Effect of Austenitizing Treatment on Structure and Hardness of Bainite DuctileCast Iron

By continuous quenching process, the effect of austenitizing temperature and time on the structure and hardness of bainiteductile cast iron was studied. It was found that (l) low austenitizing temperature would result in scrap ferrite existing in matrix, whichreduces the macro-hardness of bainite ductile cast iron; (2) high austenitizing temperature would make carbide decomposed, which alsoinduces the macro-hardness of bainite cast iron, and (3) austenitizing time has little effect on the structure of bainite ductile cast iron, butas it increases, the macro-hardness ofbainite ductile cast iron and micro-hardness of bainite increases. To the ductile cast iron, as a result,the suitable austenitizing temperature and time are recommended as 880 and 120 min respectively.

INFLUENCE OF AUSTENITIZING TEMPERATURE ON IMPURITY SEGREGATION ALONG GRAIN BOUNDARIES IN STEEL 4330M

The effect of austenitizing temperature on segregation of impurities along grain boundaries in steel 4330M has been examined by AES.The impurity segregation was computed quantitatively.Results showed that the quantity of impurity segregation changed with the austenitizing temperature.The limitation of the McLean′s expression for equilibrium segrega- tion was discussed.

Effect of austenitizing temperature on microstructure in 16Mn steel treated by cerium

The change of inclusions and microstructure of 16Mn steel treated by Ce were observed,and the effect of austenitizing temperature on the microstructure was also examined.The results show that the inclusions are transformed from Si-Mn-Al composite oxide and MnS into AlCeO3,Ce2O2S,and MnS composite inclusions after being treated by Ce.Plenty of intragranular ferrites are formed in 16Mn steel containing～0.017wt% Ce.A large amount of intragranular acicular ferrites are formed after being austenitized for 20min at 1473 K.The prior austenite grain size fit for the formation of intragranular acicular ferrites is about 120μm.

Microstructural evolution of GCr15 steel during austenitizing and quenching considering C and Cr content

Microstructural evolution of GCr15 steels with different C and Cr contents during austenitizing and quenching was studied. Thermodynamic analysis of cementite dissolution was implied to obtain the critical temperature. The coordination number x in Fe_xCr_(3-x)C and the volume fraction of undissolved cementite were computed according to element conservation and equilibrium phase diagram. The M_S(martensite transformation temperature) was calculated by using empirical formula. The retained austenite content was calculated with further consideration of quenching temperature. The results showed that the coordination number and the undissolved cementite content were promoted by the austenitizing temperature and carbon content of the steel. Increasing Cr element reduced the coordination number.GCr15 steels with different components had nearly the same M_S when austenitization at 830 °C to 860 °C. The interaction of C and Cr complicated the evolution of M_S and retained austenite content. The results were in good agreement with the literature, which could guide to obtain specified retained austenite and/or carbides.

Effect of Cast Thickness and Austenitizing Temperature on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of ADI and IADI Castings

This investigation studies the impact strength, tensile strength, hardness, and wear behavior of thin wall austempered and intercritically austempered ductile iron samples with a chemical composition of 3.37% C, 2.7% Si, 0.30% Mn, 0.01% S, and 0.01% P. The austempered samples were austenitized at 900?C for 1 h and rapidly quenched in a salt bath furnace at 375?C for 1 h. The intercritically austempered samples were sub-austenitized at 810?C for 1 h and rapidly quenched in a salt bath furnace at 375?C for 1 h. The properties of the austempered and intercritically austempered thin wall plates of 5, 10, and 15 mm thickness were evaluated and compared to the as-cast samples. Austempering process affects greatly the tensile properties of all cast thicknesses where ultimate strength reached 1004 MPa for 5-mm thickness. Optimum impact toughness of 40 J was obtained for the austempered samples of 10- and 15-mm thicknesses. The intercritically austempered samples showed properties between the austempered and as-cast samples. Maximum wear resistance was also reported for the austempered samples due to containing retained austenite in the structure which in turn transformed into martensite that increases well the wear resistance. Maximum ultimate strength (1056) MPa and hardness (396 HV) were obtained for 5 mm ADI sample. Maximum impact toughness (43 J) was achieved for 15 mm IADI sample due to existing of pro-eutectoid ferrite in matrix. For all As-cast, ADI and IADI irons, wear resistance decreased with increasing sample thickness. Minimum wear rate (2.22 × 10?6 g/s) was reported for 5-mm ADI sample and maximum one (15.8 × 10?6 g/s) was registered for 15-mm as-cast DI sample, at a sliding speed of 2 m/s.

Effect of austenitizing condition on mechanical properties,microstructure and precipitation behavior of AISI H13 steel

The effects of austenitizing temperature(1223,1303,and 1373 K)and holding time(1-1500 s)on the microstructure,mechanical properties,and precipitation behavior of the H13 hot work die steel were investigated.The results indicate a softening phenomenon when H13 steel is austenitized at 1303 K beyond 900 s and 1373 K beyond 600 s,respectively.For the sample held for 1200 s,the tensile strength is found capable of reaching up to 2.2 GPa when quenched from a temperature above 1303 K.Meanwhile,prior-austenite grain size increases with the increase in austenitizing temperature.The kinetic behavior of the precipitates(mainly MC-type carbides)in H13 steel could be elaborated through the principles set forth by the Arrhenius and Avrami equations.Finally,the comprehensive strengthening of the H13 steel was discussed in detail.The results show that the activation energy of the transformed fraction of carbides is higher than that of the diffusion process for common alloying elements(Cr,V,Mo,and Ni)found in the austenite.This suggests that it would be difficult for precipitates to dissolve into the matrix when H13 steel is austenitized at high temperatures.With the increasing austenitizing temperature,the precipitation fraction decreases,and the dislocation density increases.The dislocation strengthening is regarded as the dominant strengthening contributed to yield strength in as-quenched H13 steel.

Effect of short-time low-temperature austenitizing on microstructure and mechanical properties of DT300 ultra-high strength steel fabricated by laser powder bed fusion

To address the inhomogeneous microstructure and improve the mechanical properties of DT300 ultra-high strength steel specimens fabricated by laser powder bed fusion,different post-heat treatment schedules are performed.With the increase in austenitizing temperature and time,the migration rate of austenite grain boundaries continuously increases with the dissolution of nano-carbides,and the formation of nano-oxides and twin martensite is also inhibited accordingly.The rapid growth in the size of prior austenite grains and martensite laths,as well as the decrease in the content of nano-oxides and twin martensite,led to a rapid decrease in the strength(yield strength and ultimate tensile strength)from HT2 to HTF specimens.The HT1 specimens(austenitizing at 830℃for 30 min,then oil quenching and tempering at 300℃for 120 min and finally air cooling)display excellent mechanical properties of yield strength of 1572 MPa,ultimate tensile strength of 1847 MPa,elongation of 9.84%,and fracture toughness of 106 MPa m^(1/2),which are counterparts to those of conventional DT300 steel forgings after heat treatment.

Reheating Austenitizing Temperature of Spring Steel 60Si2MnA for Railway

The microsturctural transformation of austenite grain, pearlite interlamellar spacing, and lamellar cement ite thickness of spring steel 60Si2MnA for railway were studied in the hot-rolled and reheated states. Furthermore, the effect of microstructural characterization on its final mechanical properties was discussed. The results showed that as far as 60Si2MnA, the pearlite interlamellar spacing determined the hardness, whereas, the austenite grain determined the toughness. Compared with microstructure and mechanical properties in the hot rolled state, after reheating treatment at 950 ℃, its average grain sizes are apparently fine and the pearlite interlamellar spacing and lamellar cementite thickness coarsen to some extent, but both hardness and impact toughness increase to HRC 48 and 8.5 J, respectively. In the course of making spring, the optimum reheating austenitizing temperature for the 60Si2MnA steel is 950 ℃.

Influence of Austenitizing Temperature on the Microstructure and Corrosion Resistance of 55Cr18Mo1VN High-Nitrogen Plastic Mould Steel

The influence of austenitizing temperature on the microstructure and corrosion resistance of 55Cr18MolVN high-nitrogen plastic mould steel was investigated. The microstructure, elemental distribution and Cr-depleted zone of different heat-treated samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction, electron probe microanalyzer analysis, and trans- mission electron microscopy. The corrosion resistance was evaluated using electrochemical measurements, and the analysis of passive film was carded out by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results indicated that the volume fraction of precipitates decreased, and the homogeneity of elements was improved with increasing austenitizing temperature. The degree of Cr-depleted zone around coarse M23C6 was severer than that around M2N, and pitting corrosion initiated preferentially around M23C6. The corrosion resistance of the samples increased with the austenitizing temperature. With the increase in austenitizing temperature, the passive film was thickened and Cr（III）cr2O3 in the inner layer of passive film was enriched, which enhanced the corrosion resistance of the steel. The higher content of nitrogen in solid solution at higher austenitizing temperature contributed to the increased intensity of CrN and NH3, leading to the increase in pH value in the pit, and promoting the repassivation of 55Cr18Mo1N steel.

Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties influenced by austenitizing temperature in aluminum-alloyed TRIP-aided steel

The Fe-0.21C 2.2Mn 0.49Si-1.77A1 transformation induced plasticity （TRIP） aided steel was heat trea- ted at various austenitizing temperatures under both TRiP-aided polygonal ferrite type （TPF） and an- nealed martensite matrix （TAM） processes. The microstructure evolution and their effects on mechanical properties were systematically investigated through the microstructure observation and dilatometric analysis. The microstructure homogeneity is improved in TPF steel heated at a high temperature due to the reduced banded martensite and the increased bainite. Compared with the mechanical properties of the TPF steels, the yield strength and elongation of the TAM steels are much higher, while the tensile strength is lower than that of TPF steels. The stability of intercritical austenite is affected by the heating tempera- ture, and thus the following phase transformation influences the mechanical properties, such as the bain- ite transformation and the precipitation of polygonal ferrite. Obvious dynamic bainite transformation occurs at TAM850, TAM900 and TAM950, More proportion of polygonal ferrite is found in the sample heated at 950 ℃. The bainite transformation beginning at a higher temperature results in the wider bainitic ferrite laths. The more proportion of polygonal ferrite and wide bainitic ferrite laths commonly contribute to the lower strength and better elongation. The uniform microstructure with lath-like morphology and retained austenite with high average carbon content ensures a good mechanical property in TAM850 with the product of strength and elongation of about 28 GPa ·%,

Review on synergistic damage effect of irradiation and corrosion on reactor structural alloys

The synergistic damage effect of irradiation and corrosion of reactor structural materials has been a prominent research focus.This paper provides a comprehensive review of the synergistic effects on the third-and fourth-generation fission nuclear energy structural materials used in pressurized water reactors and molten salt reactors.The competitive mechanisms of multiple influencing factors,such as the irradiation dose,corrosion type,and environmental temperature,are summarized in this paper.Conceptual approaches are proposed to alleviate the synergistic damage caused by irradiation and corrosion,thereby promoting in-depth research in the future and solving this key challenge for the structural materials used in reactors.

Lap-Shear Performance of Weld-Bonded Mg Alloy and Austenitic Stainless Steel in Three-Sheet Stack-Up

With the growing interest in utilizing Mg and austenitic stainless steel(ASS)in the automotive sector,joining them together in three-sheet configuration is inevitable.However,achieving this task presents considerable challenges due to the large differences in their physical,metallurgical and mechanical properties.To overcome these challenges,the feasibility of using weld-bonding to join Mg alloy/ASS/ASS was investigated.The nugget formation,interface characteristics,microstructure and mechanical properties of the joints were investigated.The results show that the connection between the Mg alloy and upper ASS was achieved through the combined effect of the cured adhesive and weld-brazing in the weld zone.On the other hand,a metallurgical bond was formed at the ASS/ASS interface.The Mg nugget microstructure exhibited fine columar grains composed predominantly of primaryα-Mg grains along with a eutectic mixture ofα-Mg andβ-Mg17Al12.The nugget formed at the ASS/ASS interface consisted largely of columnar grains of austenite,with some equiaxed dendritic grains formed at the centerline of the joint.The weld-bonded joints exhibited an average peak load and energy absorption of about 8.5 kN and 17 J,respectively(the conventional RSW joints failed with minimal or no load application).The failure mode of the joints changed with increasing welding current from interfacial failure via the Mg nugget/upper ASS interface to partial interfacial failure(part of the Mg nugget was pulled out of the Mg sheet).Both failure modes were accompanied by cohesive failure in the adhesive zone.

Review on the plastic instability of medium -Mn steels for identifying the formation mechanisms of Lüders and Portevin -Le Chatelier bands

Plastic instability,including both the discontinuous yielding and stress serrations,has been frequently observed during the tensile deformation of medium-Mn steels(MMnS)and has been intensively studied in recent years.Unfortunately,research results are controversial,and no consensus has been achieved regarding the topic.Here,we first summarize all the possible factors that affect the yielding and flow stress serrations in MMnS,including the morphology and stability of austenite,the feature of the phase interface,and the deformation parameters.Then,we propose a universal mechanism to explain the conflicting experimental results.We conclude that the discontinuous yielding can be attributed to the lack of mobile dislocation before deformation and the rapid dislocation multiplication at the beginning of plastic deformation.Meanwhile,the results show that the stress serrations are formed due to the pinning and depinning between dislocations and interstitial atoms in austenite.Strain-induced martensitic transformation,influenced by the mechanical stability of austenite grain and deformation parameters,should not be the intrinsic cause of plastic instability.However,it can intensify or weaken the discontinuous yielding and the stress serrations by affecting the mobility and density of dislocations,as well as the interaction between the interstitial atoms and dislocations in austenite grains.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of a cast TRIP-assisted multiphase stainless steel

Stainless steels are used in a wide range of complex environments due to their excellent corrosion resistance.Multiphase stainless steels can offer an excellent combination of strength,toughness and corrosion resistance due to the coexistence of different microstructures.The microstructure and mechanical properties of a novel cast multiphase stainless steel,composed of martensite,ferrite,and austenite,were investigated following appropriate heat treatment processes:solution treatment at 1,050℃ for 0.5 h followed by water quenching to room temperature,and aging treatment at 500℃ for 4 h followed by water quenching to room temperature.Results show reversed austenite is formed by diffusion of Ni element during aging process,and the enrichment of Ni atoms directly determines the mechanical stability of austenite.The austenite with a lower Ni content undergoes a martensitic transformation during plastic deformation.The tensile strength of the specimen exceeds 1,100 MPa and the elongation exceeds 24%after solid solution,and further increases to 1,247 MPa and 25%after aging treatment.This enhancement is due to the TRIP effect of austenite and the precipitation of the nanoscale G-phase pinning dislocations in ferrite and martensite.

Bulging Distortion of Austenitic Stainless Steel Sheet on the Partially Penetrated Side of Non-Penetration Lap Laser Welding Joint

Non-penetration laser welding of lap joints in austenitic stainless steel sheets is commonly preferred in fields where the surface quality is of utmost importance.However,the application of non-penetration welded austenitic stainless steel parts is limited owing to the micro bulging distortion that occurs on the back surface of the partial penetration side.In this paper,non-penetration lap laser welding experiments,were conducted on galvanized and SUS304 austenitic stainless steel plates using a fiber laser,to investigate the mechanism of bulging distortion.A comparative experiment of DC01 galvanized steel-Q235 carbon steel lap laser welding was carried out,and the deflection and distortion profile of partially penetrated side of the sheets were measured using a noncontact laser interferometer.In addition,the cold-rolled SUS304 was subjected to heat holding at different temperatures and water quenching after bending to characterize its microstructure under tensile and compressive stress.The results show that,during the heating stage of the thermal cycle of laser lap welding,the partial penetration side of the SUS304 steel sheet generates compressive stress,which extrudes the material in the heat-affected zone to the outside of the back of the SUS304 steel sheet,thereby forming a bulge.The findings of these experiments can be of great value for controlling the distortion of the partial penetrated side of austenitic stainless steel sheet during laser non-penetration lap welding.

Effect of Mn addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of GX40CrNiSi25-12 austenitic heat resistant steel

Three types of steels were designed on the basis of GX40CrNiSi25-12 austenitic heat resistant steel by adding different Mn contents(2wt.%,6wt.%,and 12wt.%).Thermodynamic calculation,microstructure characterization and mechanical property tests were conducted to investigate the effect of Mn addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the austenitic heat resistant steel.Results show that the matrix structure in all the three types of steels at room temperature is completely austenite.Carbides NbC and M_(23)C_(6)precipitate at grain boundaries of austenite matrix.With the increase of Mn content,the number of carbides increases and their distribution becomes more uniform.With the Mn content increases from 1.99%to 12.06%,the ultimate tensile strength,yield strength and elongation increase by 14.6%,8.0%and 46.3%,respectively.The improvement of the mechanical properties of austenitic steels can be explained by utilizing classic theories of alloy strengthening,including solid solution strengthening,precipitation strengthening,and grain refinement.The increase in alloy strength can be attributed to solid solution strengthening and precipitation strengthening caused by the addition of Mn.The improvement of the plasticity of austenitic steels can be explained from two aspects:grain refinement and homogenization of precipitated phases.

Interplay between temperature-dependent strengthening mechanisms and mechanical stability in high-performance austenitic stainless steels

The effects of deformation temperature on the transformation-induced plasticity(TRIP)-aided 304L,twinning-induced plasti-city(TWIP)-assisted 316L,and highly alloyed stable 904L austenitic stainless steels were compared for the first time to tune the mechan-ical properties,strengthening mechanisms,and strength-ductility synergy.For this purpose,the scanning electron microscopy(SEM),electron backscattered diffraction(EBSD),X-ray diffraction(XRD),tensile testing,work-hardening analysis,and thermodynamics calcu-lations were used.The induced plasticity effects led to a high temperature-dependency of work-hardening behavior in the 304L and 316L stainless steels.As the deformation temperature increased,the metastable 304L stainless steel showed the sequence of TRIP,TWIP,and weakening of the induced plasticity mechanism;while the disappearance of the TWIP effect in the 316L stainless steel was also observed.However,the solid-solution strengthening in the 904L superaustenitic stainless steel maintained the tensile properties over a wide temper-ature range,surpassing the performance of 304L and 316L stainless steels.In this regard,the dependency of the total elongation on the de-formation temperature was less pronounced for the 904L alloy due to the absence of additional plasticity mechanisms.These results re-vealed the importance of solid-solution strengthening and the associated high friction stress for superior mechanical behavior over a wide temperature range.

Effects of interstitial cluster mobility on dislocation loops evolution under irradiation of austenitic steel

The evolution of dislocation loops in austenitic steels irradiated with Fe^(+)is investigated using cluster dynamics(CD)simulations by developing a CD model.The CD predictions are compared with experimental results in the literature.The number density and average diameter of the dislocation loops obtained from the CD simulations are in good agreement with the experimental data obtained from transmission electron microscopy(TEM)observations of Fe~+-irradiated Solution Annealed 304,Cold Worked 316,and HR3 austenitic steels in the literature.The CD simulation results demonstrate that the diffusion of in-cascade interstitial clusters plays a major role in the dislocation loop density and dislocation loop growth;in particular,for the HR3 austenitic steel,the CD model has verified the effect of temperature on the density and size of the dislocation loops.

Prediction of Hot Deformation Behavior of 7Mo Super Austenitic Stainless Steel Based on Back Propagation Neural Network

The hot compression tests of 7Mo super austenitic stainless(SASS)were conducted to obtain flow curves at the temperature of 1000-1200℃and strain rate of 0.001 s^(-1)to 1 s^(-1).To predict the non-linear hot deformation behaviors of the steel,back propagation-artificial neural network(BP-ANN)with 16×8×8 hidden layer neurons was proposed.The predictability of the ANN model is evaluated according to the distribution of mean absolute error(MAE)and relative error.The relative error of 85%data for the BP-ANN model is among±5%while only 42.5%data predicted by the Arrhenius constitutive equation is in this range.Especially,at high strain rate and low temperature,the MAE of the ANN model is 2.49%,which has decreases for 18.78%,compared with conventional Arrhenius constitutive equation.

Effect of deformation parameters on the austenite dynamic recrystallization behavior of a eutectoid pearlite rail steel

Understandings of the effect of hot deformation parameters close to the practical production line on grain refinement are crucial for enhancing both the strength and toughness of future rail steels.In this work,the austenite dynamic recrystallization(DRX)behaviors of a eutectoid pearlite rail steel were studied using a thermo-mechanical simulator with hot deformation parameters frequently employed in rail production lines.The single-pass hot deformation results reveal that the prior austenite grain sizes(PAGSs)for samples with different deformation reductions decrease initially with an increase in deformation temperature.However,once the deformation temperature is beyond a certain threshold,the PAGSs start to increase.It can be attributed to the rise in DRX volume fraction and the increase of DRX grain with deformation temperature,respectively.Three-pass hot deformation results show that the accumulated strain generated in the first and second deformation passes can increase the extent of DRX.In the case of complete DRX,PAGS is predominantly determined by the deformation temperature of the final pass.It suggests a strategic approach during industrial production where part of the deformation reduction in low temperature range can be shifted to the medium temperature range to release rolling mill loads.