In situ observations of austenite grain growth in Fe-C-Mn-Si super bainitic steel

In situ observations of austenite grain growth in Fe-C-Mn-Si super bainitic steel were conducted on a high-temperature laser scanning confocal microscope during continuous heating and subsequent isothermal holding at 850, 1000, and 1100℃ for 30 min. A grain growth model was proposed based on experimental results. It is indicated that the austenite grain size increases with austenitizing temperature and holding time. When the austenitizing temperature is above 1100℃, the austenite grains grow rapidly, and abnormal austenite grains occur. In addition, the effect of heating rate on austenite grain growth was investigated, and the relation between austenite grains and bainite morphology after bainitic transformations was also discussed.

Development of and Perspective on High-Performance Nanostructured Bainitic Bearing Steel

Bearings are the most important component of nearly all mechanical equipment, as they guarantee the steady running of the equipment, which is especially important for high-end equipment such as highspeed trains and shield tunneling machines. Requirements regarding the quality of bearings are increasing with the rapid development in technology. A country’s bearings manufacturing level directly reflects the level of that country’s steel metallurgy and machinery manufacturing. The performance of the bearing steel is the critical factor that determines the quality of a bearing. The development of new bearing steel with higher performance is the ambition of material researchers and the expectation of the manufacturing industry. Many famous bearing manufacturing enterprises are competing to develop the new generation of bearing steel. Nanostructured bainitic bearing steel (NBBS), which is a newly developed bearing steel, not only possesses high strength and toughness, but also exhibits excellent wear resistance and rolling contact fatigue (RCF) resistance. In recent years, relevant achievements in NBBS in China have led to significant progress in this field. NBBS was first used in China to manufacture large bearings for wind turbines and heavy-duty bearings, with excellent performance. As a result, NBBS and its corresponding heat-treatment process have been included in the national and industry standards for the first time. The bearing industry considers the exploitation of NBBS to be epoch-making, and has termed this kind of bearing as the second generation of bainitic bearing. In this paper, the development of NBBS is reviewed in detail, including its advantages and disadvantages. Further research directions for NBBS are also proposed.

Refinement of packet size in low carbon bainitic steel by special thermo-mechanical control process

The packet size of bainitic steel can be refined by a specialrelaxation-precipitation-control phase transformation (RFC) technology. When processed by RPCprocess, the low carbon bainitic steel composes of two kinds of main intermediate transformationphases. One is ultra-fine lath-like bainitic ferrite and the lath is less than 1μm in width andabout 6 μm in length; the alignment of laths forms a refined packet, and the size of packets isabout 5-7 μm in length and about 3-4μm in width. The other is acicular structure. The morphologyand distribution of these acicular structures are influenced by relaxation process, the thin andshort acicular structures cut the prior austenite grain and refine the bainitic packet size. For theoptimum relaxation time, the packet size can be refined to the finest. The mechanical propertiesare influenced by relaxation time and the 800 MPa grade low carbon bainitic steel with excellenttoughness can be obtained by RPC process.

In situ measured growth rates of bainite plates in an Fe-C-Mn-Si superbainitic steel

The growth rates of bainite plates in an Fe-C-Mn-Si superbainitie steel were investigated by in situ observation. The lengthening rates of ferrite bainite during both cooling and isothermal holding processes were observed and the growth rates of bainite plates nucleating at grain boundaries, within grains and on preformed bainite were measured. It is indicated that the lengthening rates of bainite plates during the cooling and isothermal processes were different, and that the growth rates of bainite plates nucleating at different types of sites also demon- strated diversity. The bainite plates initiating at [vain boundaries during cooling grew the fastest, while the plates nucleating on preformed bainite did the slowest. However, the growth rate of the bainite plates nucleating at grain boundaries during isothermal transformation de- creased the most, whereas the bainite plates initiating within grains grew the fastest. In addition, the growth rate of ferrite bainite in the study supported the diffusion transformation mechanism of bainite from the viewooint of ~rowth rate.

Recent Development of Air-Cooled Bainitic Steels Containing Manganese

The superiorities of air-cooled bainitic steels were described. A series of air-cooled bainitic steels containing manganese were developed and presented, which include low carbon granular bainitic steels, low carbon grain-boundary allotriomorphic ferrite/granular bainite dual phase steels, medium and medium high carbon bainite/martensite dual phase steel, low carbon carbide free bainite/martensite dual phase steels and casting bainitic steels. The development of ultra-low carbon bainitic steels in China was also introduced.

Influence of isothermal bainitic processing on the mechanical properties and microstructure characterization of TRIP steel

The mechanical properties of transformation induced plasticity （TRIP） steel are strongly affected by the conditions of iso-thermal bainitic processing. The multiphase microstructure of TRIP steel under different conditions of isothermal bainitic processing was investigated using OM,SEM,XRD and TEM. The volume fraction of retained austenite and the carbon content in austenite were determined quantitatively using X-ray diffraction patterns. The relationship between mechanical properties and isothermal bainitic processing parameters was investigated. The stability of retained austenite was analyzed by the volume fraction of retained austenite and the carbon content in retained austenite. The experimental results show that the multiphase microstructure consists of ferrite,bainite and metastable retained austenite.To obtain good mechanical properties,the optimal conditions of isothermal bainitic temperature and holding time are 410-430°C and 180-240 s,respectively. After isothermal bainitic processing under the optimal conditions,the corresponding volume fraction of retained austenite is 5vol%-15vol%,which can provide enough retained austenite and plastic stability for austenite with high carbon content.

Structure Character of M-A Constituent in CGHAZ of New Ultra-Low Carbon Bainitic Steel under Laser Welding Conditions

800 MPa grade new ultra-low carbon bainitic （NULCB） steel is the recently developed new generation steel. The microstructure in the coarse-grained heat affected zone （CGHAZ） of NULCB steel under laser welding conditions was investigated by thermal simulation. The influence of the cooling time from 800℃ to 500℃.t8/5 （0.3-30 s）, on the microstructure of the CGHAZ was discussed. The experimental results indicate that the microstructnre of the CGHAZ is only the granular bainite which consists of bainitic ferrite （BF） lath and M-A constituent while t8/5 is 0.3-30 s. The M-A constituent consists of twinned martensite and residual austenite, and the change of the volume fraction of the residual austenite in the M-A constituent is very small when t8/5 is between 0.3 and 30 s. The morphology of the M-A constituent obviously changes with the variation of t8/5.As t8/5 increases, tile average width, gross and shape parameter of the M-A constituent increase, while the line density of the M-A constituent decreases.

A study on controlled cooling process for making bainitic ductile iron

In the present research, TTT curve of bainitic ductile iron under the condition of controlled cooling was generated. The cooling rate of grinding ball and its temperature distribution were also measured at the same time. It can be concluded that the bainitic zone of TTT curve is separated from the pearlitic zone. As compared to the water-quenching condition, more even cooling rate and temperature distribution can be achieved in the controlled cooling process. The controlled cooling can keep away from pearlitic zone in the high temperature cooling stage and produce similar results to the process of traditional isothermal cooling with a low cooling rate in the low temperature cooling stage.

Mechanical properties and wear resistance of ultrafine bainitic steel under low austempering temperature

The mechanical properties and wear resistance of the ultrafine bainitic steel austempered at various temperatures were investigated.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and X-ray diffraction were used to analyze the microstructure.The worn surfaces were observed via laser scanning confocal microscopy and SEM.Results indicated that,under low austempering temperatures,the mechanical properties differed,and the wear resistance remained basically unchanged.The tensile strength of the samples was above 1800 MPa,but only one sample austempered at 230°C had an elongation of more than 10%.The weight loss of samples was approximately linear with the cycles of wear and nonlinear with the loads.The samples showed little difference in wear resistance at different isothermal temperatures,whereas the thickness of their deformed layers varied greatly.The results are related to the initial hardness of the sample and the stability of the retained austenite.Meanwhile,the experimental results showed that the effect of austempering temperature on the wear resistance of ultrafine bainitic steel can be neglected under low applied loads and low austempering temperature.

In situ observation of the effect of Al N particles on bainitic transformation in a carbide-free medium carbon steel

The bainitic transformation of the steels with different mass fractions of N, ~0.002% and 0.021%, was observed in situ by using high-temperature metalloscope. Micrometer-and nanometer-sized aluminum nitride(AlN) particles were found in the steel with 0.021% N.Grain boundaries, the interior of the grains, and Al N particles were used as initial nucleation sites of bainitic ferrite, and bainitic ferrite subunits served as new nucleation sites to induce secondary nucleation. The lengthening rate of bainitic ferrite varied at different nucleation sites, which was controlled by the repeated nucleation and growth of bainitic subunits. The Al N particles not only provided several nucleation sites, but also increased the autocatalytic effect on the transformation, further shortening the incubation period, promoting the bainitic transformation, and refining the bainitic microstructure.

THEORY OF BAINITIC TRANSFORMATION: A MODEL WITH COUPLED FIRST-ORDER PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS

The Ginzbury-Landau theory for bainitic transformation was devised, which contains two first-order phase transformations, one being reconstructive represented by the diffusional proeutectoidal precipitation of ferrite, and the other the displacive transformation. It provides a coupled mechanism for the formation of bainite. With the numerical simulation results, a diffusion-induced nucleation and a diffusion-accompanied growth of displacive transformation were suggested. This theory can be helpful to over- throw the thermodynamic difficulty of displacive transformation above the Ms temperature, and also helpful to understand the Bs temperature, the partial supersaturation, the single variation of bainitic carbides, and the incomplete-reaction phenomenon of bainitic transformation, etc..

Effects of Mn on Microstructures and Properties of Hot Rolled Low Carbon Bainitic Steels

Two kinds of Mn-Si-Mo low carbon steels were designed to study the effects of Mn on the microstructures and properties of hot rolled low carbon bainitic steels.To reduce the production cost,a very low Mo content of 0.13%was added in both steels.After hot rolling,the mechanical properties of samples were tested.Microstructure was observed and analyzed by optical microscope and transmission electron microscope.The results show that the strength of tested steels increases with the increase in Mn content,while the elongation decreases.When Mn content increases,the bainite microstructure increases.The results can provide a theoretical basis for composition design and industrial production of low cost low carbon bainitic steels.

Pre-bainitic Transformation in Fe-Ni Alloy

The behaviour of the pre bainitic transformation in Fe Ni alloy was investigated by using SAM, X ray diffraction and TEM. The results show that there is segregation of Ni atoms in austenite and that bainite forms in depleted regions of Ni atoms.

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.

Impact Toughness Scattering of Bainitic Steel in the Ductile-brittle Transition Temperature Region

The impact toughness scattering in the ductile-brittle transition temperature （DBTT） region was experimentally examined on mixed and homogeneous grains of low alloy high strength bainitic steel under dynamic loading conditions. The results revealed that the mixed grain microstructure had larger impact toughness scattering than the homogeneous one, and the impact toughness scattering was mainly caused by the scattering in the cleavage fractttre stress σf. The value of σf. is related to the size of the microcrack formed in the bainitic packet. When a bainitic packet-sized microcrack propagates from one bainitic packet into the adjacent packet, cleavage fracture occurs. The cleavage fracture is controlled by the few coarse packets in the microstructures, and the σf scattering is influenced by the varied distances/relative locations between these coarse packets, and homogenizing the distribution of fine bainitic packet sizes is an effective way to reduce the impact toughness scattering in the DBTT region.

THERMODYNAMICS OF BAINITIC TRANSFORMATION IN Cu-24 at.-% Al ALLOY

Two driving forces △G^((β_1)+α')and △G^(β_1→β_2+α)for the bainitic transformation have been calcu- lated for Cu-24 at.-% Al alloy.Results reveal △G^(β_1→α')>0 within the transformation tem- perature range 600—750 K.Therefore,the bainitic transformation cannot be initiated by the β_1→α' shearing mechanism.On the other hand,the driving force △G^(β_1→β_2+α)to produce 5% of the α becomes negative only when the composition of the α satisfies x_(Al)~α≤0.204 at 700 K or x_(Al)~α=0.209 at 750 K.So the bainitic transformation can only proceed by β_1→β_2+α diffusional reaction with different diffusion amount at different temperatures.

A MODEL FOR BAINITIC TRANSFORMATION KINETICS WITH PARABOLIC NUCLEATION RATE

Based on the assumptions of parabolic variation of nucleation rate versus time and transformation kinetics depending mainly on nucleation rate, a different model for bainitic transformation kinetics in hypoeutectoid steels was established. And this model was proved to be effective in the description of bainitic transformation by comparison with the result of conventional Avrami equation.

Effect of Nb on the Microstructure and Properties of Cold Rolled and Annealed Mo Microalloyed Bainitic Steel

Two kinds of low carbon bainitic steels,Nb-free Mo bearing and Nb + Mo addition steels,were cold rolled and annealed to investigate the effect of micro-alloying element Nb on the microstructure and properties of Mo microalloyed low carbon high strength bainitic steel. No precipitates were observed in Nb-free Mo bearing steel,whereas,two types of precipitates,i.e.,Nb( C,N) and composite( Nb,Mo)( C,N),were observed in the Nb + Mo microalloyed steel,resulting in precipitation strengthening. The strength of Mo bearing steel was improved by addition of Nb under the same annealing conditions. The grain size of Nb addition steel was almost the same as Nb-free steel. Unlike the obvious grain refinement and precipitation strengthening in hot rolling,the increase in yield strength of Nb addition steels in cold rolling and annealing mainly results from the precipitation strengthening,while the effect of grain refinement strengthening can be almost ignored.

Relationship between Relaxation Internal Friction Peak at about 200℃(f≈1Hz)and Bainitic Transformation In a CuZnAl Alloy

The present investigation showed that the re- laxation peak at about 200℃ (f≈1Hz) was related to bainitic transformation in a CuZnAl alloy.The peak decreased when bainite precipitated.The activation energy of the peak was the same as the apparent activation energy of bainitic transforma- tion.According to the relations between the peak and the bainitic transformation,the mechanism of the peak has been discussed.