Numerical simulation and control of welding distortion for double floor structure of high speed train

The welding heat source models and the plastic tension zone sizes of a typical weld joint involved in the double floor structure of high speed train under different welding parameters were calculated by a thermal-elastic-plastic FEM analysis based on SYSWELD code.Then,the welding distortion of floor structure was predicted using a linear elastic FEM and shrinkage method based on Weld Planner software.The effects of welding sequence,clamping configuration and reverse deformation on welding distortion of floor structure were examined numerically.The results indicate that the established elastic FEM model for floor structure is reliable for predicting the distribution of welding distortion in view of the good agreement between the calculated results and the measured distortion for real double floor structure.Compared with the welding sequence,the clamping configuration and the reverse deformation have a significant influence on the welding distortion of floor structure.In the case of30 mm reverse deformation,the maximum deformation can be reduced about 70%in comparison to an actual welding process.

Ab initio study of dynamical properties of U-Nb alloy melt

The U-Nb alloy,as a kind of nuclear material with good corrosion resistance and mechanical properties,plays an important role in the nuclear industry.However,the experimental measurements and theoretical calculations of many parameters which are essential in describing the dynamical properties of this alloy melt,including density,diffusivity,and viscosity,have not been carried out yet.The lack of data on the dynamical properties of nuclear materials seriously hinders the high-performance nuclear materials from being developed and applied.In this work,the dynamical properties of the U-Nb alloy melt are systematically studied by means of ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and their corresponding mathematical models are established,thereby being able to rapidly calculate the densities,diffusion coefficients,viscosities,and their activation energies in the whole U-Nb liquid region.This work provides a new idea for investigating the dynamical properties of binary alloy melts,thereby promoting the development of melt research.

Effect of Nb and Mo on the Microstructure, Mechanical Properties and Ductility-Dip Cracking of Ni–Cr–Fe Weld Metals

A series of Ni-Cr-Fe welding wires with different Nb and Mo contents were designed to investigate the effect of Nb and Mo on the rnicrostructure, mechanical properties and the ductility-dip cracking susceptibility of the weld metals by optical microscopy （OM）, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction as well as the tensile and impact tests. Results showed that large Laves phases formed and distributed along the interdendritic regions with high Nb or Mo addition. The Cr-carbide （M23C6） was suppressed to precipitate at the grain boundaries with high Nb addition. Tensile testing indicates that the ultimate strength of weld metals increases with Nb or Mo addition. However, the voids formed easily around the large Laves phases in the interdendritic area during tensile testing for the weld metal with high Mo content. It is found that the tensile fractographs of high Mo weld metals show a typical feature of interdendritic fracture. The high Nb or Mo addition, which leads to the formation of large Laves phases, exposes a great weakening effect on the impact toughness of weld metals. In addition, the ductility-dip cracking was not found by OM in the selected cross sections of weld metals with different Nb additions. High Nb addition can eliminate the ductility-dip cracking from the Ni-Cr-Fe weld metals effectively.

A Multi-phase Field Model for Static Recrystallization of Hot Deformed Austenite in a C–Mn Steel

A multi-phase-field model has been developed to simulate the microstructure evolution and kinetics of the austenite static recrystallization（SRX） in a C–Mn steel. In this model, the bulk free energy that coupling the deformation stored energy with a special interpolation function is incorporated. Both the deformed grain topology and the deformation stored energy have been included in order to investigate the influence of pre-deformation on the subsequent austenite SRX at different hot deformation levels. Diverse scenarios of microstructure evolution show different deformation-dependent recrystallized grain sizes. The transformation kinetics is then discussed by analyzing the overall SRX fraction and the average interface velocity on the recrystallization front.

Microstructural Depictions of Austenite Dynamic Recrystallization in a Low-Carbon Steel:A Cellular Automaton Model

A mesoscopic cellular automaton model that takes into account grain deformation during hot deformation has been developed to quantitatively depict the microstructural evolution of the austenite dynamic recrystallization （DRX） in a low-carbon steel. Both the grain deformation and the concept of DRX cycle are introduced, allowing accurate depictions of the grain structures, the overall microstructural properties and the flow stress evolutions that involving in the austenite DRX. The simulation results are compared with the experimental results and the predictions by the macroscopic DRX model and are found to be in good agreement.

Modeling motion and growth of multiple dendrites during solidification based on vector-valued phase field and two-phase flow models

Movement and growth of dendrites are common phenomena during solidification.To numerically investigate these phenomena,two-phase flow model is employed to formulate the FSI(fluid-structure interaction)problem during dendritic solidification.In this model,solid is assumed to have huge viscosity to maintain its own shape and an exponential expression is constructed to describe variable viscosity across s-l(solid-liquid)interface.With an effective preconditioner for saddle point structure,we build a N-S(Navier-Stokes)solver robust to tremendous viscosity ratio(as large as 10^(10))between solid and liquid.Polycrystalline solidification is computed by vector-valued phase field model,which is computationally convenient to handle contact between dendrites.Locations of dendrites are updated by solving advection equations.Orientation change due to dendrite's rotation has been considered as well.Calculation is accelerated by two-level time stepping scheme,adaptive mesh refinement,and parallel computation.Settlement and growth of a single dendrite and multiple dendrites in Al-Cu alloy were simulated,showing the availability of the provided model to handle anisotropic growth,motion and impingement of dendrites.This study lays foundation to simulate solidification coupled with deformation in the future.

Coalescence-dominated microstructure evolution during solidification of 20SiMn steel

The evolution of microstructures during the solidification of 20SiMn steel was investigated.The dominant role of coalescence was revealed by analyzing the quenched microstructures and the solute distribution.In the parameter range investigated,including the slow solidification,the fast solidification and the directional solidification,the coalescence can happen at multiple solidification stages and on multi-scales.During the directional solidification,the ternary and fourth dendritic arms coalesce into the secondary dendritic arms,and the secondary dendritic arms further coalesce to produce the cellular crystals.The cellular crystals become coarse through further coalescence.During the non-directional solidification,the initial microstructures are discrete crystals without the dendritic pattern.Both the dendritic arms and dendritic stems appearing in the later solidification stage are produced by the coalescence on multi-scales.The coalescence is more significant in the later solidification stage.The mechanism of coalescence is attributed to different melt compositions in different local domains and the reduction of the interface energy.

Micro-scale Cellular Automaton Modeling of Interface Evolution During Reaustenitization from Pearlite Structure in Steels

A modified cellular automaton model is developed to depict the interface evolution inside the cementite plus ferrite lamellar microstructures during the reaustenitization of a pearlite steel. In this model, migrations of both the austenite- ferrite and austenite-cementite interfaces coupled with the carbon diffusion and redistribution are integrated. The capil- laxity effect derived from local interface curvatures is also carefully considered by involving the concentration given by the phase diagram modified by the Gibbs-Thomson effect. This allows the interface evolution from a transient state to a steady state under different annealing conditions and various interlamellar spacings to be simulated. The proposed cellular automaton approach could be readily used to describe the kinetics of austenite formation from the lamellar pearlites and virtually reveal the kinematics of the moving interfaces from the microstructural aspect.

Effects of Surface Roughness on Interface Bonding Performance for 316H Stainless Steel in Hot-Compression Bonding

The metallurgical bonding quality of bonding joints is affected by the substrate surface state in hot-compression bonding(HCB),and the surface roughness is a core indicator of the surface state.However,the effects of surface roughness on interface bonding performance(IBP)in the HCB process are unclear for substrates with refractory oxide scales.This study presents the effects of surface roughness on IBP for 316H stainless steel joints fabricated by HCB.A set of HCB parameters for interface bonding critical state of 316H stainless steel joints was determined.The HCB experiments were carried out under parameters of interface bonding critical state to amplify the effect of surface roughness.The interface morphologies,element distribution,and tensile properties were used to characterize the IBP.As a result,the formation mechanisms of the interface pits were revealed and the variation trend of pit number with the roughness was summarized.Finally,the mapping relation between surface roughness and IBP was established.The results show that the degree of rotational dynamic recrystallization becomes weaker with the decrease in the surface roughness and the interface bonding mechanism is completely transformed into discontinuous dynamic recrystallization when the roughness is lower than 0.020μm Sa.The number of interfacial pits decreases as the roughness decreases owing to the weakening of oxide scale aggregation and abrasive inclusion mechanism.The elongation of the tensile specimen cannot increase significantly while the roughness is lower than 0.698μm Sa.

Sensitivity of the Impact Toughness and Microstructure of 15CrNi3MoV Steel Under Different Quenching Rates

The sensitivities of the mechanical properties and microstructure of 15CrNi3MoV alloy steel under different quenching rates were investigated in the present study.After subjection to quenching with four different cooling rates(water cooling,forced air cooling,static air cooling and furnace cooling)followed by tempering,the microstructure was characterized by scanning electron microscopy(SEM),electron back-scattered diffraction(EBSD),and transmission electron microscopy(TEM);and the low-temperature(−20°C)impact toughness was evaluated.The results showed that the tempered microstructure and mechanical properties had high sensitivity to the quenching rate.With a decrease in the quenching rate,the low-temperature impact energy of tempered specimens decreased with increasing fluctuation.Correspondingly,the fracture morphology changed from completely ductile to brittle.In addition,as the quenching cooling rate decreased,the as-quenched matrix changed from a lathy to a polygonal structure with the presence of carbides and martensite-austenite(M-A)constituents,and the effective grain size increased.Tempered martensite with dispersed fine carbides was found in the tempered water cooling specimen,and tempered bainite with a polygonal structure containing large carbides and rare incomplete undecomposed M-A constituents was found in the tempered forced air cooling,static air cooling and furnace cooling specimens.The small effective grain size and fine carbides contributed to the good temperature impact toughness of the tempered water cooling specimens.

Improvement of Mechanical Properties of a Medium-Mn TRIP Steel by Precursor Microstructure Control

An approach of optimizing the intercritical annealing path in a 0.2C-5Mn medium-Mn steel is presented by introducing precursor microstructure prior to normal austenite reverted transformation(ART)annealing.The steel is fi rstly pre-annealed at diff erent intercritical temperatures to form designed precursor microstructures.Then,they are employed for subsequent conventional ART annealing processing.It is found that pre-annealing at relative high intercritical temperatures can promote precipitation and dissolution of the carbide in the steel and re-distribute the C and Mn in the microstructures.The produced microstructural precursors show excellent merits in accelerating the austenite reversions in subsequent normal ART processing and assisting the RA formation.Tensile testing reveals that the excellent strength-elongation balance can be achieved in the heat-treated samples using diff erent microstructural precursors,which suggests the potential applicability in producing the medium-Mn steels with shortened processing period.

Hot Deformation Behavior and Processing Maps of 0.3C-15Cr-1Mo-0.5N High Nitrogen Martensitic Stainless Steel

Hot deformation behavior of 0.3 C-15 Cr-1 Mo-0.5 N high nitrogen martensitic stainless steel(HNMSS)was investigated in the temperature range of 1173-1473 K and at strain rates of 0.001-10 s-1 using a Gleeble 3500 thermal-mechanical simulator.The true stress-strain curves of the studied HNMSS were measured and corrected to eliminate the effect of friction on the flow stress.The relationship between the flow stress and Zener-Hollomon parameter for the studied HNMSS wsa analyzed in the Arrhenius hyperbolic sine constitutive model by the law of Z=3.76×1015 sinh(0.004979σp)7.5022.The processing maps at different strains of the studied HNMSS were plotted,and its flow instability regions in hot working were also confirmed in combination with the microstructure examination.Moreover,the optimal hot deformation parameters of the studied HNMSS could be suggested at T=1303-1423 K andε=5-10 s-1 or T=1273-1473 K andε=0.005-0.04 s-1.

Effect of Intergranular Precipitation on the Internal Oxidation Behavior of Cr–Mn–N Austenitic Stainless Steels

The effect of intergranular precipitation on the internal oxidation behavior of Cr–Mn–N austenitic steels at 1000 °C in dry air atmosphere was investigated using scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, and X-ray diffraction analysis. The results show that intergranular M23C6 carbide morphologies play an important role on the internal oxidation behavior of Cr–Mn–N steels. During the period of the oxidation, both discontinuous chain-shaped and continuous film-shaped intergranular M23C6 carbides precipitated along the grain boundaries. Internal oxides of silica preferentially intruded into the matrix along grain boundaries with discontinuous M23C6 carbide particles, while silica was obviously restricted at the interfaces between the external scale and matrix on the occasion of continuous film-shaped M23C6 carbides. It is seemed that reasonable microstructure could improve the oxidation resistance of Cr–Mn–N steels.

Interfacial Oxides Evolution of High-Speed Steel Joints by Hot-Compression Bonding

The interfacial oxidation behavior of Cr_(4)Mo_(4) V high-speed steel(HSS)joints undergoing hot-compression bonding was investigated by using optical microscopy(OM),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),and transmission electron microscopy(TEM).In the heating and holding processes,dispersed rod-like and granularδ-Al_(2)O_(3) oxides were formed at the interface and in the matrix near the interface due to the selective oxidation and internal oxidation of Al,while irregular Si-Al-O compounds and spheroidal SiO_(2) particles were formed at the interface.After the post-holding treatment,SiO_(2) oxides and Si-Al-O compounds were dissolved into the matrix,andδ-Al_(2)O_(3) oxides were transformed into nanoscaleα-Al_(2)O_(3) particles,which did not deteriorate the mechanical properties of the joints.The formation and migration of newly-formed grain boundaries by plastic deformation and post-holding treatment were the main mechanism for interface healing.The tensile test results showed that the strength of the healed joints was comparable to that of the base material,and the in-situ tensile observations proved that the fracture was initiated at the grain boundary of the matrix rather than at the interface.The clarification of interfacial oxides and microstructure is essential for the application of hot-compression bonding of HSSs.