Experimental and numerical study on plasma nitriding of AISI P20 mold steel

In this study, plasma nitriding was used to fabricate a hard protective layer on AISI P20 steel, at three process temperatures (450°C, 500°C, and 550°C) and over a range of time periods (2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 h), and at a fixed gas N₂:H₂ ratio of 75vol%:25vol%. The morphology of samples was studied using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, and the formed phase of each sample was determined by X-ray diffraction. The elemental depth profile was measured by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, wavelength dispersive spectroscopy, and glow dispersive spectroscopy. The hardness profile of the samples was identified, and the microhardness profile from the surface to the sample center was recorded. The results show that ε-nitride is the dominant species after carrying out plasma nitriding in all strategies and that the plasma nitriding process improves the hardness up to more than three times. It is found that as the time and temperature of the process increase, the hardness and hardness depth of the diffusion zone considerably increase. Furthermore, artificial neural networks were used to predict the effects of operational parameters on the mechanical properties of plastic mold steel. The plasma temperature, running time of imposition, and target distance to the sample surface were all used as network inputs; Vickers hardness measurements were given as the output of the model. The model accurately reproduced the experimental outcomes under different operational conditions; therefore, it can be used in the effective simulation of the plasma nitriding process in AISI P20 steel.     

Corrosion behavior of low alloy steels in a wet–dry acid humid environment

The corrosion behavior of corrosion resistant steel (CRS) in a simulated wet–dry acid humid environment was investigated and compared with carbon steel (CS) using corrosion loss, polarization curves, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA), N₂ adsorption, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results show that the corrosion kinetics of both steels were closely related to the composition and compactness of the rust, and the electrochemical properties of rusted steel. Small amounts of Cu, Cr, and Ni in CRS increased the amount of amorphous phases and decreased the content of γ-FeOOH in the rust, resulting in higher compactness and electrochemical stability of the CRS rust. The elements Cu, Cr, and Ni were uniformly distributed in the CRS rust and formed CuFeO₂, Cu₂O, CrOOH, NiFe₂O₄, and Ni₂O₃, which enhanced the corrosion resistance of CRS in the wet–dry acid humid environment.     

Conductive and corrosion behaviors of silver-doped carbon-coated stainless steel as PEMFC bipolar plates

Ni–Cr enrichment on stainless steel SS316L resulting from chemical activation enabled the deposition of carbon by spraying a stable suspension of carbon nanoparticles; trace Ag was deposited in situ to prepare a thin continuous Ag-doped carbon film on a porous carbon-coated SS316L substrate. The corrosion resistance of this film in 0.5 mol·L-1 H₂SO₄ solution containing 5 ppm F- at 80℃ was investigated using polarization tests. The results showed that the surface treatment of the SS316L strongly affected the adhesion of the carbon coating to the stainless steel. Compared to the bare SS316L, the Ag-doped carbon-coated SS316L bipolar plate was remarkably more stable in both the anode and cathode environments of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) and the interface contact resistance between the specimen and Toray 060 carbon paper was reduced from 333.0 mΩ·cm2 to 21.6 mΩ·cm2 at a compaction pressure of 1.2 MPa.     

Effect of shot peening on hydrogen embrittlement of high strength steel

The effect of shot peening (SP) on hydrogen embrittlement of high strength steel was investigated by electrochemical hydrogen charging, slow strain rate tensile tests, and hydrogen permeation tests. Microstructure observation, microhardness, and X-ray diffraction residual stress studies were also conducted on the steel. The results show that the shot peening specimens exhibit a higher resistance to hydrogen embrittlement in comparison with the no shot peening (NSP) specimens under the same hydrogen-charging current density. In addition, SP treatment sharply decreases the apparent hydrogen diffusivity and increases the subsurface hydrogen concentration. These findings are attributed to the changes in microstructure and compressive residual stress in the surface layer by SP. Scanning electron microscope fractographs reveal that the fracture surface of the NSP specimen exhibits the intergranular and quasi-cleavage mixed fracture modes, whereas the SP specimen shows only the quasi-cleavage fractures under the same hydrogen charging conditions, implying that the SP treatment delays the onset of intergranular fracture.     

Effects of stress ratio on the temperature-dependent high-cycle fatigue properties of alloy steels

This paper addresses the effects of stress ratio on the temperature-dependent high-cycle fatigue (HCF) properties of alloy steels 2CrMo and 9CrCo, which suffer from substantial vibrational loading at small stress amplitude, high stress ratio, and high frequency in the high-temperature environments in which they function as blade and rotor spindle materials in advanced gas or steam turbine engines. Fatigue tests were performed on alloy steels 2CrMo and 9CrCo subjected to constant-amplitude loading at four stress ratios and at four and three temperatures, respectively, to determine their temperature-dependent HCF properties. The interaction mechanisms between high temperature and stress ratio were deduced and compared with each other on the basis of the results of fractographic analysis. A phenomenological model was developed to evaluate the effects of stress ratio on the temperature-dependent HCF properties of alloy steels 2CrMo and 9CrCo. Good correlation was achieved between the predictions and actual experiments, demonstrating the practical and effective use of the proposed method.     

外加纳米粒子强化钢铁材料研究的新进展

基于钢中二相粒子对钢的强化作用理论,向钢液中直接加入纳米氧化物粒子强化钢铁材料成为研究热点。目前国内的研究主要集中于粒子的添加方法、种类、影响等方面,但都回避了纳米粒子在钢中能否均匀分散的问题,也未见工业化应用的报道。国际上,研究主要集中于纳米粒子的制备及处理方法等方面,定性分析了粒子的分散性问题。为了使粒子能够均匀分散,粒子的制备和添加方法依然是难点,有关纳米粒子在钢液中的运动行为,热力学稳定性等问题还有待于进一步深入研究。     

方钢管混凝土柱-不等高钢梁框架节点地震损伤演化过程分析

为研究方钢管混凝土柱-不等高钢梁框架节点在地震作用下的损伤演化过程,基于4个方钢管混凝土柱-不等高钢梁框架节点的抗震性能试验,运用有限元分析软件ABAQUS对梁柱节点进行了数值分析,并选取了适用于此类异型节点的双参数地震损伤模型.通过有限元结果和损伤模型分析了不等高钢梁框架节点在低周反复荷载作用下的损伤发展过程.结果表明:所选取的损伤模型能更好地反映节点从"基本完好"到"完全破坏"的损伤演化规律,且能够定量确定节点不同破坏程度的损伤限值;节点的地震损伤主要集中在高梁上下翼缘螺栓连接处,并随着加载循环次数的增加,损伤累积不断加大,最终破坏模式为高梁端塑性铰破坏.研究结论为该类节点基于损伤的抗震设计方法以及地震损伤评估提供了理论依据.     

挤压锻温度对固态再生H11钢组织和性能的影响

以回收的H11钢车削屑获得的粉末为原料, 利用粉末压坯和挤压锻工艺制备样品, 并结合拉伸实验、硬度测试、XRD,SEM,TEM等分析手段, 研究了1100~1220℃不同挤压锻温度对固态再生H11钢组织结构和力学性能的影响. 结果表明:样品固结效果良好;挤压锻温度为1220℃时, 材料密度可达95.8 %;挤压锻温度达到1140℃后,基体中析出Fe₇C₃相; 随着挤压锻温度从1100℃升高至1220℃, 沿挤压方向的硬度从2.5GPa增加至4.4GPa, 抗拉强度从451MPa增加至808MPa, 但延伸率从3.1 %降低至0.7 %.     

车轮轮辐钢S500LF的疲劳性能

采用PX-100高频疲劳试验机,采用升降法在振动频率为100~120Hz、拉-压对称应力的条件下测定车轮轮辐钢S500LF的疲劳极限,并用数理统计方法分析确认疲劳极限为291MPa.此值作为母体50%存活率下的疲劳极限估计量时,以95%的置信度,相对误差不超过±5%.在测定的疲劳极限基础上,采用多试样法测得不同应力水平下的疲劳寿命,据此绘制出应力-寿命关系曲线,通过回归得到应力-寿命曲线方程.对试样断口进行了理论分析,结果表明试验钢韧性良好.     

坩埚材质对55SiCr弹簧钢中夹杂物的影响

实验采用MoSi₂炉研究了MgO,MgO-CaO两种耐火材料对55SiCr弹簧钢中夹杂物的影响.结果表明,MgO,MgO-CaO两种坩埚冶炼均能使钢种成分控制在目标范围内,但与MgO坩埚相比,MgO-CaO坩埚净化钢液的效果更好:一方面,经MgO-CaO坩埚冶炼的55SiCr弹簧钢,钢中P,S,酸溶铝［Al］_s 以及全氧T.O质量分数分别降低至56×10^-6,10×10^-6,≤5 ×10^-6,以及4×10^-6;另一方面,钢中夹杂物的平均直径由1.376μm降低至1.222μm,夹杂物尺寸＜2μm的比例由79%上升至89%.这主要是因为碱性MgO-CaO坩埚兼具脱磷、脱硫、脱氧的作用,同时CaO还能与钢中的Al₂O₃夹杂物发生反应,生成熔点更低的复合夹杂物,因此更容易上浮去除,进一步净化钢液.