Microstructure and mechanical properties of a cast TRIP-assisted multiphase stainless steel

Stainless steels are used in a wide range of complex environments due to their excellent corrosion resistance.Multiphase stainless steels can offer an excellent combination of strength,toughness and corrosion resistance due to the coexistence of different microstructures.The microstructure and mechanical properties of a novel cast multiphase stainless steel,composed of martensite,ferrite,and austenite,were investigated following appropriate heat treatment processes:solution treatment at 1,050℃ for 0.5 h followed by water quenching to room temperature,and aging treatment at 500℃ for 4 h followed by water quenching to room temperature.Results show reversed austenite is formed by diffusion of Ni element during aging process,and the enrichment of Ni atoms directly determines the mechanical stability of austenite.The austenite with a lower Ni content undergoes a martensitic transformation during plastic deformation.The tensile strength of the specimen exceeds 1,100 MPa and the elongation exceeds 24%after solid solution,and further increases to 1,247 MPa and 25%after aging treatment.This enhancement is due to the TRIP effect of austenite and the precipitation of the nanoscale G-phase pinning dislocations in ferrite and martensite.

Health Effect of Forest Bathing Trip on Elderly Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Forest bathing trip is a short, leisurely visit to forest. In this study we determined the health effects of forest bathing trip on elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD）. The patients were randomly divided into two groups. One group was sent to forest, and the other was sent to an urban area as control. Flow cytometry, ELISA, and profile of mood states （POMS） evaluation were performed. In the forest group,

Effects of Warm Deformation on Mechanical Properties of TRIP Aided Fe-C-Mn-Si Multiphase Steel

Warm deformation tests were performed using a kind of tubby heater. The microstructures and mechanical properties of an Fe-C-Mn-Si multiphase steel resulting from different warm deformation temperatures were investiga- ted by using LOM （light optical microscopy）, SEM and XRD. The results indicated that the microstructure contai- ning polygonal ferrite, granular bainite and a significant amount of the stable retained austenite can be obtained through hot deformation and subsequent austempering. Warm deformation temperature affects the mechanical prop- erties of the hot rolled TRIP steels. Ultimate tensile strength balance reached maximum （881 MPa） when the speci- men was deformed at 250 ~C, and the total elongation and strength-ductility reached maximum （38% and 28 614 MPa ~ ~, respectively） at deforming temperature of 100 ~C. Martensite could nucleate when austenite was deformed above M~, because mechanical driving force compensates the decrease of chemical driving force. The TRIP effect occurs in the Fe-C-Mn-Si multiphase steel at deforming temperature ranging from 15 to 350 ~C. The results of the effects of warm deformation on the mechanical properties of the Fe-C-Mn-Si multiphase steel can provide theoretical basis for the ap- plications and the warm working of the hot rolled TRIP sheet steels in industrial manufacturing.

Comparative research on the formability of several ultra-high-strength steels

Three kinds of ultra-high-strength steels are subjected to uniaxial tensile,forming limit,and hole expansion tests to characterize their material forming properties.Results show that the elongation of S1500 reaches 12.9%and is higher than that of MS1500 with the same strength grade but is lower than that of QP980.The forming limit of S1500 steel is higher than that of MS1500 but lower than that of QP980.The instantaneous n-value of the material changes with the volume fraction of retained austenite.The hole expansion ratios of S1500,MS1500,and QP980 steels are 31.3%,32.2%,and 28.3%,respectively.The hole expansion ratio of QP steel increases slightly with the increase in strength grade.This behavior is contrary to the change trend of elongation and forming limit.Among the three kinds of materials,QP980 steel has the best global formability,and S1500 steel has better global formability than martensitic steel with a similar strength grade.The local formability of the materials improves slightly with the decrease in the amount of retained austenite.MS1500 may have the best local formability in accordance with engineering practice.

Development of high elongation steels by quenching and partitioning process

Based upon the composition of C-Si-Mn,four types of transformation induced plasticity（ TRIP） steels with different contents of Si and M n were designed,which are subjected to quenching and partitioning（ Q＆P）processes with variable austenitizing temperatures. The as-treated steels exhibits good combination of high strength and substantial elongation. In particular,with austenitizing at 820 ℃,0. 18C-1. 8Si-2. 2M n（ %） steel and0. 18C-1. 8Si-2. 5M n（ %） steel possessed high elongation（ more than 20%） with the tensile strength over 1000 M Pa. The microstructures of the as-treated steels were obtained by scanning electron microscope,the volume fraction and carbon content of retained austenite has been quantified by X-ray diffraction. The designed Q＆P processed steels contained a multiphase microstructure including ferrite,lath martensite,and retained austenite. The volume fraction and carbon content of those steels were higher,which was treated by Q＆P processes with austenitizing at 820 ℃. Due to the TRIP effect during the deformation process,retained austenite gives better stability as well as effectively improves the formability of steels with slightly decreasing the strength,contributing to overall better performance.

Effect of Cooling Method on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Hot-Rolled C-Si-Mn TRIP Steel

The controlled cooling technology following hot rolling process is a vital factor that affects the final micro- structure and mechanical properties of the hot-rolled transformation induced plasticity （TRIP） steels. In the present study, low alloy C-Si-Mn TRIP steel was successfully fabricated by hot rolling process with a 4450 hot roiling mill. To maximize the volume fraction and stability of retained austenite of the steel, two different cooling methods （aircooling and ultra-fast cooling ＂AC-UFC＂ and ultrmfast cooling, air cooling and ultra-fast cooling ＂UFC-AC-UFC＂） were conducted. The effects of the cooling method on the microstructure of hot-rolled TRIP steel were investigated via optical microscope, transmission electron microscope and conversion electron Mossbauer spectroscope. The mechanical properties of the steel were also evaluated by conventional tensile test. The results indicated that ferrite and bainite in the microstructure were refined with the cooling method of UFC-AC-UFC. The morphology of retained austenite was also changed from small islands distributing in bainite district （obtained with AC-UFC） to granular shape locating at the triple junction of the ferrite grain boundaries （obtained with UFC-AC-UFC）. As a result, the TRIP steel with a content of retained austenite of 11. 52%, total elongation of 32% and product of tensile strength and total elongation of 27 552 MPa·% was obtained.

Effect of Controlled Cooling After Hot Rolling on Mechanical Properties of Hot Rolled TRIP Steel

A three-step cooling pattern on the runout table（ROT）was conducted for the hot rolled TRIP steel.Microstructural evolution during thermomechanical controlled processing（TMCP）was investigated.Processing condition of controlled cooling on a ROT in the laboratory rolling mill was discussed.The results indicated that the microstructure containing polygonal ferrite,granular bainite and a significant amount of the stable retained austenite can be obtained through three-step cooling on the ROT after hot rolling.TMCP led to ferrite grain refinement.Controlled cooling after hot rolling resulted in the stability of the remaining austenite and a satisfactory TRIP effect.Excellent mechanical properties were obtained through TMCP for the hot rolled TRIP steel.

Cu-assisted austenite reversion and enhanced TRIP effect in maraging stainless steels

Control of the formation and stability of reverted austenite is critical in achieving a favorable combination of strength,ductility,and toughness in high-strength steels.In this work,the effects of Cu precipitation on the austenite reversion and mechanical properties of maraging stainless steels were investigated by atom probe tomography,transmission electron microscopy,and mechanical tests.Our results indicate that Cu accelerates the austenite reversion kinetics in two manners:first,Cu,as an austenite stabilizer,increases the equilibrium austenite fraction and hence enhances the chemical driving force for the austenite formation,and second,Cu-rich nanoprecipitates promote the austenite reversion by serving as heterogeneous nucleation sites and providing Ni-enriched chemical conditions through interfacial segregation.In addition,the Cu precipitation hardening compensates the strength drop induced by the formation of soft reverted austenite.During tensile deformation,the metastable reverted austenite transforms to martensite,which substantially improves the ductility and toughness through a transformation-induced plasticity(TRIP)effect.The Cu-added maraging stainless steel exhibits a superior combination of a yield strength of~1.3 GPa,an elongation of~15%,and an impact toughness of~58 J.

Effects of Mn and Cr contents on microstructures and mechanical properties of low temperature bainitic steel

The effects of Mn and Cr contents on bainitic transformation kinetics,microstructures and mechanical properties of high-carbon low alloy steels after austempered at 230,300 and 350 ℃ were determined by dilatometry,optical microscopy,scanning electron microscopy,X-ray diffraction and tensile tests. The results showed that Mn and Cr can extend bainitic incubation period and completion time,and with the increase of Mn and Cr content,the bainitic ferrite plate thickness decreased and the volume fraction of retained austenite increased. TRIP（ transformation induced plasticity） effect was observed during tensile testing which improved the overall mechanical property. The increase of Mn concentration can improve the strength to a certain extent,but reduce the ductility. The increase of Cr concentration can improve the ductility of bainitic steels which transformed at a low temperature. The low temperature bainitic steel austempered at 230 ℃ exhibited excellent mechanical properties with ultimate tensile strength of（ 2146 ± 11） MPa and total elongation of（ 12. 95 ± 0. 15） %.

Influences of Thermal Martensites and Grain Orientations on Strain-induced Martensites in High Manganese TRIP/TWIP Steels

Strain-induced martensites in high manganese TRIP/TWIP steels were investigated in the presence of thermal martensites and under the influence of austenitic grain orientation by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and electron backscattered diffraction （EBSD）. Before deformation, the morphology of α＇- M depended mainly on the number of variants and growing period. Regardless of martensite morphologies and deformation, the Kurdjumov-Sachs （K-S） orientation relationships always maintained. The 6 α＇-M variants formed from a plate of ε-M were of 3 pairs of twins with a common axis 〈110〉α＇ parallel to the normal of {112}γ habit plane to minimize transformation strain. When α＇-M could be formed only by deformation, it nucleated at the intersection of ε-M variants and grew mainly in thick ε-M plates. Thick ε plates promoted significantly the α＇-M and weakened the influence of grain orientations. During tension, the transformation in 〈100〉-oriented grains was observed to be slower than that in 〈121〉-oriented grains. Deformation twins promoted ε-M formation slightly and had no apparent effect on α＇-M. Deformation increased the number of ε-M variants, but reduced that of α＇-M variants.

INVESTIGATION OF THE MEAN-FLOW SCALING AND TRIPPING EFFECT ON FULLY DEVELOPED TURBULENT PIPE FLOW

Fully developed turbulence measurements in pipe flow were made in theReynolds number range from 10 X 10~3 to 350 X 10~3 with hot-wire anemometer and a Pilot tube.Comparisons were made with the experimental results of previous researchers. The mean velocityprofile and the turbulent intensity in the experiments indicate that for the mean velocity profile,in the fully developed turbulent pipe flow, von Karman's constant κ is a function of the Reynoldsnumber, i. e. κ increases slowly with the Reynolds number. For turbulent pipe flow, the outer limitdepends on whether the Kdrmdn number R^+ is greater or less than 850 in the centerline velocityprofile: a log law exists for 850 < R^+< 1750 in the experiment, and von Karman' s constant κ isshown to be 0. 408. Under the effects of the test trip at the inlet, fully developed turbulence wasobtained in pipe flow at lower Reynolds number when the entrance length (x/D) was larger than 40. Inthe experiment it was also found that turbulence quantities in pipe flow remain independent of theupstream conditions when the trip blockage ratio is higher than 20%, and the comparison with channelwater flow was also performed.

In-situ microstructural investigations of the TRIP-to-TWIP evolution in Ti-Mo-Zr alloys as a function of Zr concentration

Aiming at overcoming the strength-ductility trade-off in structural Ti-alloys,a new family of TRIP/TWIP Ti-alloys was developed in the past decade(TWIP:twinning-induced plasticity;TRIP:transformationinduced plasticity).Herein,we study the tunable nature of deformation mechanisms with various TWIP and TRIP contributions by fine adjustment of the Zr content on ternary Ti-12 Mo-xZr(x=3,6,10)alloys.The microstructure and deformation mechanisms of the Ti-Mo-Zr alloys are explored by using in-situ electron backscatter diffraction(EBSD)and transmission electron microscopy(TEM).The results show that a transition of the dominant deformation mode occurred,going from TRIP to TWIP major mechanism with increasing Zr content.In the Ti-12 Mo-3 Zr alloy,the stress-induced martensitic transformation(SIM)is the major deformation mode which accommodates the plastic flow.Regarding the Ti-12 Mo-6 Zr alloy,the combined deformation twinning(DT)and SIM modes both contribute to the overall plasticity with enhanced strain-hardening rate and subsequent large uniform ductility.Further increase of the Zr content in Ti-12 Mo-10 Zr alloy leads to an improved yield stress involving single DT mode as a dominant deformation mechanism throughout the plastic regime.In the present work,a set of comprehensive in-situ and ex-situ microstructural investigations clarify the evolution of deformation microstructures during tensile loading and unloading processes.

形貌优化提高富TRIP效应中锰钢的抗氢脆性能

相变诱发塑性(TRIP)效应通常可显著提高中锰钢的加工硬化能力,从而获得出色的强度和塑性组合.然而,变形过程中生成的新鲜马氏体极易发生氢脆,是新型高强中锰钢开发的瓶颈问题.我们在此提出了一种长带状形貌来减轻新鲜马氏体引起的氢脆.温轧制备的长带状中锰钢相比传统临界退火制备的等轴晶形貌中锰钢,不仅具有同等的高加工硬化率,而且抗氢脆性能更好.等轴晶形貌中锰钢由于缺乏有效的阻碍机制,氢裂纹一旦出现便能快速扩展.相反,对于长带状形貌中锰钢,氢裂纹会被晶界和相界所阻碍或偏转.本形貌设计可以提高其他富TRIP效应的钢和合金的抗氢脆性能.

Effect of Thermomechanical Control Processing on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Fe-0.2C-1.44Si-1.32Mn Hot Rolled TRIP Steel

The effect of thermomechanical control processing（TMCP）on microstructure and mechanical properties of Fe-0.2C-1.44Si-1.32Mn hot rolled TRIP steel was investigated through experiments.Strain-induced transformation and transformation-induced plasticity behavior of retained austenite were analyzed.The results show that with multipass deformation,reduction per pass of more than critical deformation in austenite recrystallization region and total reduction of more than 58% in non-recrystallization region and high temperature section of two-phase region,austenite can be refined before γ→α transformation.It is beneficial to obtain refined ferrite grain in final microstructure.To obtain fine and uniform microstructure and excellent strength-ductility balance,a three-stage cooling process（laminar cooling-air cooling-ultra-fast cooling）after hot rolling was conducted.The ultimate tensile strength and elongation of the investigated steel can reach 663 MPa and 41%,respectively.

Dual nanoprecipitation and nanoscale chemical heterogeneity in a secondary hardening steel for ultrahigh strength and large uniform elongation

Nanoprecipitates and nanoscale retained austenite(RA)with suitable stability play crucial roles in deter-mining the yield strength(YS)and ductility of ultrahigh strength steels(UHSSs).However,owing to the kinetics incompatibility between nanoprecipitation and austenite reversion,it is highly challenging to si-multaneously introduce high-density nanoprecipitates and optimized RA in UHSSs.In this work,through the combination of austenite reversion treatment(ART)and subsequent flash austenitizing(FA),nanoscale chemical heterogeneity was successfully introduced into a low-cost UHSS prior to the aging process.This chemical heterogeneity involved the enrichment of Mn and Ni in the austenite phase.The resulting UHSS exhibited dual-nanoprecipitation of Ni(Al,Mn)and(Mo,Cr)_(2)C and nanoscale austenite stabilized via Mn and Ni enrichment.The hard martensitic matrix strengthened by high-density dual-nanoprecipitates con-strains the plastic deformation of soft RA with a relatively low fraction of-15%,and the presence of relatively stable nanoscale RA with adequate Mn and Ni enrichment leads to a marginal loss in YS but keeps a persistent transformation-induced plasticity(TRIP)effect.As a result,the newly-developed UHSS exhibits an ultrahigh YS of-1.7 GPa,an ultimate tensile strength(UTS)of-1.8 GPa,a large uniform elongation(UE)of-8.5%,and a total elongation(TE)of-13%.The strategy of presetting chemical heterogeneity to introduce proper metastable phases before aging can be extended to other UHSSs and precipitation-hardened alloys.

Role of retained austenite in advanced high-strength steel:ductility and toughness

Enhancing the ductility and toughness of advanced high-strength steels is essential for the wide range of promising applications.The retained austenite(RA)is a key phase due to the austenite-to-martensite transformation and its transformation-induced plasticity effect.It is commonly accepted that slow RA-to-martensite transformation is beneficial to ductility;therefore,the RA fraction and stability should be carefully controlled.The RA stability is related to its morphology,size,carbon content,neighboring phase and orientation.Importantly,these factors are cross-influenced.It is noteworthy that the influence of RA on ductility and fracture toughness is not consistent because of their difference in stress state.There is no clear relationship between fracture toughness and tensile properties.Thus,it is important to understand the role of RA in toughness.The toughness is enhanced during the RA-to-martensite transformation,while the fracture toughness is decreased due to the formation of fresh and brittle martensite.As a result,the findings regarding to the effect of RA on fracture toughness are conflicting.Further investigations should be conducted in order to fully understand the effects of RA on ductility and fracture toughness,which can optimize the combination of ductility and toughness in AHSSs.

Work Hardening Behavior and Stability of Retained Austenite for Quenched and Partitioned Steels

Both microstrueture and mechanical properties of low alloy steels treated by quenching and partitioning （Q＆P） process were examined. The mixed microstructure of martensite and large-fractioned retained austenite （about 27.3%） was characterized and analyzed, excellent combinations of total elongation of 19% and tensile strength of 1 835 MPa were obtained, and three-stage work hardening behavior was demonstrated during tensile test. The en hanced mechanical properties and work hardening behavior were explained based on the transformation induced plas ticity effect of large fractioned austenite.

The microstructure evolution and tensile properties of medium-Mn steel heat-treated by a two-step annealing process

The martensitic hot-rolled 0.3 C-6 Mn-1.5 Si(wt%)steel was annealed at 630℃for 24 h to improve its cold rollability,followed by cold rolling and annealing at 670℃for 10 min.The annealing process was designed based on the capacities of industrial batch annealing and continuous annealing lines.A duplex submicron austenite and ferrite microstructure and excellent tensile properties were obtained finally,proved the above process is feasible."Austenite memory"was found in the hot-rolled and annealed sample which restricted recrystallization of lath martensite,leading to lath-shaped morphology of austenite and ferrite grains."Austenite memory"disappeared in the cold-rolled and annealed sample due to austenite random nucleation and ferrite recrystallization,resulting in globular microstructure and refinement of both austenite and ferrite grains.The austenite to martensite transformation contributed most of strain hardening during deformation and improved the uniform elongation,but the dislocation strengthening played a decisive role on the yielding behavior.The tensile curves change from continuous to discontinuous yielding as the increase of cold-rolled reduction due to the weakening dislocation strengthening of austenite and ferrite grains related to the morphology change and grain refinement.A method by controlling the cold-rolled reduction is proposed to avoid the Lüders strain.

Fatigue of 0.55C-1.72Si Steel with Tempered Martensitic and Carbide-Free Bainitic Microstructures

High-Si spring steel was heat treated in three different ways： Quenching and tempering at 460 ℃ to obtain a tempered martensite microstructure, and austempering at 300 and 350 ℃, respectively, to obtain two different carbide-free bainitic microstructures. In the steel austempered at 350 ℃, both the bainite lath thickness and retained austenite content were higher than those of the steel austempered at 300 ℃. Rotating-bending fatigue tests were done in order to evaluate the effect of each heat treatment on the high-cycle fatigue behavior of the steel. When the austempering temperature was 300 ℃, the endurance limit was increased by 25% despite a 5% reduction in tensile strength when compared with that of the quenched and tempered steel. The relationship between endurance limit [Rfat （50~）] and ultimate tensile strength （Rm） was higher for the austempered samples in comparison with that of the quenched and tempered material. Therefore, it is believed that the presence of retained austenite affects the relationship between endurance limit and tensile strength.

Effect of volume fraction and mechanical stability of austenite on ductility of medium Mn steel

A hot-rolled medium Mn(0.2C5Mn)steel is annealed at 650℃ to produce an ultrafine-grained duplex microstructure with different austenite volume fractions by austenite reverted transformation(ART)annealing,and the orientation relationship strictly obeys K-S orientation relationship before deformation.Tensile tests are carried out in a temperature range from-196 to 400℃ to examine the effects of the austenite volume fraction and the deformation temperature on the tensile properties and the austenite stability.Microstructural observations reveal that the metastable austenite gradually transformed into a-martensite,which is controlled by the deformation strain,the temperature and the austenite volume fraction.Both strain hardening behavior and ductility of the studied steel are dependent on austenite volume fraction and deformation temperature significantly.The stress-strain curves of ART-annealed 0.2C5Mn steel assume an S shape and a very large work hardening rate of about 10 GPa is obtained at liquid nitrogen deformation temperature.Based on the experimental data,a quantitative relation is proposed to describe the ductility dependence on both the austenite volume fraction and its mechanical stability.