Constituent phases of the passive film formed on 2205 stainless steel by dynamic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

The passive film formed on 2205 duplex stainless steel (DSS) in 0.5 M NaHCO₃+0.5 M NaCl aqueous solution was characterized by electrochemical measurements, including potentiodynamic anodic polarization and dynamic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (DEIS). The results demonstrate that there is a great difference between the passive film evolutions of ferrite and austenite. The impedance values of ferrite are higher than those of austenite. The impedance peaks of ferritic and austenitic phases correspond to the potential of 0.15 and 0.25 V in the low potential range and correspond to 0.8 and 0.75 V in the high potential range. The evolutions of the capacitance of both phases are reverse compared to the evolutions of impedance. The thickness variations obtained from capacitance agree well with those of impedance analysis. The results can be used to explain why pitting corrosion occurs more easily in austenite phase than in ferrite phase.     

Mechanism of brittle-ductile transition of a glass-ceramic rigid substrate

The hardness, elastic modulus, and scratch resistance of a glass-ceramic rigid substrate were measured by nanoindentation and nanoscratch, and the fracture toughness was measured by indentation using a Vickers indenter. The results show that the hardness and elastic modulus at a peak indentation depth of 200 nm are 9.04 and 94.70 GPa, respectively. These values reflect the properties of the glass-ceramic rigid substrate. The fracture toughness value of the glass-ceramic rigid substrate is 2.63 MPa·m1/2. The material removal mechanisms are seen to be directly related to normal force on the tip. The critical load and scratch depth estimated from the scratch depth profile after scratching and the friction profile are 268.60 mN and 335.10 nm, respectively. If the load and scratch depth are under the critical values, the glass-ceramic rigid substrate will undergo plastic flow rather than fracture. The formula of critical depth of cut described by Bifnao et al. is modified based on the difference of critical scratch depth     

Effects of Si on the stability of retained austenite and temper embrittlement of ultrahigh strength steels

Effects of silicon (Si) content on the stability of retained austenite and temper embrittlement of ultrahigh strength steels were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and other experimental methods. The results show that Si can suppress temper embrittlement, improve temper resistance, and hinder the decomposition of retained austenite. Reversed austenite appears gradually with the increase of Si content during tempering. Si has a significant effect on enhancing carbon (C) partitioning and improving the stability of retained austenite. Si and C atoms are mutually exclusive in lath bainite, while they attract each other in austenite. ?-carbides are found in 1.8wt% Si steel tempered at 250℃, and they get coarsened obviously when tempered at 400℃, leading to temper embrittlement. Not ?-carbides but acicular or lath carbides lead to temper embrittlement in 0.4wt% Si steel, which can be inferred as cementites and composite compounds. Temper embrittlement is closely related to the decomposition of retained austenite and the formation of reversed austenite.     

Effects of deoxidizing degree on the pitting corrosion behavior of carbon and manganese steels

Nine steels with different deoxidizing degrees and two comparative steels were selected. Their pitting initiation susceptibility was compared by means of potentiodynamic polarization tests in 3wt% NaCl solution. The pit propagation rate was evaluated in artificial sea water and 3wt% sea salt solution by simulating occluded corrosion cell (SOCC) test and hanging plate test, respectively. The composition of inclusions and corrosive feature were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA), and optical microscopy (OM). The results indicate that sulfide inclusions in steel are the sites for pit nucleation. The sulphide inclusions vary in shape from short spindle-like to long strip-like with increasing deoxidizing degree. Under the same conditions, the lower the deoxidizing degree gets, the lower the pitting initiation susceptibility becomes, and the stronger the resistance to pit propagation exhibits. For steels with different deoxidizing degrees, their pitting initiation susceptibility is mainly influenced by thermodynamic stability, while the pit propagation rate is primarily subject to the characteristics of inclusions in steel.     

Effectiveness of sodium silicate as gangue depressants in iron ore slimes flotation

The recovery of iron from the screw classifier overflow slimes by direct flotation was studied. The relative effectiveness of sodium silicates with different silica-to-soda mole ratios as depressants for silica and silicate bearing minerals was investigated. Silica-to-soda mole ratio and silicate dosage were found to have significant effect on the separation efficiency. The results show that an increase of Fe content in the concentrate is observed with concomitant reduction in SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ levels when a particular type of sodium silicate at a proper dosage is used. The concentrate of 58.89wt% Fe, 4.68wt% SiO₂, and 5.28wt% Al₂O₃ with the weight recovery of 38.74% and the metal recovery of 41.13% can be obtained from the iron ore slimes with 54.44wt% Fe, 6.72wt% SiO₂, and 6.80wt% Al₂O₃, when Na₂SiO₃ with a silica-to-soda mole ratio of 2.19 is used as a depressant at a feed rate of 0.2 kg/t.     

Lithium intercalation mechanism for β-SnSb in Sn-Sb thin films

Based on the first-principles plane wave pseudo-potential method, the electronic structure and electrochemical performance of Li_xSn₄Sb₄ (x=2, 4, 6, and 8) and Li_xSn_1-xSb₄ (x=9, 10, 11, and 12) phases were calculated. A Sn-Sb thin film on a Cu foil was also prepared by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The surface morphology, composition, and lithium intercalation/extraction behavior of the fabricated film were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). Lithium atoms can easily insert into and extract out of the β-SnSb cell due to the low lithium intercalation formation energy. It is found that lithium atoms first occupy the interstitial sites, and then Sn atoms at the lattice positions are replaced by excessive lithium. The dissociative Sn atoms continue to produce different Li-Sn phases, which will affect the electrode stability and lead to the undesirable effect due to their large volume expansion ratio. The calculated lithium intercalation potential is stable at about 0.7 V, which is consistent with the experimental result.     

Identification of thermal effects involved in DSC experiment on Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloys with high Cu:Mg ratio

Precipitation reactions in the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of an Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloy were identified by analyzing the results from hardness test, electrical conductivity test, and transmission electron microscope (TEM) examination. It is discovered that thermal effects can be identified through selected area electron diffraction and bright-field images. The reaction peaks around 171, 231, and 276℃ can be attributed to a structural rearrangement of coherent zones, to the precipitation of Ω phases, and to the precipitation of Ω and θ' and possible combination with the transition of θ'→θ, respectively. In addition, the hardness and electrical conductivity of the alloy change proportionately with the progression of reactions during the heating process. This phenomenon can be attributed to the evolution of the microstructure.     

A time-saving method to assess the efficiency of corrosion inhibitors by electro osmosis

The corrosion inhibitor is one of the most important technologies to enhance the durability of steel-reinforced concrete. A kind of time-saving method was developed to assess the inhibitor efficiency by using a 32 V electric field to accelerate chloride ion migration in concrete. Potentiodynamic polarization scanning test was used to evaluate the corrosion states. The comprehensive efficiency of an inhibitor should be assessed in two aspects: resistance to chloride ion permeability and inhibiting efficiency. The specimens with different mixing amount of sodium nitrite and migration corrosion inhibitors were used to verify the accuracy and reliability of this method. The results show the differences in inhibiting efficiency of the inhibitors clearly, indicating the reliability of this time-saving method.     

Effects of cold rolling on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Fe-Ni-Mn-Mo-Ti-Cr maraging steels

Effects of cold rolling on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Fe-Ni-Mn-Mo-Ti-Cr maraging steels were studied. To investigate the microstructure and mechanical properties, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, tensile test, and hardness test were used. The results show that the solution-annealing treatment in the cold-rolled steel redounds to the formation of submicrocrystalline Fe₂(Mo, Ti) Laves phase particles, which are stable at high temperatures. These secondary Laves phase particles prevent from recrystallization at high temperatures and correspond to semi-brittle fracture in the subsequent aging treatment.     

Precipitation behaviors of X80 acicular ferrite pipeline steel

The precipitation behaviors of X80 acicular ferrite pipeline steel were investigated by using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The results show that dendritic precipitates in the as-cast steel slabs precipitate mainly in grain boundaries, and these dendritic precipitates dissolve and re-precipitate to two kinds of carbonitrides: Ti- and Nb-rich (Ti, Nb)(C, N) carbonitrides during reheating. Four types of precipitates mainly exist in the hot rolled plate: Ti-rich carbonitrides resulted from the dendritic carbonitrides undissolved during the reheating process; Ti-rich carbonitrides re-precipitated along austenite grain boundaries during the reheating process; NbC carbides mainly heterogeneously nucleated on the small pre-existing Nb-rich carbonitrides in the hot rolling process; and NbC carbides precipitated on dislocations during hot rolling.