Improving creep strength of the fine-grained heat-affected zone of novel 9Cr martensitic heat-resistant steel via modified thermo-mechanical treatment

The infamous type Ⅳ failure within the fine-grained heat-affected zone (FGHAZ) in G115 steel weldments seriously threatens the safe operation of ultra-supercritical (USC) power plants.In this work,the traditional thermo-mechanical treatment was modified via the replacement of hot-rolling with cold rolling,i.e.,normalizing,cold rolling,and tempering (NCT),which was developed to improve the creep strength of the FGHAZ in G115 steel weldments.The NCT treatment effectively promoted the dissolution of preformed M_(23)C_(6)particles and relieved the boundary segregation of C and Cr during welding thermal cycling,which accelerated the dispersed reprecipitation of M_(23)C_(6) particles within the fresh reaustenitized grains during post-weld heat treatment.In addition,the precipitation of Cu-rich phases and MX particles was promoted evidently due to the deformation-induced dislocations.As a result,the interacting actions between precipitates,dislocations,and boundaries during creep were reinforced considerably.Following this strategy,the creep rupture life of the FGHAZ in G115 steel weldments can be prolonged by 18.6%,which can further push the application of G115 steel in USC power plants.

Achieving a high-strength dissimilar joint of T91 heat-resistant steel to 316L stainless steel via friction stir welding

The reliable welding of T91 heat-resistant steel to 316L stainless steel is a considerable issue for ensuring the safety in service of ultrasupercritical power generation unit and nuclear fusion reactor,but the high-quality dissimilar joint of these two steels was difficult to be obtained by traditional fusion welding methods.Here we improved the structure-property synergy in a dissimilar joint of T91 steel to 316L steel via friction stir welding.A defect-free joint with a large bonding interface was produced using a small-sized tool under a relatively high welding speed.The bonding interface was involved in a mixing zone with both mechanical mixing and metallurgical bonding.No obvious material softening was detected in the joint except a negligible hardness decline of only HV~10 in the heat-affected zone of the T91 steel side due to the formation of ferrite phase.The welded joint exhibited an excellent ultimate tensile strength as high as that of the 316L parent metal and a greatly enhanced yield strength on account of the dependable bonding and material renovation in the weld zone.This work recommends a promising technique for producing high-strength weldments of dissimilar nuclear steels.

Influence of Creep Strength of Weld on Interfacial Creep Damage of Dissimilar Welded Joint between Martensitic and Bainitic Heat-Resistant Steel

The mechanical properties, creep rupture strength, creep damage and failure characteristics of dissimilar metal welded joint （DMWJ） between martensitic （SA213T91） and bainitic heat-resistant steel （12Cr2MoWVTiB（G102）） have been investigated by means of pulsed argon arc welding, high temperature accelerated simulation, mechanical and creep rupture test, and scanning electronic microscope （SEM）. The results show that there is a marked drop of mechanical properties of undermatching joint, and low ductility cracking along weld/G102 interface is induced due to creep damage. Creep rupture strength of overmatching joint is the least. The mechanical properties of medium matching joint are superior to those of overmatching and undermatching joint, and creep damage and failure tendency along the interface of weld/G102 are lower than those of overmatching and undermatching joint after accelerated simulation for 500 h, 1 000 h, 1 500 h, and the creep rupture strength of medium matching joint is the same as that of undermatching joint. Therefore, it is reasonable that the medium matching material is used for dissimilar welded joint between martensitic and bainitic steel.

Microstructure and Corrosion Resistance of CrN and CrN/TiN Coated Heat-Resistant Steels in Molten Aluminum Alloy

The components of the equipment for processing the Al melts into the molded parts can be markedly corroded by the molten Al. In this study, a 4 μm CrN coating or CrN/TiN multilayer coating for providing the physical and chemical barriers between the molten reactive Al and the steel substrate were deposited by Cathodic Arc Evaporation onto 10 mm-thick heat-resistant steel plates. The dipping tests were conducted in a 700℃ A356 melt for 1 to 21 h at intervals of 3 h. The damage of the coated steel was eva...

Dissolution Behavior of Delta Ferrites in Martensitic Heat-resistant Steel for Ultra Supercritical Units Blades

The dissolution behavior of delta ferrites in martensitic heat-resistant steel was studied.And the reason why the dissolution rate of delta ferrites decreased with dissolution time was discussed.The experimental results show that the chemical compositions of delta ferrites negligibly change with dissolution time.The decrease of dissolution rate of delta ferrites with dissolution time should be attributed to the change of shape and distribution of delta ferrites.The shape of delta ferrites tends to transfer from polygon to sphere with dissolution time,causing the decrease of specific surface area of delta ferrites.The distribution position of delta ferrites tends to transfer from boundaries of austenite grains to interior of austenite grains with dissolution time,decreasing the diffusion coefficient of alloy atoms.Both them decrease the dissolution rate of delta ferrites.

High-temperature oxidation behavior of 9Cr‒5Si‒3Al ferritic heat-resistant steel

To improve the oxidation properties of ferritic heat-resistant steels,an Al-bearing 9Cr‒5Si‒3Al ferritic heat-resistant steel was designed.We then conducted cyclic oxidation tests to investigate the high-temperature oxidation behavior of 9Cr‒5Si and 9Cr‒5Si‒3Al ferritic heat-resistant steels at 900 and 1000℃.The characteristics of the oxide layer were analyzed by X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscopy,and energy dispersive spectroscopy.The results show that the oxidation kinetics curves of the two tested steels follow the parabolic law,with the parabolic rate constant kp of 9Cr‒5Si‒3Al steel being much lower than that of 9Cr‒5Si steel at both 900 and 1000℃.The oxide film on the surface of the 9Cr‒5Si alloy exhibits Cr2MnO4 and Cr2O3 phases in the outer layer after oxidation at 900 and 1000℃.However,at oxidation temperatures of 900 and 1000℃,the oxide film of the 9Cr‒5Si‒3Al alloy consists only of Al2O3 and its oxide layer is thinner than that of the 9Cr‒5Si alloy.These results indicate that the addition of Al to the 9Cr‒5Si steel can improve its high-temperature oxidation resistance,which can be attributed to the formation of a continuous and compact Al2O3 film on the surface of the steel.

EFFECT OF W ON MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF 12%Cr HEAT-RESISTANT STEEL

The effect of W on mechanical properties of 12% Cr-W-V-Nb heat resistant steel at high temperatures and room temperature is reported.The experimental results indicated that if the W content was about 2.2—3.0 wt-%,there was no obviously change of R.T.tensile strength, but impact toughness decreased with the rise of W content.On the other hand,the increase of W content enhanced the short time stress rupture strength,but did not for the long time one. The increase of W have two effects on the precipitation behavior,promoting Laves formation of type Fe_2W,increasing the precipitated phase amount and speeding up the coarsening pro- cess of precipitated phase at high temperatures.The effect of W on the mechanical properties is closely associated with precipitation behaviors.When the rupture life is short,there has no enough time to coarsen the precipitated phases,so the increase of precipitated phases results in strengthening effect,i.e.the W increases the high temperature strength.After prolonged expo- sure,the evident coarsening took plaee,that decreased the effect of precipitation.

Investigation on the strengthening mechanism of S30432 austenitic heat-resistant steel

From the viewpoint of energy-saving and environment protection,it is necessary to develop Ultra Super Critical(USC) fossil-fired power plants.In order to ensure the reliable operation of power plants under high steam conditions,good mechanical properties(particularly high creep strength),corrosion resistance and fabricability are generally required for the heat resistant steels used in USC boilers.Among these heat-resistant steels,S30432 austenitic heat-resistant steels are of interest due to high creep strength,excellent oxidation and corrosion resistance at temperatures up to 650 -700℃.In this paper,the strengthening mechanism of S30432 austenitic heat-resistant steel was investigated based on the precipitation behavior of S30432 during aging and creep at 650℃.Results show that the microstructure of as-supplied S30432 steel is austenite,the main precipitation consists of only Nb(C,N).After aged for 10 000 h or crept for 10 712 h,there is a slight increase in the size of fine Nb(C,N),but the transformation from Nb(C,N) to NbCrN does not occur.Aging and creep results in the precipitation ofε-Cu and M_(23)C_6.The coarsening velocity ofε-Cu particles diminishes greatly and they are still very fine in the long-term creep range.With the increase of aging and creep time M_(23)C_6 carbides tend to coarsen gradually.The size of M_(23)C_6 is larger and the coarsening is easier in contrast toε-Cu and Nb(C,N).Nb(C,N) precipitates in the as-supplied microstructure,while aging and creep result in the precipitation ofε-Cu and M_(23)C_6.High creep rupture strength of S30432 steel is attributed to the precipitation hardening ofε-Cu,Nb(C,N) and M_(23)C_6.Extremely,ε-Cu plays an important role in improving the creep rupture strength of S30432,and at least 61%of the creep rupture strength of S30432 at 650℃results from the precipitation hardening ofε-Cu particles.

Precipitation behavior and martensite lath coarsening during tempering of T/P92 ferritic heat-resistant steel

Tempering is an important process for T/P92 ferritic heat-resistant steel from the viewpoint of microstructure control, as it facili- tates the formation of final tempered martensite under serving conditions. In this study, we have gained deeper insights on the mechanism underlying the microstructural evolution during tempering treatment, including the precipitation of carbides and the coarsening of martensite laths, as systematically analyzed by optical microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron mi- croscopy. The chemical composition of the precipitates was analyzed using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Results indicate the for- mation of M3C （cementite） precipitates under normalized conditions. However, they tend to dissolve within a short time of tempering, owing to their low thermal stability. This phenomenon was substantiated by X-ray diffraction analysis. Besides, we could observe the precipitation of fine carbonitrides （MX） along the dislocations. The mechanism of carbon diffusion controlled growth of M23C6 can be expressed by the Zener＇s equation. The movement of Y-junctions was determined to be the fundamental mechanism underlying the martensite lath coarsening process. Vickers hardness was estimated to determine their mechanical properties. Based on the comprehensive analysis of both the micro- structural evolution and hardness variation, the process of tempering can be separated into three steps.

Welding of SA213-T91 and SA213-T23 heat-resistant steels applied in ultra supercritical thermal power units

The marteasite SA213-191 and bainite SA213-T23 high-temperature resistant steels were applied to the heating surface of the ultra supercritical thermal power unit boiler. The weld metal microstructures and welded joint performance between the two kinds of dissimilar steels were analyzed. The main reasons of the welding defects such as hot crack, cold crack, brittleness and decrease in toughness were discussed during the welding of the dissimilar heat-resistant steels of SA213- 191 and SA213-T23 in boiler manufacturing and processing operation. The welding materials were chosen and welding procedure was made according to the base metals.

Deformation behavior of 9Cr-3W-3Co martensitic heat-resistant steel

The deformation behavior of 9 Cr-3 W-3 Co heat-resistant steel at a high-temperature range of 1 060-1 260 ℃ and a strain rate of 0.3 s^(-1) was studied using a Gleeble 3800 heat-simulating test machine. The microstructure and precipitation phases of the steel at different temperatures were studied by optical microscopy,scanning electron microscopy,and transmission electron microscopy. The results show that due to its low melting point,coarse grain size,and the segregation of P,S,and Cu at the grain boundary,the thermoplasticity of 9 Cr-3 W-3 Co steel is poor at temperatures higher than 1 200 ℃.The bulk ferrite phase was the main factor affecting the thermoplasticity at 1 100-1 200 ℃.

Effect of aging temperature on the microstructures and mechanical properties of ZG12Cr9Mo1Co1NiVNbNB ferritic heat-resistant steel

The effect of aging on the mechanical properties and microstructures of a new ZG12Cr9 MolColNiVNbNB ferritic heat resistant steel was investigated in this work to satisfy the high steam parameters of the ultra-supercritical power plant.The results show that the main precipitates during aging are Fe（Cr,Mo）23C6,V（Nb）C,and（Fe2Mo） Laves in the steel.The amounts of the precipitated phases increase during aging,and correspondingly,the morphologies of phases are similar to be round.Fe（Cr,Mo）23C6 appears along boundaries and grows with increasing temperature.In addition,it is revealed that the martensitic laths are coarsened and eventually happen to be polygonization.The hardness and strength decrease gradually,whereas the plasticity of the steel increases.What＇s more,the hardness of this steel after creep is similar to that of other 9%-12%Cr ferritic steels.Thus,ZG12Cr9 MolColNiVNbNB can be used in the project.

Effect of cerium on microstructure,eutectic carbides and Laves phase in electroslag remelted 15Cr-22Ni-1Nb austenitic heat-resistant steel

The dendrites,eutectic carbides,Laves phase and microsegregation of alloying element in electroslag remelted 15Cr-22Ni-1Nb austenitic heat-resistant steel with varying cerium contents were studied.The liquidus and solidus temperatures of the steel were determined to reveal the effect of cerium on solidification temperature interval and local solidification time of the steel.The secondary dendrite arm spacing decreases from 57.10 to 40.18μm with increasing the cerium content from 0 to 0.0630 wt.%.The eutectic NbC and Laves phase in as-cast ingots exhibit blocky and honeycomb morphology,respectively.The area fractions and sizes of eutectic NbC and Laves phase in as-cast ingots decrease with the increase in cerium content.The atomic percentage of Laves phase-forming element(Ni,Nb,Cr,Mo and Si)decreases with the increase in cerium content of the steel.The microsegregation of Mo,Ni,Si,Cr and Nb decreases with increasing the cerium content,which is favorable to reducing both the amount and sizes of eutectic NbC and Laves phase in as-cast ingots.The solidification temperature interval and local solidification time of the steel decrease as the cerium content is increased from 0 to 0.0630 wt.%,which inhibits the growth of dendrites,eutectic NbC and Laves phase.

A Coupled Thermodynamic Model for Prediction of Inclusions Precipitation during Solidification of Heat-resistant Steel Containing Cerium

A coupled thermodynamic model of inclusions precipitation both in liquid and solid phase and microseg- regation of solute elements during solidification of heat-resistant steel containing cerium was established. Then the model was validated by the SEM analysis of the industrial products. The type and amount of inclusions in solidifica- tion structure of 253MA heat-resistant steel were predicted by the model, and the valuable results for the inclusions controlling in 253MA steel were obtained. When the cerium addition increases, the types of inclusions transform from SiO2 and MnS to Ce2 O3 and Ce2O2 S in 253MA steel and the precipitation temperature of SiO2 and MnS decrea- ses. The inclusions CeS and CeN convert to Ce2 O3 and Ce2 O2 S as the oxygen content increases and Ce2 O3 and CeN convert to Ce2 O2 S, Ce3 S4, and MnS as the sulfur content increases. The formation temperature of SiO2 increases when the oxygen content increases and the MnS precipitation temperature increases when the sulfur content increa ses. There is only a small quantity of inclusions containing cerium in 253MA steel with high cleanliness, i. e. , low oxygen and sulfur contents. By contrast, a mass of SiO2 , MnS and Ce2 O2 S are formed in steel when the oxygen and sulfur contents are high enough. The condition that MnS precipitates in 253MA steel is 1.2wEo[O] ＋W[s]〉0. 01% and SiO2 precipitates when 2w[O] ＋wrs[S]〉0. 017% （W[S]0. 005%） and w[O]〉0. 006% （w[S]〉0. 005%）.

Carbides Evolution in 12Cr Martensitic Heat-resistant Steel with Life Depletion for Long-term Service

Evaluating the residual life of exposed components in power industry is a very important procedure inroutine examination. The microstructures of a series of X20CrMoV12.1 martensitic superheater tube samples in a boiler in different service periods were investigated extensively to extract a quantitative relationship. During long-term service from start to rupture, hardness decreased monotonically with life depletion, and the decrease of hardness in prior austenite grain boundary was steeper than that in the matrix. Microstructure observation showed obvious damage characteristics, including carbide coarsening and martensite decomposing, and the martensite structure decomposed completely in rupture state. The morphology, distribution and composition of the main precipitates M23 C6 varied distinctly. The aspect ratio of coarsened carbides along grain boundary increased several fold with respect to their original size. The composition of coarsened M23 C6 carbide shows the most regular trend of Cr enrichment and the statistical result of Cr enrichment in M23 C6 shows a linear correlation between the ratio of Cr to Fe and service time to the power of 3/2, which may be considered as an index of material degradation due to long-term service exposure.

Impact Toughness of Heat-Affected Zones of 11Cr Heat-Resistant Steels

Aiming at the requirements of structural steel in Gen-IV nuclear reactor, the high-chromium martensitic heat-resistant steels containing 10–12% chromium were developed. The toughness of heat-affected zones(HAZs) is one of the important factors for evaluating the weldability of steels. In this paper, the simulated HAZs were fabricated using tempered SIMP steels. The effects of microstructures on the impact toughness of materials were analyzed using Vickers hardness tester, optical microscope, transmission electron microscope. Experimental results demonstrated that the HAZs of weldment were poor in toughness, much lower than that of the base metal. However, after experiencing post-weld heat treatment, the toughness of the HAZs increased greatly. The toughness became better in terms of CG-HAZ, FG-HAZ and IC-HAZ for the two steels, regardless of as-welded or after PWHT. Compared with SIMP7 steel, chemical compositions, such as C, Si, Mn and Cr, were adjusted to a lower content;the toughness of base metal and simulated HAZs was better in the case of SIMP11. The conjunct roles of dislocation density and carbon contents retained in the martensite led to poor impact toughness of the aswelded HAZs, because dislocations and carbon atoms affected the inner stresses within lattices.

Formation and Evolution of Microstructures in Fe–9%Cr Heat-Resistant Steel

Microstructures of casting samples of Fe-9%Cr steel and samples subjected to different heat treatments were investigated to determine their formation and evolution mechanism. The results show that there is no macroscopic segregation in the casting Fe-9%Cr steel. During cooling from solidification temperature to room temperature, 6-ferrite → austenite transformation is obviously influenced by cooling rate, while subsequent transformation of austenite does not obviously depend on the cooling rate. In the casting; samples, a great number of precipitates distribute inside martensitic laths while there are almost no precipitates inside δ-ferrite. When the casting samples were reheated to and isothermally held at 800 ℃, the original precipitates and the lath boundaries disappeared gradually. Meanwhile, new precipitates nucleate and grow at the prior lath boundaries.

Superhydrophobic coating on heat-resistant steel surface fabricated by a facile method

Industrial application of superhydrophobic surfaces is often hindered by complicated process and sophisticated machines. A facile wet etching method （sandblast, HCl and sandblast/HCl） with vapor deposition of PFDS （1H, 1H, 2H, 2H- perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane） was applied to fabricate superhydrophobic surface of heat-resistant steel used for vane. The coating component, surface morphology and surface roughness parameters of sample were observed by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Static water contact angle （WCA） of samples with and without PFDS coating was measured by contact angle goniometer. The results showed that WCA values of polished, sandblast, HCl and sandblast/HCl-etched samples are 98°, 97°, 100° and 101°, respectively, and increase to 112°, 148°, 151 ° and 154v after vapor deposition of PFDS. The sandblast/HCl-etched sample with PFDS coating shows higher superhydrophobicity because of very large surface roughness and lotus protrusionlike structure. The superhydrophobicity of this fabricated surface has no obvious change after 38 cycles of the film adhesion test, indicating excellent durability.

Precipitate Behavior in Fe–20Cr–30Ni–2Nb Austenitic Heat-Resistant Steel

In this study, the precipitation behavior of a new austenitic heat-resistant steel （Fe-20Cr-30Ni-2Nb, in at%） was investigated. The effects of alloying addition of boron （B） and lanthanum （La） on the microstructure of the austenitic steel were scrutinized using SEM, EPMA, TEM, and XRD. The results showed that the addition of B enhanced the precipitation of bar-type Laves phase. A small precipitate with high La concentration was observed at the grain boundary in the alloy without aging; similar precipitates without La also presented in region adjacent to the La single phase. This result indicates that La can exist independently and does not contribute to the formation of new compounds. However, in both B- and La-modified alloy, B appeared in the precipitate free zone. In the alloy containing both B and La, only Fe2Nb Laves- phase precipitates, as indicated by the XRD result.

Evolution of microstructure in reheated coarse-grained zone of G115 novel martensitic heat-resistant steel

Based on the thermal simulation method,a systematical analysis was conducted on the effect of welding peak temperature and the cooling time that takes place from 800 to 500℃ on microstructure,precipitates,substructure and microhardness of the reheated coarse-grained heat-affected zone(CGHAZ)of G115 novel martensitic heat-resistant steel.As revealed from the results,the microstructure of un-altered CGHAZ(UACGHAZ)and supercritically CGHAZ(SCCGHAZ)was lath martensite,and structural heredity occurred.Intercritically reheated CGHAZ(IRCGHAZ)exhibited martensite and over-tempered martensite,and subcritical CGHAZ(SCGHAZ)displayed martensite and under-tempered martensite.The austenite in UACGHAZ and SCCGHAZ was transformed with the diffusion mechanism during the first thermal cycle,but with the non-diffusion mechanism during the second thermal cycle.For this reason,A_(c1) and A_(c3) during the second thermal cycle were significantly lower than those during the first thermal cycle,and A_(c1) and A_(c3) were reduced by nearly 14 and 44℃,respectively.Since the content and stability of the austenite alloy during the second thermal cycle of IRCGHAZ were lower than those during the first thermal cycle,M_(s) increased by nearly 30℃.There were considerable precipitates in the over-tempered region of IRCGHAZ,and the Laves phase was contained,which was not conducive to high-temperature creep property.Moreover,the dislocation density and the number of sub-grains in the region were lower,resulting in a sharp decrease in the microhardness,and it was the weak area in the reheated CGHAZ.