Grain refinement in the coarse-grained region of the heat-affected zone in low-carbon high-strength microalloyed steels

The microstructural features and grain refinement in the coarse-grained region of the heat-affected zone in low-carbon high-strength microalloyed steels were investigated using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and electron backscattering dif- fraction. The coarse-grained region of the heat-affected zone consists of predominantly bainite and a small proportion of acicular ferrite. Bainite packets are separated by high angle boundaries. Acicular ferrite laths or plates in the coarse-grained region of the heat-affected zone formed prior to bainite packets partition austenite grains into many smaller and separate areas, resulting in fine-grained mixed microstruc- tures. Electron backscattefing diffraction analysis indicates that the average crystallographic grain size of the coarse-grained region of the heat-affected zone reaches 6-9 μm, much smaller than that of anstanite grains.

Thermodynamic Research on Precipitates in Low Carbon Nb-Microalloyed Steels Produced by Compact Strip Production

Microalloying element Nb in low carbon steels produced by compact strip production （CSP） process plays an important role in inhibiting recrystallization, decreasing the transformation temperature and grain refinement.With decreasing the rolling temperature, dislocations can be pinned by carbonitrides and the strength is increased. Based on the two sublattice model, with metal atom sublattice and interstitial atom sublattice,a thermodynamic model for carbonitride was established to calculate the equilibrium between matrix and carbonitride. In the steel produced by CSP, the calculation results showed that the starting temperature of precipitation of Ti and Nb are 1340℃ and 1040℃, respectively. In the range of 890-950℃, Nb rapidly precipitated. And the maximum of the atomic fraction of Nb in carbonitride was about 0.68. The morphologies and energy spectrum of the precipitates showed that （NbTi） （CN） precipitated near the dislocations. The experiment results show that Nb rapidly precipitated when the temperature was lower than 970℃, and the atomic fraction of Nb in carbonitride was about 60%-80%. The calculation results are in agreement with the experiment data. Therefore the thermodynamic model can be a useful assistant tool in the research on the precipitates in the low carbon steels produced by CSP.

Dynamic Recrystallization Behaviour of Nb-Ti Microalloyed Steels

The dynamic recrystallization （DRX） behavior of Nb-Ti microalloyed steels was investigated by isothermal single compression tests in the temperature range of 900-1 150 ℃ at constant strain rates of 0.1-5 s^-1. DRX was retarded effectively at low temperature due to the onset of dynamic precipitation of Nb and Ti carbonitrides, resulting in higher values of the peak strain. An expression was developed for the activation energy of deformation as a function of the contents of Nb and Ti in solution as well as other alloying elements. A new value of corrective factor was determined and applied to quantify the retardation produced by increase in the amount of Nb and Ti dissolved at the reheating temperature. The ratio of critical strain to peak strain decreases with increasing equivalent Nb content. In addition, the effects of Ti content and deformation conditions on DRX kinetics and steady state grain size were determined. Finally, the kinetics of dynamic precipitation was determined and effect of dynamic precipitation on the onset of DRX was clarified based on the comparison between precipitate pinning force and recrystallization driving force.

Mathematical Modelling of Carbonitride Precipitation during Hot Working in Nb Microalloyed Steels

Based on thermodynamics and kinetics, precipitation behavior of microalloyed steels was analyzed. Deformation greatly promotes isothermal carbonitride precipitation and makes C-curve shift leftwards. The position and shape of C-curve also depend on the content of Nb and N. C-curve shifts leftwards a little when N content increases and the nose temperature is raised with increasing Nb content. Deformation shortened precipitation start time during continuous cooling, raised precipitation start temperature, accelerated precipitation kinetics of carbonitrides. With decreasing the finishing temperature and coiling temperature, the precipitates volume fraction increases and strength increment is raised during hot rolling. The simulated results are in agreement with experiment results.

STRAIN-INDUCED ISOTHERMAL PRECIPITATION OF Nb,V AND Ti CARBONITRIDES IN MICROALLOYED STEELS DURING CONTROLLED ROLLING

The strain-induced isothermal precipitation and the law of coarsening of Nb,V and Ti carbonitrides in Nb-steel.V-steel.Nb-V steel and Ti-V-Nb steel have been investigated systematically by means of STEM,EDAX,a new extraction replica technique and the quanti- tative phase analyses method.

Effects of strain ageing on the microstructures of microalloyed steels

This study investigates the microstructures of microalloyed steels before and after strain ageing treatment. It was found that the microstructure consisted of both lath ferrite and pearlite. Most of the carbides and/or nitrides of microalloying elements were distributed inside the grains with a small amount distributed at the grain boundaries. The precipitated phases inside the grains were much smaller in size than those at the grain boundaries. The precipitates are either circular or short bar-like,of sizes from a few nanometers to several hundred nanometers. After ageing,only carbon atoms segregate around the dislocations and nitrogen does not participate in producing the Cottrell atmosphere because it was fixed by alloying elements before ageing.

Mechanical Properties of V-,Nb-,and Ti-bearing As-cast Microalloyed Steels

The influence of microalloying additions on the mechanical properties of a low-carbon cast steel containing combinations of V, Nb, and Ti in the as-cast condition was evaluated. Tensile and hardness test results indicated that good combinations of strength and ductility could be achieved by V and Nb additions. While the yield strength and UTS （ultimate tensile strength） increased up to the range of 378-435 MPa and 579- 590 MPa, respectively in the microalloyed heats, their total elongation ranged from 18% to 23%. The presence of Ti, however, led to some reduction in the strength. Microstructural studies including scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and optical microscopy revealed that coarse TiN particles were responsible for this behavior. The Charpy impact values of all compositions indicated that microalloying additions significantly decreased the impact energy and led to the dominance of cleavage facets on the fracture surfaces. It seems that the increase in the hardness of coarse ferrite grains due to the precipitation hardening is the main reason for brittle fracture.

Effects of Rare Earth on Behavior of Precipitation and Properties in Microalloyed Steels

The influence of rare earths on the behavior of precipitation of 14MnNb,X60 and 10MnV steels was studied by STEM, XRD, ICP and thermal simulation method. The main carbonitride precipitates are Nb(C, N),(Nb, Ti)(C, N)and V(C, N). In austenite RE delays the beginning of precipitation, and decreases the rate of precipitation. In ferrite RE promotes precipitation and increases the amount of equilibrium carbonitride precipitation. RE can make precipitates fine, globular and dispersed in the microalloyed steels. With the increase of the amount of RE in steel, the amount of precipitation increases. The promotion effect is weakened with excessive RE. RE has only little influence on the strength of microalloyed steel, but it can improve impact toughness effectively.

GRAIN COARSENING BEHAVIOR OF V-Ti-N MICROALLOYED STEELS

The effects of chemical composition and cooling rate after solidication on the grain coarsening temperature,T_(GC),of the V-Ti-N microalloyed steels have been investigated.It is shown that the T_(GC) may be obviously raised by adding even a little Ti to the base steel so as to pre- cipitate a great deal of fine Ti-bearing particles of about 10 nm.The T_(GC) does not increase with the cooling rate,as it is over a certain critical value.The T_(GC) is insensitive to any varia- tion of N content at simulated cooling condition of 150 mm continuous cast slab.The T_(GC) may be dropped down about 100℃ by adding 0.33 wt-%Mo to the steels.The sensitivi- ty of T_(GC) to cooling condition relates to the Ti and V contents.

Effect of initial microstructure on austenite formation kinetics in high-strength experimental microalloyed steels

Austenite formation kinetics in two high-strength experimental microalloyed steels with different initial microstructures comprising bainite-martensite and ferrite-martensite/austenite microconstituents was studied during continuous heating by dilatometric analysis. Austenite formation occurred in two steps： （1） carbide dissolution and precipitation and （2） transformation of residual ferrite to austenite. Dilatometric analysis was used to determine the critical temperatures of austenite formation and continuous heating transformation diagrams for heating rates ranging from 0.03°C.s^-1 to 0.67°C.s^-1. The austenite volume fraction was fitted using the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kolmogorov equation to determine the kinetic parameters k and n as functions of the heating rate. Both n and k parameters increased with increasing heat- ing rate, which suggests an increase in the nucleation and growth rates of austenite. The activation energy of austenite formation was determined by the Kissinger method. Two activation energies were associated with each of the two austenite formation steps. In the first step, the austenite growth rate was controlled by carbon diffusion from carbide dissolution and precipitation; in the second step, it was controlled by the dissolution of residual ferrite to austenite.

EFFECTS OF ZIRCONIUM ON MICROSTRUCTURES AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF MICROALLOYED STEELS

The effects of Zr on the microstructures and mechanical properties of microalloyed steels have been investigated by mechanical tests and microstructural observations. The microstructures in the Zr-doped steels are ferrite plus pearlite, which is similar to those in the Zr-free steel. With the increase in the Zr content, the lamellar structure reduces and even disappears. Sulfides and silicates that exist in the Zr-free steel are modified into fine oxides in the Zr-bearing steel. When the Zr contents range from 0.01wt% to 0.03wt%, the low temperature toughness of the steel can be substantially improved while its room-temperature strength and ductility have no apparent change. The refinement of ferrite grain size by the addition of zirconium is one of the main reasons for this toughness improvement.

Effect of Ti content on the yield strength of Nb-Ti microalloyed steels

The hot rolling experiment investigates into the relationship between the microstructures and the mechanical properties of Nb-Ti microalloyed steels with various Ti contents. The results indicate that the effect of the bainite fraction of Nb-Ti microalloyed steels on the yield strength of the steels is not related to Ti content, while the slope of the Hall- Petch relationship decreases with the increase of Ti content. Accordingly, the Misra model for the yield strength of Nb-Ti microalloyed steels is modified, and the factors which cause the change in the slope of Hall-Petch relationship are discussed.

Thermodynamic Calculation of Carbide Precipitate in Niobium Microalloyed Steels

On the basis of regular solution sublattice model, thermodynamic equilibrium of austenite/carbide in Fe-Nb-C ternary system was investigated. The equilibrium volume fraction, chemical driving force of carbide precipitates and molar fraction of niobium and carbon in solution at different temperatures were evaluated respectively. The volume fraction of precipitates increases, molar fraction of niobium dissolved in austenite decreases and molar fraction of carbon increases with decreasing the niobium content. The driving force increases with the decrease of temperature, and then comes to be stable at relatively low temperatures. The predicted ratio of carbon in precipitates is in good agreement with the measured one.

Thermodynamic Calculations of Composition of Carbide and Nitride Precipitates and Precipitation Order in Multi-Microalloyed Steels

By means of regular solution sublattice model,the mole fraction and composition of complex carbide and nitride precipitates in Nb-Ti-V microalloyed steels are calculated thermodynamically.Quantitative prediction of precipitation order of carbides and nitrides in complex precipitates is performed according to the calculated results at various austenitizing temperatures.The calculation can provide thermodynamic basis for quantitative prediction of complex precipitation behavior in NbTi-V-containing steels.

MISCIBLE PRECIPITATES IN V-Ti-N MICROALLOYED STEELS

The characteristics and the formation of the miscible particles in V-Ti-N microalloyed steels were studied.It was found that the vanadium to form V-Ti miscible particles starts to precipi- tate after pouring and cooling to temperature below 11 50℃ by means of the epitaxial precipi- tation on the pre-existing titanium nitrides.The vanadium content in the particles is markedly influenced by the cooling rate after solidification.

Microstructure and precipitation in two Zr-B microalloyed steels subjected to thermomechanical control process and weld thermal simulations

The microstructures and precipitates in base metals and heat affected zones （HAZs） of two Zr-B microalloyed steels were characterized by means of optical microscopy （OM）,transmission electron microscopy （TEM） and energy dispersive spectrum （EDS）.It has been found that precipitates of tens of nanometers in size are present in the base metals of both steels.The average particle size,however,in the Zr-B steel with Ti is larger than that in the steel without Ti.After thermal simulations,in both cases,the MnS sulfides can nucleate on cubic （Nb,Ti） （C,N） carbonitrides and nearly spherical Zr-bearing compounds.The precipitates in the HAZs of both steels are coarser than those in the base metals,in the ranges of 150-200 nm and 50-100 nm for Ti added and Ti-free steels,respectively.

Recrystallization and Precipitation Behavior during the Hot Deformation of Nb-Ti Microalloyed Steels

Constant strain rate compression tests at the temperature 900～1100 ℃ and the strain rate 10 -3 ～20 s -1 and the interpass time 300～1000 s of double stage interrupted tests were carried out for a microalloyed steel containing 0.024%Nb, 0.016%Ti, 1.39%Mn and 0.15%C, to investigate its dynamic (DRX), static (SRX) and metadynamic recrystallization (MDRX) and precipitation behavior. Softening curves were determined by the offset method and back extrapolation method. It was found that the SRX and MDRX process have different Avrami exponent n and apparent activation energy Q . For the former n=1, Q =359 kJ/mol, while for the later n = 0.57 , Q =259 kJ/mol. Influences of temperature, prestrain and strain rate on the kinetics of SRX process were discussed and a mathematical model was furtherly constructed. Finally, the precipitation time temperature (PTT) curve was determined by the stress relaxation tests, and the influence of precipitation on the SRX process was also discussed. Direct microstructural evidence for precipitation during and after deformation was obtained by transmission electron microscopy.

Precipitation characteristic of high strength steels microalloyed with titanium produced by compact strip production

Transmission electron microscopy （TEM） and physics-chemical phase analysis were employed to investigate the precipitates in high strength steels microalloyed with Ti produced by compact strip production （CSP）. It was seen that precipitates in Ti microalloyed steels mainly included TiN, Ti4C2S2, and TiC. The size of TiN particles varied from 50 to 500 nm, and they could precipitate during or before soaking. The Ti4C2S2 with the size of 40-100 nm might precipitate before rolling, and the TiC particles with the size of 5-50 nm precipitated heterogeneously. High Ti content would lead to the presence of bigger TiC particles that precipitated in austenite, and by contrast, TiC particles that precipitated in ferrite and the transformation of austenite to ferrite was smaller. They were less than 30 nm and mainly responsible for precipitate strengthening. It should be noted that the TiC particles in higher Ti content were generally smaller than those in the steel with a lower Ti content.

Effect of Solute Drag and Precipitate Pinning on Austenite Grain Growth in Ti-Nb Microalloyed Steels

A metallurgical model concerning the co-effect of the Nb solute drag and the complex carbonitride precipitates pinning is proposed to predict the recrystallization austenite grain growth of low carbon Nb-containing microalloyed steels.The analysis,both predicted and experimental,reveals the precipitate pinning plays a dominate role in suppressing the austenite grain growth with less Nb solute drag effect in high temperature region whereas the Nb solute drag predominates in relatively low temperature region.A factor p is suggested to assess the effectiveness of drag and pinning.The pinning and the drag are more effective in restraining grain growth as p】0 and p【0,respectively.A low carbon Nb microalloyed steel and a kind of Ti-modified low carbon Nb steel by Ti substituting for part of Nb are employed to validate the modeling results.The theoretical calculations show a good agreement with experimental results.

Effect of Pre-deformation on Grain Ultrafining by Intercritical Deformation in Low-Carbon Microalloyed Steels

In this study, the effect of pre-deformation at recrystallization and non-recrystallization zone on the grain ultrafining by the subsequent intercritical deformation （ID） was investigated on low-carbon microalloyed steel. The results showed that ultrafine grain microstructure with an average size of - 1.0 μm was fabricated through pre-deformation in the recrys- tallization zone followed by ID. When pre-deformed at the non-recrystallization zone prior to ID, the grain size increased to 1.6 μm with a heterogeneous distribution along with the well-developed dynamic recovery of ferrite. The grain ultrafining mechanism was attributed to the combined action of the deformation-induced ferrite transformation and the continuous dynamic recrystallization. In particular, the continuous dynamic recrystallization process during ID occurred on the pro-eutectoid ferrite as a result of the subgrain rotation mechanism and the absorbing dislocations mechanism.