Precipitation Behavior and Microstructural Evolution of Ferritic Ti–V–Mo Complex Microalloyed Steel

Precipitation behavior of （Ti, V, Mo）C and microstructural evolution of the ferritic Ti-V-Mo complex microalloyed steel were investigated through changing coiling temperature （CT）. It is demonstrated that the strength of the Ti-V-Mo microalloyed steel can be ascribed to the combination of grain refinement hardening and precipitation hardening. The variation of hardness （from 318 to 415 HV, then to 327 HV） with CT （from 500 to 600-625 ℃, then to 700 ℃） was attributed to the changes of volume fraction and particle size of （Ti, V, Mo）C precipitates. The optimum CT was considered as 600-625 ℃, at which the maximum hardness value （415 HV） can be obtained. It was found that the atomic ratios of Ti, V and Mo in （Ti, V, Mo）C carbides were changed as the CT increased. The precipitates with the size of 〈 10 nm were the V-rich particles at higher CT of 600 and 650 ℃, while the Ti-rich particles were observed at lower CT of 500 and 550 ℃. Theoretical calculations indicated that the maximum nucleation rate of （Ti, V, Mo）C in ferrite matrix occurred around 630 ℃, which was consistent with the 625 ℃ obtained from experiment results.

Effect of Ti/V ratio on thermodynamics and kinetics of MC in γ/α matrices of Ti-V microalloyed steels

Through the solubility product theory of the ternary secondary phase,classical nucleation theory,and Ostwald ripening theory,a model was established to describe the thermodynamics and kinetics of(Ti,V)C precipitates in austenite/ferrite(y/α)matrices.The model was used to calculate the volume fraction,precipitation-temperature-time(PTT)curve,and nucleation rate-temperature(NrT)curve of MC(M=Ti,V)precipitates in γ/α matrices in Ti-V microalloyed steels with various Ti/V ratios,which is verified by hardness tester,transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.The calculations indicate that,by decreasing Ti/V ratio from Ti4V0 steel to Ti0V4 steel,the complete-dissolution temperature decreases monotonically from 1226 to 830℃,and the equilibrium volume fraction of MC pre-cipitated from austenite decreases from 0.333%to 0.091%at 900℃.Moreover,the maximum nucleation temperature of MC precipitated from α matrix decreases from 748 to 605℃and the fastest precipitation temperature decreases from 844 to 675℃as Ti/V ratio decreases.PTT and NrT diagrams of MC precipitated from α matrices in different Ti-V microalloyed steels all exhibit C-shaped and inverse C-shaped curves.In addition,both theoretical calculation and experimental results show that when tempered at 600℃for 100 h,Ti2V2 steel shows the largest hardness value of 312 HV among the three steels tested because it has a larger volume fraction(0.364%),a larger precipitate density(1689 μm-2),and the smallest average size(8.4 nm)of(Ti,V)C precipitates.The theoretical calculations are consistent with experimental results,which indicates that the thermodynamics and kinetics model for(Ti,V)C precipitates is reliable and accurate.

Effect of Noncontact Ultrasonic Technology on Solidification Quality of Electroslag Steel

A new electroslag furnace with ultrasonic vibration introduced through water-cooled base plate was de- signed and the effects of ultrasonic power on the distribution of elements, compactness and carbides in the electroslag remelting （ESR） ingots was investigated. The results showed that the distribution of elements on the entire excita- tion section changed with the change of ultrasonic power under experimental conditions. The statistical segregation of elements was minimum when the ultrasonic power was 500 W, whereas excessively high or excessively low power was not conducive to the uniform distribution of elements. Meanwhile, the compactness of ESR ingots gradually in- creased with the increase in ultrasonic power and distribution of compactness was the most uniform when ultrasonic power reached 500 W. Further increase in the ultrasonic power was not conducive to the improvement of compactness. The distribution characteristic of carbides was similar to the distribution of elements and compactness. The re- sults indicated that the ultrasonic vibration introduced through water-cooled base plate was advantageous in impro- ving solidification quality. However, this method needed reasonable ultrasonic power. Moreover, the effects of ultra- sonic power varied for different elements.

Effect of electropulsing on austenite to ferrite transformation in low-carbon steel

We explore the application of electropulsing for the control of phase transformation in a low-carbon steel.The effect of electropulsing on the transformation from austenite to ferrite in continuous casting low-carbon steel slab has been studied through experimental and thermodynamic investigations.The results reveal that electropulsing promotes the precipitation of ferrite within austenite grain in the low-carbon steel.When the electropulsing intensity increases,the precipitation of ferrite increases within austenite grains,and ferrite omentum precipitates become thinner along the austenite grain boundary.The results provide a basis for controlling the austenite to ferrite transformation in low-carbon steel.