Development of Tailored Structure and Tensile Properties of Thermomechanical Treated Micro Alloyed Low Carbon Dual Phase Steel

Direct hot rolled dual phase steel production represents a challenging route, compared with cold rolled and intercritical annealing process, due to complex and sophisticated control of the hot strip mill processing parameters. Instead, high technology compact slab production plant offers economic advantages, adequate control and prompt use of the advanced thermomechanical controlled rolling. The current work aims to obtain different structures and tensile properties by physical simulation of direct hot rolled niobium micro alloyed dual phase low carbon steel by varying the metallurgical temperatures of hot strip mill plant. This starts with adaptation of the chemical analysis of a low carbon content to fall far from the undesired peritectic region to avoid slab cracking during casting. Thermodynamic and kinetics calculations by Thermo-Calc 2020 and JMat pro software are used to define the transformation’s temperatures Ae1 and Ae3 as well as processing temperatures;namely of reheating, finishing rolling, step cooling and coiling temperatures. The results show that the increase of finishing rolling temperature from 780°C to 840°C or decreasing either of step cooling duration at ferrite bay from 7 to 4 seconds, enhances yield and tensile strengths, all due to more martensite volume fraction formation. The yield and tensile strengths also increase with decreasing coiling temperature from 330°C to 180°C, which is explained due to the increase of dislocation densities resulted from the sudden shape change during martensite formation at the lower coiling temperature in additional to the self-tempering of martensite formed at higher coiling temperatures which soften the dual phase steel.

Effect of Laser Cladding Processing Parameters on Nitinol’s Clad Dimensions, Microstructure, and Hardness

Nickel Titanium alloy (Nitinol) is characterized by its good mechanical properties, good damping properties in addition to its distinctive shape-memory effect and superelasticity effect besides its great bio-mechanical compatibility and corrosion resistance. These properties have empowered its applications, particularly within the bio-medical and aerospace industry. Despite these exceptional properties, the manufacturing of Nitinol by conventional methods is exceptionally troublesome and costly and consequently must be inspected. Therefore, additive manufacturing specifically laser-based ones were used recently. In this research, the effect of processing parameters of laser cladding/laser direct deposition on Nitinol’s Microstructure, Hardness and Clad Dimensions was evaluated. Systematic characterization of Nitinol samples was done utilizing Optical Microscopy and Vickers hardness tester. Samples of Nitinol were synthesized with different processing parameters using laser cladding and its properties were investigated and compared to one another to get the optimum processing parameters to synthesize a near net shape, fully dense Nitinol component with reliable properties. The results showed that there’s a processing parameter window at which the alloy possesses its best mechanical and functional properties which were of Laser power of value 1.25 Kw, Scan speed of 1.5 m/min and powder deposition rate of 1.5/1.5 RPM, these conditions resulted in the formation of martensite phase which is responsible for its functional properties with 40% volume fraction and a hardness value of 598 HV.

Thermomechanical Testing of GGG 40 Spheroidal Graphite Cast Iron Alloy

Spheroidal graphite cast iron GGG 40 was thermo-mechanically tested using thermo-mechanical simulator Gleeble-3500. Three deformation steps were successively applied on test-specimen at temperatures namely;900°C, 850°C and 750°C within the austenitic zone, at the same strain rate of 0.1 s-1. No cracks were observed, up to 50% deformation, after successive deformation steps. Stress-strain relationship obtained is correlated with previous work on SGCI with a different carbon equivalent. It was found that by decreasing the deformation temperature;for the same CE, young’s modulus, yield strength and strain hardening exponent increase. Microstructure of the deformed zone, for a specimen quenched after the final deformation step, reveals fine elongated ferrite and pearlite, as well as elongated graphite. While microstructure of the non-deformed zone subjected to the same treatment, includes coarser ferrite and pearlite with graphite spheres embedded in the matrix.

Effect of Deformation Parameters on Microstructural Evolution of GGG 40 Spheroidal Graphite Cast Iron Alloy

Studying the thermo-mechanical behavior of ductile iron is necessary to develop the rolling process for ductile iron sheet/strip production, thus, extending its application by replacing steel in several fields such as machine casing, constructional applications, etc. In order to predict the safe rolling conditions for producing sheets and strips, the thermo-mechanical behavior of a ductile iron alloy, with CE of 4.48, is studied by physical simulation of hot rolling process using Gleeble-3500 simulator. The test was conducted on specimens at a range of deformation temperatures from 800°C to 950°C while three different strain rates;namely 0.05, 0.1 and 0.5 s-1 were used. The results obtained, show minimum values of flow stresses at 850°C. By increasing the deformation temperature up to 900°C, the flow stresses increased to reach maximum values, beyond which the flow stress decreased again. A remarkable dynamic recrystallization is observed at the deformation temperatures of 850°C and 800°C with applied strain rates of 0.05 and 0.1 s-1. Gleeble test results are correlated with microstructure observations on samples quenched at their deformation temperatures, where the changes in structure and graphite morphology are reported. The deformation process at high temperatures namely 950°C and 900°C result in changing the graphite shape from a spheroidal-like to a saucer-like shape. However, by decreasing the deformation temperature to 850°C as well as 800°C, graphite with lamellar shape is observed. As a conclusion, ductile iron could be successfully deformed without cracking at the applied conditions.

Analysis of Super Duplex Stainless Steel Properties as an Austenite-Ferrite Composite

Super duplex stainless steel (SDSS) is considered as a composite formed from a microstructure of an approximately equal mixture of two primary constituents (γ-austenite and α-ferrite phases) and the secondary precipitates (sigma, chi, alpha-prime, etc.). While the formation of these phases affects the properties of SDSS, however there are no rules that govern the relationship. In this work, the relationship between toughness as well as corrosion behavior of SDSS (UNS 32760) and the microstructure constituents has been experimentally investigated, and analyzed in view of the composite principles. Another two stainless steels namely;fully austenitic SASS (UNS N08367) and fully ferritic FSS (UNS S42900) are considered to simulate the constituent’s primary components in the composite which are austenite γ and ferrite α phases respectively. Samples of the composite and constituent’s steels are first subjected to solution annealing, where the composite steel has a microstructure of γ austenite and α ferrite grains. They were then subjected to similar different isothermal heat treatment cycles, for the formation of secondary phase precipitations within the transformation temperature ranges of each of γ and α primary grains. Impact toughness and corrosion (specific weight loss) tests were conducted on the annealed and isothermally treated samples. The composite rule of the mixtures (ROM) is used to analyze the relationship between the toughness and corrosion properties in the composite SDSS and the SASS and FSS constituent’s steels. The analysis indicates that in case of toughness, ROM applies well on the composite and constituents’ steels in the solution annealed and in isothermal treatment conditions, where better matching between experimental and calculated results is observed. When applying ROM for corrosion weight loss, a great difference is found between the experimental and calculated results, which is much reduced for solution treated samples ferritic and austenitic temperature ranges of 480℃ - 500℃ and 700℃ - 750℃ as for ferrite and austenite respectively.

Feasibility of 0.02% Nb-Based Microalloyed Steel for the Application of One-Step Quenching and Partitioning Heat Treatment

To attain an enhanced combination of mechanical properties for low alloyed steel, the current study has been made to fulfill that growing need in the industry. Its results are introduced within this paper. One step Quenching and Partitioning (Q&P) heat treatment has been applied on Niobium-based microalloyed steel alloy with 0.2 %C, in the form of 2 mm thickness sheets. The target of this study is to investigate the viability of applying that significantly recommended, results-wise, heat treatment on the highly well-suited alloy steel samples, to achieve the main target of enhanced properties. A single temperature of 275°C was used as quenching and Partitioning temperature. Four Partitioning periods (30, 200, 500, and 1000 Seconds) were used for soaking at the same temperature. The results were analyzed in the light of microstructural investigation and mechanical testing. All applied cycles did not enhance the strength but moderately improved the ductility and toughness, mainly caused by the slightly high soaking temperature used. Niobium impact of grain refining was apparent through all cycles. The cycle of 500 Seconds Partitioning time obtained optimum values at that particular temperature. The 1000 Seconds Cycle obtained the worst combination of properties. A set of recommendations are set. More research is required at this point, where a lower Partitioning temperature is advised. In the light of the applied combination of parameters, the Partitioning period at such temperature is advised to be between 500 and 1000 Seconds. A high probability that periods closer to 500 than 1000 Seconds will produce better results. More research is needed between those two values of Partitioning time to precisely determine the optimum time at that temperature on that specific alloy.