Effects of chromium on the microstructure and hot ductility of Nb-microalloyed steel

It is well-known that the surface quality of the niobium microalloy profiled billet directly affects the comprehensive mechanical properties of the H-beam. The effects of chromium on the γ/α phase transformation and high-temperature mechanical properties of Nb-microalloyed steel were studied by Gleeble tensile and high-temperature in-situ observation experiments. Results indicated that the starting temperature of the γ→α phase transformation decreases with increasing Cr content. The hot ductility of Nb-microalloyed steel is improved by adding 0.12 wt% Cr. Chromium atoms inhibit the diffusion of carbon atoms, which reduces the thickness of grain boundary ferrite. The number fractions of high-angle grain boundaries increase with increasing chromium content. In particular, the proportion is up to 48.7% when the Cr content is 0.12 wt%. The high-angle grain boundaries hinder the crack propagation and improve the ductility of Nb-microalloyed steel.     

High Temperature Ductility Loss of 16MnCr5 Pinion Steels

A wide ductility trough covering from 700 to 1100 is observed in the curve of Reduction of Area (RA) vs. tempetature for 16MnCr5 pinion steel. At 750℃, corresponding to the minimum of RA, it is grain boundary sliding that controls its hot ductility rather than usual Deforming Induced Ferrite (DIF), which can only appear just below 750℃ and slightly improve hot ductility. The volume fraction of ferrite is dependent on the strain and strain rate.Firstly a critical strain must be necessary for formation of DIF then with strain rate increasing, the volume fraction of DIF decreases but RA is elevated. In the γ phase region, hot ductility is seriously deteriorated because of grain boundary sliding promoted by oxidcs and sulfides at the grain boundary and recovered because of dynamic recrystallization at higher temperature; when strain rate increases, ductility is improved as there is insufficient time for cracks to propagate along the γ grain boundary as well as dynamically precipitating, and ductility trough becomes narrower because the temperature for onset of dynamic recrystallization decreases. In addition, γ→α phase transformation introduced by temperature drop before the tensile test encourages precipitation of AlN and impairs ductility.     

A method to study interface diffusion of arsenic into a Nb-Ti microalloyed low carbon steel

A novel diffusion couple method was used to investigate the interface diffusion of arsenic into a Nb-Ti microalloyed low carbon steel and its effects on phase transformation at the interface. It is discovered that the content of arsenic has great effect on grain growth and phase transformation at high temperature. When the arsenic content is no more than 1wt%, there is no obvious grain growth and no obvious ferrite transitional region formed at the diffusion interface. However, when the arsenic content is no less than 5wt%, the grain grows very rapidly. In addition, the arsenic-enriched ferrite transitional layer forms at the diffusion interface in the hot-rolling process, which results from a slower diffusion rate of arsenic atoms than that of carbon in ferrite.     

High-temperature mechanical properties of near-eutectoid steel

The high-temperature mechanical properties of near-eutectoid steel were studied with a Gleeble-1500 simulation machine. Zero strength temperature (ZST), zero ductility temperature (ZDT), hot ductility curves, and strength curves were measured. Two brittle zones and one plastic zone were found in the temperature range from the melting point to 600℃. Embrittlement in zone I is caused by the existence of liquid film along dendritic interfaces. Ductility loss in zone III mainly results from precipitates and inclusions as well as S segregation along grain boundaries. Pearlite transformation also accounts for ductility deterioration in the temperature range of 700–600℃. Moreover, the straightening temperature of the test steel should be higher than 925℃ for avoiding the initiation and propagation of surface cracks in billets.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Cr doped WCoB based cermets by spark plasma sintering and first principle calculation

WCoB based cermet is a potential hard alloy to replace WC-Co cermets with high hardness and corrosion resistance. WCoB based cermets with different Cr doping contents were fabricated by spark plasma sintering in liquid phase sintering stage. The densification behavior, phase composition, microstructure and mechanical properties of Cr doped WCoB cermets were investigated by XRD, EDS and SEM. Due to the lower density of Cr,the density of WCoB cermets decreased with the increasing of Cr doping content. The phase composition consisted of Cr doped WCoB, unreacted W, Co–Cr binary binder phase. When the doping content exceeded11.736 wt%, the Cr enrichment zones appeared, which was harmful to the TRS. The increasing of Cr doping content contributed to the increase of unreacted W phases content and the formation of pores. The maximum value of Vickers hardness was 1751 Hv0.5 at 9.356 wt% Cr doping content. The variation trend was explained by first principle calculation, which is consistent with Hv-Zhou hardness model.     

Effects of elemental Sn on the properties and inclusions of the free-cutting steel

A new environment-friendly free-cutting steel alloyed with elemental Sn (Y20Sn) was developed to meet the requirements of machinability and mechanical properties according to GB/T8731-1988. The machinability of the steel is enhanced by the segregation of elemental Sn at grain boundaries. The effect of Sn segregation on intergranular brittle fracture at normal cutting temperature from 250℃ to 400℃ is confirmed. The formation mechanism of main inclusions MnS is influenced by the presence of Sn and the attachment of Sn around MnS itself as a surfactant, and this mechanism also explains the improvement in machinability and mechanical properties of the steel. In the steel, the relevant inclusions are mainly spherical or axiolitic, and are uniformly distributed in small volume. Such inclusions improve the machinability of the steel and do not impair the mechanical properties as well. Experimental results demonstrate that the appropriate content of Sn in the steel is 0.03wt% to 0.08wt%, and the remaining composition is close to that of standard Y20 steel.     

Effect of tin addition on the microstructure and properties of ferritic stainless steel

This article reports the effects of Sn on the inclusions as well as the mechanical properties and hot workability of ferritic stainless steel. Precipitation phases and inclusions in Sn-bearing ferritic stainless steel were observed, and the relationship between the workability and the microstructure of the steel was established. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopic analysis of the steel reveals that an almost pure Sn phase forms and MnS-Sn compound inclusions appear in the steel with a higher Sn content. Little Sn segregation was observed in grain boundaries and in the areas around sulfide inclusions; however, the presence of Sn does not adversely affect the workability of the steel containing 0.4wt% Sn. When the Sn content is 0.1wt%-0.4wt%, Sn improves the tensile strength and the plastic strain ratio and also improves the plasticity with increasing temperature. A mechanism of improving the workability of ferritic stainless steel induced by Sn addition was discussed:the presence of Sn lowers the defect concentration in the ultra-pure ferritic lattice and the good distribution of tin in the lattice overcomes the problem of hot brittleness that occurs in low-carbon steel as a result of Sn segregation.     

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.     

Abrasive resistance of metastable V–Cr–Mn–Ni spheroidal carbide cast irons using the factorial design method

Full factorial design was used to evaluate the two-body abrasive resistance of 3wt%C–4wt%Mn–1.5wt%Ni spheroidal carbide cast irons with varying vanadium (5.0wt%–10.0wt%) and chromium (up to 9.0wt%) contents. The alloys were quenched at 920℃. The regression equation of wear rate as a function of V and Cr contents was proposed. This regression equation shows that the wear rate decreases with increasing V content because of the growth of spheroidal VC carbide amount. Cr influences the overall response in a complex manner both by reducing the wear rate owing to eutectic carbides (M₇C₃) and by increasing the wear rate though stabilizing austenite to deformation-induced martensite transformation. This transformation is recognized as an important factor in increasing the abrasive response of the alloys. By analyzing the regression equation, the optimal content ranges are found to be 7.5wt%–10.0wt% for V and 2.5wt%–4.5wt% for Cr, which corresponds to the alloys containing 9vol%–15vol% spheroidal VC carbides, 8vol%–16vol% M₇C₃, and a metastable austenite/martensite matrix. The wear resistance is 1.9–2.3 times that of the traditional 12wt% V–13wt% Mn spheroidal carbide cast iron.     

Characteristics of microstructural evolution during deformation-enhanced ferrite transformation in Nb-microalloyed HSLA steel

Microstructure evolution during deformation of undercooled austenite at 760℃ was investigated in Nb-microalloyed steel by using SEM (scanning electron microscope), TEM (transmission electron microscope), and EBSD (electron backscattered diffraction). It is indicated that during deformation-enhanced ferrite transformation (DEFT) in Nb-microalloyed steel, the incubation period is prolonged, and the higher strain is needed to accomplish ferrite transformation. Therefore, the transformation kinetics curves move to high strain parallelly; and the transformation kinetics curves of Nb-microalloyed steel can be divided into three stages. At the fast stage, the solute drag effect of Nb and the consumption of strain energy for the dynamic precipitation of Nb(CN) led to a long incubation period, and at the second stage, ferrite transformation was accelerated significantly and fine Nb(CN) precipitates restrict the grain growth of ferrite effectively. The results also showed that DEFT in Nb-microalloyed steel is still a nucleation dominated process, and during the microstructure evolution the interchange of 〈001〉 and 〈111〉 texture was obtained.     

多孔Fe–C–P合金泡孔形貌、孔隙率、显微组织及力学性能的研究

Open cell steel foams were successfully fabricated through the powder metallurgy route using urea granules as the water leachable space holder in the present study. The influence of different amounts of phosphorus (0, 0.5wt%, 1wt%, 2wt%, and 4wt%) was investigated on the cell morphology, porosity, microstructure of cell walls, and mechanical properties of steel foams. The cell morphology and microstructure of the cell walls were evaluated using an optical microscope equipped with image processing software and a scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. In addition, the compression tests were conducted on the steel foams using a universal testing machine. Based on microscopic images, the porous structure consists of spherical cells and irregularly shaped pores that are distributed in the cell walls. The results indicated that by increasing the phosphorus content, the porosity increases from 71.9% to 83.2%. The partially distributed ferrite and fine pearlite was observed in the microstructure of the cell walls, and α-Fe and Fe₃P eutectic extended between the boundaries of agglomerated iron particles. Furthermore, elastic and long saw-toothed plateau regions were observed before fracture in the compressional stress–strain curves. According to the results, by increasing the phosphorus content from 0 to 4wt%, the plateau region of the stress–strain curves shifts to the right and upward. Therefore, increasing phosphorus content causes improvement in the mechanical properties of steel foams.     

摩擦焊接碳钢（EN24）和镍基高温合金（IN718）的显微组织和力学性能

Continuous-drive rotary friction welding was performed to join cylindrical specimens of carbon steel (EN24) and nickel-based superalloy (IN718), and the microstructures of three distinct weld zones—the weld interface (WI)/thermo-mechanically affected zone (TMAZ), the heat-affected zone (HAZ), and the base metal—were examined. The joint was observed to be free of defects but featured uneven flash formation. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis showed substantial changes in high-angle grain boundaries, low-angle grain boundaries, and twin boundaries in the TMAZ and HAZ. Moreover, significant refinement in grain size (2–5 μm) was observed at the WI/TMAZ with reference to the base metal. The possible causes of these are discussed. The microhardness profile across the welded joint shows variation in hardness. The changes in hardness are ascribed to grain refinement, phase transformation, and the dissolution of strengthening precipitates. The tensile test results reveal that a joint efficiency of 100% can be achieved using this method.     

High-temperature properties and microstructure of Mo microalloyed ultra-high-strength steel

The high-temperature mechanical properties and microstructure of forging billets of C-Si-Mn-Cr and C-Si-Mn-Cr-Mo ultra-high-strength cold-rolled steels (tensile strength≥1000 MPa, elongation≥10%) were studied. Through the comparison of reduction in area and hot deformation resistance at 600–1300°C, the Mo-containing steel was found to possess a higher strength and a better plasticity than the Mo-free one. The equilibrium phase diagram and atom fraction of Mo in different phases at different temperatures were calculated by Thermo-Calc software (TCW). The results analyzed by using transmission electron microscopy and TCW show that precipitates in the Mo-containing steel are primarily M₂₃C₆, which promote pearlite formation. The experimental data also show that a lower ductility point existing in the Mo-free steel at 850°C is eliminated in the Mo-containing one. This is mainly due to the segregation of Mo at grain boundaries investigated by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), which improves the strength of grain boundaries.     

时效处理对2205 DSS组织及力学性能的影响

首先对2205 DSS进行了1 100℃固溶处理,随后将试样分别在650,700,750,800,850和900℃下进行不同时间的时效处理,探究2205 DSS中σ相的析出规律及其对材料组织和力学性能的影响.研究结果表明:2205 DSS中σ相的析出分为有碳化物伴随和无碳化物伴随两种方式,前者发生在α-γ相界上,后者则主要发生在α相的晶内和晶界;2205 DSS在850℃时效时σ相的析出行为最严重;在析出σ相后,合金元素Cr和Mo在各相中会发生不同程度的偏聚;2205 DSS中析出少量的σ相对材料的塑性影响不大,但会显著降低材料的冲击韧性,而σ相的大量析出则会使两者均发生严重恶化;σ相的析出对材料的屈服强度影响不大,对材料的抗拉强度有略微的提高作用.     

钛和钒对高锰钢高温热延性的影响

运用Gleeble-3500热力模拟试验机对700～1200℃温度范围内高锰钢Mn13单独加入钛(质量分数0.10％)、复合添加钛(质量分数0.11％)和钒(质量分数0.20％)后的高温热延性进行测试.采用扫描电镜和X射线能谱分析仪对不同温度下拉伸断裂后试样的断口形貌以及断口处的析出粒子进行了分析.温度-断面收缩率曲线表明在高锰钢中加入0.10％钛后,其断面收缩率出现了一定程度的下降,这表明钛的加入恶化了高锰钢的热延性;在此基础上加入0.20％钒,高锰钢的热延性出现了进一步的下降,即钛和钒的复合加入严重恶化了高锰钢的热延性.利用Thermo-Calc热力学计算软件对单独含钛以及复合含钛钒的高锰钢在700～1600℃存在的平衡析出相进行了计算,计算结果表明Ti(C,N)的平衡析出温度均约为1499℃,远大于其液相线温度,这说明Ti(C,N)在高锰钢的液相中就可以开始析出.扫描电镜-能谱分析结果表明在奥氏体晶界以及三叉晶界处存在大量的Ti(C,N)和(Ti,V)C粒子,这些粒子的出现抑制了动态再结晶的发生,并且加速了晶界附近裂纹的扩展.     

Effects of initial grain size and strain on grain boundary engineering of high-nitrogen CrMn austenitic stainless steel

18Mn18Cr0.5N steel with an initial grain size of 28–177 μm was processed by 2.5%–20% cold rolling and annealing at 1000℃ for 24 h, and the grain boundary character distribution was examined via electron backscatter diffraction. Low strain (2.5%) favored the formation of low-Σ boundaries. At this strain, the fraction of low-Σ boundaries was insensitive to the initial grain size. However, specimens with fine initial grains showed decreasing grain size after grain boundary engineering processing. The fraction of low-Σ boundaries and the (Σ9 + Σ27)/Σ3 value decreased with increasing strain; furthermore, the specimens with fine initial grain size were sensitive to the strain. Finally, the effects of the initial grain size and strain on the grain boundary engineering were discussed in detail.     

合金元素对316 LN 不锈钢的力学性能和点蚀性能的影响

研究了N、Cr、Mo和Ni四种合金元素含量的变化对核电主管道用固溶态316LN不锈钢的晶粒尺寸以及常规力学性能和点蚀性能的影响.随着N含量的升高,316LN的晶粒明显细化,其在固溶处理过程中晶粒长大趋势也减小. N含量的升高可改善316LN的力学性能和耐点蚀性能,但是当N质量分数达到0.20%时,其耐点蚀性能又开始变差.晶粒细化对316LN强度的影响远小于N含量对316LN强度的影响. Cr及Ni含量对316LN的晶粒尺寸及抗拉强度、屈服强度等力学性能影响不大;Cr含量增加可轻微改善316LN的抗点蚀能力,Ni元素对316LN的耐点蚀性能影响不大,但可增大钝态的腐蚀速度从而不利于钝化膜的稳定.随Mo含量增加,316LN的晶粒尺寸略有减小,强度增大,延伸率显著降低,耐点蚀能力改善.     

锰对中锰耐磨钢组织形态及相变的影响

通过DIL805A热分析仪、扫描电子显微镜、电子背散射衍射、透射电子显微镜、力学分析等方法研究Mn对中锰耐磨钢组织形态、相变及力学性能的影响.随着Mn的质量分数以2％的增量从3％提高到9％,室温奥氏体含量逐渐增多,抗拉强度及硬度逐渐降低,抗拉强度和室温奥氏体体积分数都在5％到7％时变化明显,马氏体与奥氏体的位向关系发生改变,马氏体形态类型逐渐由亚结构以位错为主的板条状α马氏体变化为亚结构以位错、相变内孪晶和层错为主的束状细片α马氏体和细片状ε马氏体.