Kinetics of Precipitation Behavior of Second Phase Particles in Ferritic Ti-Mo Microalloyed Steel

Two types of stress relaxation tests were carried out to investigate the incubation time for incipient precipi-tation of Ti（C,N） in deformed austenite and （Ti,Mo）C in ferrite of ferritic Ti-Mo microalloyed steel The size dis-tribution, amount and chemical composition of precipitates were obtained by using physicochemical phase analysis, and calculated according to thermodynamics and kinetics. The experimental results demonstrated that the incubation time was reduced with increasing Ti content, and prolonged with the addition of Mo. After 30 % deformation at 850 ℃, the nucleation of strain-induced Ti（C,N） was a relatively slow process. On the other hand, the temperature where the nucleation rate of （Ti, Mo）C in ferrite was the highest descended first and then ascended with increasing Ti content, and so did the temperature where the incubation time was the shortest. The key point is that the tempera-ture of steel containing about 0.09 % Ti is the lowest. The mass fraction of MC-type particles with size smaller than 10 nm in steel containing 0.09% Ti and 0.2% Mo reached 73.7%. The size distributions of precipitates in steel containing 0.09% Ti were relatively concentrated compared with that in steel containing 0.07% Ti.

晶粒形态对Ti-Mo钢耐蚀性能的影响

采用周期浸润腐蚀实验机、光学显微镜(OM)、扫描电镜(SEM)和电子背散射衍射(EBSD)技术等研究了晶粒形态对Ti-Mo微合金钢耐蚀性能的影响规律。结果表明:Ti-Mo微合金钢经600~750℃等温热处理后的显微组织为单相铁素体,耐蚀性能受晶粒尺寸、大角度晶界比例、再结晶程度的影响;晶界和变形组织作为阳极,晶粒作为阴极,不均匀的电化学腐蚀使实验钢的腐蚀电流升高,促进了电偶腐蚀的发生,这是影响Ti-Mo微合金钢腐蚀行为的主要机制;在不损害力学性能的前提下,可通过采取适当增大晶粒尺寸、降低大角度晶界比例、提高再结晶程度的措施,提高Ti-Mo钢的耐蚀性能;在本实验条件下,当等温温度为600℃时,Ti-Mo钢的晶粒尺寸为9.66μm、大角度晶界比例为80.3%、平均错配角为1.99°、腐蚀质量损失率为1.98 g/(m^(2)·h),其耐蚀性能较高。

Kinetics of austenite growth and bainite transformation during reheating and cooling treatments of high strength microalloyed steel produced by sub-rapid solidification

First,strip cast samples of high strength microalloyed steel with sub-rapid solidification characteristics were prepared by simulated strip casting technique.Next,the isothermal growth of austenite grain during the reheating treatment of strip casts was observed in situ through confocal laser scanning microscope(CLSM).The results indicated that the time exponent of grains growth suddenly rise when the isothermal temperature higher than 1000℃.And the activation energy for austenite grain growth were calculated to be 538.0 kJ/mol in the high temperature region(above 1000℃)and 693.2 kJ/mol in the low temperature region(below 1000℃),respectively.Then,the kinetics model of austenite isothermal growth was established,which can predict the austenite grain size during isothermal hold very well.Besides,high density of second phase particles with small size was found during the isothermal hold at the low temperature region,leading to the refinement of austenite grain.After isothermal hold at different temperature for 1800 s,the bainite transformation in microalloyed steel strip was also observed in situ during the continuous cooling process.And growth rates of bainite plates with different nucleation positions and different prior austenite grain size(PAGS)were calculated.It was indicated that the growth rate of the bainite plate is not only related to the nucleation position but also to the PAGS.

等温温度对Ti-Mo微合金高强双相钢相变及组织性能的影响

采用热模拟实验、光学显微镜、显微硬度仪和透射电镜等研究了等温温度对Ti-Mo微合金高强双相钢相变、组织及性能的影响。结果表明:当等温温度在750~725℃时,实验钢组织主要为马氏体+少量贝氏体或铁素体,随着等温温度降低(≤700℃),铁素体含量增多,排碳行为增加了过冷奥氏体的稳定性,抑制了中低温区贝氏体相变,在随后的冷却阶段,过冷奥氏体更倾向转变为马氏体。铁素体与马氏体的显微硬度均随等温温度降低而增加,但进一步降低温度,马氏体硬度基本保持稳定(361 HV0.1);650℃时铁素体显微硬度最高(242 HV0.1),这主要是由于铁素体内部产生了大量细小的相间析出,同时析出强化作用减小了铁素体与马氏体的硬度差异,降低了双相钢强度对马氏体体积分数的依赖性,等温温度较高时,相间析出形成被抑制。

Friction and wear behavior and mechanism of low carbon microalloyed steel containing Nb

Dry sliding friction and wear test of Nb containing low carbon microalloyed steel was carried out at room temperature,and the effect of Nb on the wear behavior of the steel,as welll as the mechanism was studied.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometry(EDS) were employed to analyze the morphology and composition of the worn surface,and the structure evolution of the plastic deformation layer.The carbide content and type in the steel were analyzed by the electrolytic extraction device and X-ray diffraction(XRD).The experimental results demonstrate that the addition of 0.2% Nb can refine the grain and generate Nb C to improve the wear resistance of the steel.By enhancing the load and speed of wear experiment,the wear mechanism of the test steel with 0.2% Nb changes from slight oxidation wear to severe adhesion wear and oxidation wear.Compared with the load,the increase in the rotation speed exerts a greater influence on the wear of the test steel.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of an Nb-microalloyed EH47 steel

The loading capacity of ultralarge container ships has reached 24000 TEUs so far,and to ensure the safe operation of these ships,the maxmium thickness of crack arrest steel used in the upper deck areas reaches 100 mm,and crack arrest toughness(K_(ca))needs to be>8000 N/mm^(3)/2.The EH47 steel was employed to study the effect of Nb on the phase transformation of supercooled austenite in the continuous cooling process after rolling and the effect of Nb on microstructure and mechanical properties of the crack arrest steel plate.It was found that the addition of 0.02%Nb can inhibit the ferrite transformation,improve the steel plate strength,and reduce the strength inhomogeneity in the thickness direction.Industrial production of 100 mm-thick EH47 was carried out based on the function of Nb in EH47 steel,and the test results reveal that high-strength EH47 shipbuilding plates with high toughness,excellent fracture and crack arrest toughness,and good welding properties can be produced using Nb-microalloyed composition design and the thermal mechanical control process(TMCP);furthermore,the value of the crack arrest toughness reached 9450.7 N/mm^(3/2) at-10℃.

Microstructure-mechanical property relationship in Ti-Mo microalloyed steel with random and interphase precipitates

The relationship between microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti-Mo microalloyed steels composed of ferrite and bainite with nanometer-sized carbides and isothermally transformed at different temperatures and time was systematically investigated by tensile test, hardness test, and transmission electron microscopy. Ferrite formed at high temperatures exhibited both planar/curved sheet-like dispersions of interphase precipitates and random dispersion precipitates, with the interphase precipitates being the dominant morphology. In contrast, bainite formed at low temperatures exhibited only random dispersion precipitates. Furthermore, random dispersion precipitates and interphase precipitates were observed within the same ferrite grains. The mechanical properties of the ferrite specimen were superior to those of the bainite specimen. The stress-strain curves of both specimens indicated continuous yielding, high strength, and sufficient tensile elongation. The strengthening of the ferrite specimen was attributed to grain size strengthening, dislocation strengthening, and precipitation hardening, and the degree of precipitation strengthening was approximately 300 MPa.

Development in oxide metallurgy for improving the weldability of high -strength low-alloy steel-Combined deoxidizers and microalloying elements

The mechanisms of oxide metallurgy include inducing the formation of intragranular acicular ferrite(IAF)using micron-sized inclusions and restricting the growth of prior austenite grains(PAGs)by nanosized particles during welding.The chaotically oriented IAF and refined PAGs inhibit crack initiation and propagation in the steel,resulting in high impact toughness.This work summarizes the com-bined effect of deoxidizers and alloying elements,with the aim to provide a new perspective for the research and practice related to im-proving the impact toughness of the heat affected zone(HAZ)during the high heat input welding.Ti complex deoxidation with other strong deoxidants,such as Mg,Ca,Zr,and rare earth metals(REMs),can improve the toughness of the heat-affected zone(HAZ)by re-fining PAGs or increasing IAF contents.However,it is difficult to identify the specific phase responsible for IAF nucleation because ef-fective inclusions formed by complex deoxidation are usually multiphase.Increasing alloying elements,such as C,Si,Al,Nb,or Cr,con-tents can impair HAZ toughness.A high C content typically increases the number of coarse carbides and decreases the potency of IAF formation.Si,Cr,or Al addition leads to the formation of undesirable microstructures.Nb reduces the high-temperature stability of the precipitates.Mo,V,and B can enhance HAZ toughness.Mo-containing precipitates present good thermal stability.VN or V(C,N)is ef-fective in promoting IAF nucleation due to its good coherent crystallographic relationship with ferrite.The formation of the B-depleted zone around the inclusion promotes IAF formation.The interactions between alloying elements are complex,and the effect of adding dif-ferent alloying elements remains to be evaluated.In the future,the interactions between various alloying elements and their effects on ox-ide metallurgy,as well as the calculation of the nucleation effects of effective inclusions using first principles calculations will become the focus of oxide metallurgy.

Ti-Mo铁素体基微合金钢的连续冷却转变行为

利用Gleeble 3800热模拟实验机分别获得了Ti-Mo铁素体基微合金钢在静态和动态经不同速率冷却后的温度-膨胀量曲线,结合金相法绘制了Ti-Mo微合金钢的连续冷却转变(CCT)曲线。结果表明:无论是静态CCT还是动态CCT,随着冷却速率的增大,实验钢的珠光体与铁素体均减少,贝氏体体积分数增加,当冷却速率达到30℃/s时,组织全部为贝氏体。实验钢铁素体相变的开始温度为800℃,压缩变形扩大了珠光体相区使其向左扩张,缩小了贝氏体相区,并降低铁素体转变开始温度。在制定控轧控冷工艺时,为了使实验钢在卷取过程中获得铁素体+粒状贝氏体组织,从而进一步优化强韧性能,建议Ti-Mo铁素体基微合金钢终轧温度应高于800℃,轧后冷却速率应高于30℃/s,并且要在贝氏体相变高温区完成卷取。

MICROSTRUCTURE AND INCLUSION CHARACTERIZATION IN THE SIMULATED COARSE-GRAIN HEAT AFFECTED ZONE WITH LARGE HEAT INPUT OF A Ti-Zr-MICROALLOYED HSLA STEEL

The microstructure and the characteristics of the inclusions embedded in ferrite matrix in simulated coarse-grain heat affected zone (CGHAZ) of a Ti-Zr-treated high strength low alloy (HSLA) steel have been investigated. The microstructure of the simulated CGHAZ dominantly consisted of intragranular acicular ferrite (IAF) combining with a small amount of polygonal ferrite (PF), widmanst tten ferrite (WF), bainite ferrite (BF), pearlite and martensite-austenite (M-A) islands. The PF, WF and BF were generally observed at the prior austenite grain boundaries and the interlocking acicular ferrite was usually found intragranularly. It was found that the inclusions were composed of Ti2O3, ZrO2, Al2O3 locating at the center of the particles and MnS lying on the surface layer of the inclusions. The intragranular complex inclusions promoted the acicular ferrite formation and the refinement of microstructure whilst those at prior austenite grain boundaries caused PF formation on the inclusions. The simulated CGHAZ consisting of such complicated microstructure exhibited desired mechanical properties.

MODELING OF MICROSTRUCTURAL EVOLUTION IN MICROALLOYED STEEL DURING HOT FORGING PROCESS

The microstractural evolution of microalloyed steel during hot forging process was investigated using physical simulation experiments. The dynamic recrystallized fraction was described by modifying Avrami＇s equation, the parameters of which were determined by single hit compression tests. Double hit compression tests were performed to model the equation describing the static recrystallized fraction, and the obtained predicted values were in good agreement with the measured values. Austenitic grain growth was modeled as： Dinc^5 = D0^5 ＋ 1.6 × 10^32t·exp （ -716870/RT ） using isothermal tests. Furthermore, an equation describing the dynamic recrystallized grain size was given as Ddyn=3771·Z^-0.2. The models of microstructural evolution could be applied to the numerical simulation of hot forging.

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.

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.

Kinetics of bainite-to-austenite transformation during continuous reheating in low carbon microalloyed steel

A dilatometer was used to study the kinetics of bainite-to-austenite transformation in low carbon microalloyed steel with the initial microstructure of bainite during the continuous reheating process. The bainite-to-austenite trans- formation was observed to take place in two steps at low heating rate. The first step is the dissolution of bainite, and the second one is the remaining bainite-to-austenite transformation controlled by a dissolution process. The calculation result of the kinetics of austenite formation shows that the two steps occur by diffusion at low heating rate. However, at high heating rate the bainite-to-austenite transformation occurs in a single step, and the process is mainly dominated by shear. The growth rate of austenite reaches the maximum at about 835℃ at different heating rates and the growth rate of austenite as a function of temperature increases with the increase in heating rate.

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.

Behavior of Rare Earthsin UltraLowSulfur Microalloyed Steel

The investigation on the behavior of RE in microalloyed steel containing Nb and Ti indicates RE still have the effect of purifying molten steel and metamorphose inclusions even when the composition of S is pretty low(S<0 003%). The optimum performance of the experimental steels can be obtained when w RE / w O+S is controlled around 3 9. The content of solid solution RE can reach 1×10 -5 ～1×10 -4 order of magnitude in ultra low sulfur steel. The additions of RE can reduce the segregation of S and P at the grain boundary, delay the dynamic recrystallization, refine the grain and second phase particles, and promote the precipitation of (Nb, Ti)(C, N). RE also exhibit the microalloying effect in steel.

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.

Effect of Strain Rate on the Ferrite Grain Refinement in a Low Carbon Nb-Ti Microalloyed Steel during Low Temperature Deformation

Grain refinement is one of the effective methods to develop new generation low carbon microalloyed steels possessing excellent combination of mechanical properties. The microstructural evolution and ferrite grain refinement at the deformation temperature of 865℃, above Ar3, with different strain rates were investigated using single pass isothermal hot compression experiments for a low carbon Nb-Ti microalloyed steel. The physical processes that occurred during deformation were discussed by observing the optical microstructure and analyzing the true stress-true strain responses. At strain rates of 0.001 and 0.01s^-1, there is no evidence of work hardening behavior during hot deformation and strain-induced transformation （SIT） leads to dynamic flow softening in flow curves. Optical microscopy observation shows that ultrafine and equiaxed ferrite with grain sizes of 2μm can be obtained by applying deformation with strain rate of 0.1 s^-1 due to SIT just after deformation. Furthermore, increasing the strain rate from 0.001 to 0.1 s^-1 reduces both the grain size of the equiaxed ferrite and the amount of deformed ferrite.

Isothermal Growth Kinetics of Ultra-fine Austenite Grains in a Nb-V-Ti Microalloyed Steel

Ultra-fine austenite grains with size of i-3 μm were prepared in a Nb-V-Ti steel through repetitive treatment of rapid heating and quenching. A model for the growth kinetics of these ultra-fine austenite grains was successfully created through successive 2 processes, and the activation energy Q for growth was estimated to be about 693.2 kJ/mol, which directly shows the inhibition effect of microalloy elements on the growth of ultra-fine austenite 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.