the microstructure than holding time. Therefore, to obtain optimum strengthening effect for this alloy, the aging temperature should not exceed 810 °C.     

Corrosion behavior of ferritic stainless steel with 15wt% chromium for the automobile exhaust system

The effect of chloride ion concentration, pH value, and grain size on the pitting corrosion resistance of a new ferritic stainless steel with 15wt% Cr was investigated using the anodic polarization method. The semiconducting properties of passive films with different chloride ion concentrations were performed using capacitance measurement and Mott-Schottky analysis methods. The aging precipitation and intergranular corrosion behavior were evaluated at 400–900℃. It is found that the pitting potential decreases when the grain size increases. With the increase in chloride ion concentration, the doping density and the flat-bland potential increase but the thickness of the space charge layer decreases. The pitting corrosion resistance increases rapidly with the decrease in pH value. Precipitants is identified as Nb(C,N) and NbC, rather than Cr-carbide. The intergranular corrosion is attributed to the synergistic effects of Nb(C,N) and NbC precipitates and Cr segregation adjacent to the precipitates.     

Cr/Mn偏析对高碳轴承钢珠光体–马氏体带状组织的影响分析

The effect of Cr/Mn segregation on the abnormal banded structure of high carbon bearing steel was studied by reheating and hot rolling. With the use of an optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, and electron probe microanalyzer, the segregation characteristics of alloying elements in cast billet and their relationship with hot-rolled plate banded structure were revealed. The formation causes of an abnormal banded structure and the elimination methods were analyzed. Results indicate the serious positive segregation of C, Cr, and Mn alloy elements in the billet. Even distribution of Cr/Mn elements could not be achieved after 10 h of heat preservation at 1200°C, and the spacing of the element aggregation area increased, but the segregation index of alloy elements decreased. Obvious alloying element segregation characteristics are present in the banded structure of the hot-rolled plate. This distinct white band is composed of martensitic phases. The formation of this abnormal pearlite–martensite banded structure is due to the interaction between the undercooled austenite transformation behavior of hot-rolled metal and the segregation of its alloying elements. Under the air cooling after rolling, controlling the segregation index of alloy elements can reduce or eliminate the abnormal banded structure.     

Electron theory study on mechanism of action of cobalt in Fe-Co-Cr based high-alloy steel

The valence electron structure of martensite in Fe-Co-Cr based high-alloy steel is calculated using the empirical electron theory of solids and molecules(EET).The results show that the incorporation of cobalt leads to a rise in nA from 0.3835 to 0.4684,which enhances the bonding forces between atoms in α-Fe matrix.Meanwhile,the incorporation of Co changes the valence electron structure of segregated structure units formed by C and other alloying elements,and increases nA for the segregated units containing C-Me significantly,resulting in changing the precipitation behavior of the secondary phases during tempering and strengthening the resistance to tempering.     

增材制造镍基高温合金IN718的热处理优化

Additive manufacturing (AM) of Ni-base superalloy components can lead to a significant reduction of weight in aerospace applications. AM of IN718 by selective laser melting results in a very fine dendritic microstructure with a high dislocation density due to the fast solidification process. The complex phase composition of this alloy, with three different types of precipitates and high residual stresses, necessitates adjustment of the conventional heat treatment for AM parts. To find an optimized heat treatment, the microstructures and mechanical properties of differently solution heat-treated samples were investigated by transmission and scanning electron microscopy, including electron backscatter diffraction, and compression tests. After a solution heat treatment (SHT), the Nb-rich Laves phase dissolves and the dislocation density is reduced, which eliminates the dendritic substructure. SHT at 930 or 954°C leads to the precipitation of the δ-phase, which reduces the volume fraction of the strengthening γ′- and γ′′-phases formed during the subsequent two stage aging treatment. With a higher SHT temperature of 1000°C, where no δ-phase is precipitated, higher γ′ and γ′′ volume fractions are achieved, which results in the optimum strength of all of the solution heat treated conditions.     

Semi-solid slurry preparation and rolling of 1Cr18Ni9Ti stainless steel

The preparation and rolling of the semi-solid slurry 1Cr18Ni9Ti stainless steel were researched. The experimental results show that when stirred for 2-3 min under the given test condition, the semi-solid slurry with about 50%-60% (volume fraction) solid and the spherical primary austenitic grains in the size of 100-200 μm can be obtained, and it is easy to be discharged from the bottom little hole of the stirring chamber. The semi-solid slurry of 1Cr18Ni9Ti stainless steel can be rolled into the given plate successfully.However, the solid phase and liquid phase are easily separated in the rolling process, so that the solid primary austenitic grains are concentrated in the center and the liquid phase is near the edge of the rolled plate. The strengths of the plate rolled in the semi-solid state are higher than that of the traditionally repeated hot-rolled plate of 1Cr18Ni9Ti stainless steel.     

Optimization of the heat treatment of additively manufactured Ni-base superalloy IN718

Additive manufacturing(AM) of Ni-base superalloy components can lead to a significant reduction of weight in aerospace applications. AM of IN718 by selective laser melting results in a very fine dendritic microstructure with a high dislocation density due to the fast solidification process. The complex phase composition of this alloy, with three different types of precipitates and high residual stresses, necessitates adjustment of the conventional heat treatment for AM parts. To find an optimized heat treatment, the microstructures and mechanical properties of differently solution heat-treated samples were investigated by transmission and scanning electron microscopy, including electron backscatter diffraction, and compression tests. After a solution heat treatment(SHT), the Nb-rich Laves phase dissolves and the dislocation density is reduced, which eliminates the dendritic substructure. SHT at 930 or 954°C leads to the precipitation of the δ-phase, which reduces the volume fraction of the strengthening γ′-and γ′′-phases formed during the subsequent two stage aging treatment. With a higher SHT temperature of 1000°C, where no δ-phase is precipitated, higher γ′ and γ′′ volume fractions are achieved, which results in the optimum strength of all of the solution heat treated conditions.     

Phase-field simulation on microstructure evolution of D0_(19) phase in γ/γ′structure of Co–Al–W superalloys

The morphological evolution and precipitation kinetics of γ′ and D0_(19)(Co_3 W) phase in Co–Al–W alloys at 900 °C have been studied by applying Phase-field method and experiment in order to understand the transformation process of γ′ phase and D0_(19) phase. The growth processes of D0_(19) phase and precipitation of γ′ phase under elastic fields were simulated through coupling with thermodynamics and dynamics databases. The simulation results indicate that the misfit δ≥ 0.53% has a greater impact on γ′ particle morphology in γ/γ′ structure.Co–Al–W alloy with low Al and high W is one of the factors to promote the precipitation of D0_(19) phase. Three stages during aging, namely the γ′ phase incubation stage, the γ′ phase fast nucleation and growth stage, and the transformation from γ′ phase to D0_(19) phase stage can be observed with the non-constant coarsening rate that varying with the decrease of γ′ phase. The particle size distribution(PSD) during the precipitation of D0_(19) phase is more in line with MLSW theory than LSW theory. This simulation results are in good agreement with the experiment results to help analyze microstructure evolution of Co–Al–W alloy.     

Microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of aging high nitrogen austenitic stainless steels

The microstructural evolution of 18Cr18Mn2Mo0.77N high nitrogen austenitic stainless steel in aging treatment was investigated by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that hexagonal intergranular and cellular Cr₂N with a=0.478 nm and c=0.444 nm and body-centered cubic intermetallic χ phase with a=0.892 nm precipitate gradually in the isothermal aging treatment. The matrix nitrogen depletion due to the intergranular Cr₂N precipitation induces the decay of Vickers hardness, and the formation of cellular Cr₂N and χ phase causes the increase in the values. The impact toughness presents a monotonic decrease and SEM morphologies show the leading brittle intergranular fracture. The tensile strength and elongation deteriorate obviously except for the sample aged for 1 h in yield strength. Stress concentration occurs when the matrix dislocations pile up at the precipitation and matrix interfaces, and the interfacial dislocations may become precursors to the misfit dislocations, which can form small cleavage steps and accelerate the formation of cracks.