Edge defect analysis of high-strength corrosion-resistant steel

In this study, a 600 MPa hot-rolled corrosion-resistant steel plate produced by a specific company is investigated. Edge jagged defects and edge surface defects generated on both sides of the strip during production are characterized and analyzed. The results indicate that the distribution of reoxidation granules is located underneath the surface peel and that copper-containing granules diffuse along austenite grain boundaries. This phenomenon combined with the chemical composition and production parameters of a strip indicate that copper brittleness leads to edge jagged defects. However,the surface defects should be attributed to inherent defects on the surface of the strip. Measures that prevent surface oxidation and copper segregation at grain boundaries would likely eliminate these two types of edge defects.

Heat Treatment and Properties of Nitrogen Alloyed, Martensitic, Corrosion-resistant Steels

This paper gives a short introduction to the typical process route and material properties of these steels in comparison to standard martensitic corrosion-resistant steels. The typical response of these steels to various heat treatment parameters is shown and explained using the three grades M333, N360 and M340 (all made by Bohler Edelstahl GmbH) as examples, and the physical metallurgy of these steels and its consequences for practical heat treatment is explained. The correlation between tempering parameters and their effect on the toughness and corrosion properties is explained in particular detail, showing that these new steels not only offer far better property combinations under the usual heat treatment parameters than standard martensitic corrosion-resistant steels, but that they also open the door to extending heat treatment combinations and properties.

Corrosion Mechanism of Corrosion-Resistant Steel Developed for Bottom Plate of Cargo Oil Tanks

A new type of corrosion-resistant steel consisting of ferrite and bainite phases was developed for cargo oil tanks of crude oil tankers. The corrosion rate of this new steel was 0.22 mm/a, which was equivalent to ca. 1/5 of the criterion（≤1 mm/a） for corrosion-resistant steels. The composition and element distribution of the corrosion products were investigated by micro-Raman spectrometry and energy dispersive spectrometer. The results demonstrated that the corrosion product wascomposed of α-FeOOH, Fe3O4 and a continuous Cu enrichment layer. This kind of corrosion product was protective to the steel matrix and accounted for the enhancement of the corrosion resistance of the new developed steel.

Preparation of carbon nanotube-reinforced polyethylene nanocomposites with better antiscaling and corrosion-resistant properties

Anti-scaling technology for pipelines has always been a focus of oilfield industrial production.Compared with traditional metal pipes,polyethylene(PE)pipes have unique advantages in terms of corrosion resistance,surface friction resistance,and service life.In this paper,aiming at an enhancement of antiscaling and corrosion-resistant properties,as well as increased mechanical properties,PE nanocomposites have been prepared by the introduction of modified carbon nanotubes(m-CNTs)into the PE matrix.To improve the interface compatibility of the composites,the CNTs were treated with reactive tetrabutyl titanate after nitric acid oxidation,which brings about uniform dispersion of the CNTs and intimate interface interaction.As the m-CNT fraction increases,the PE crystallinity displays a slight increase.Polarized microscopy shows that the scaling on the surface of the composite material is obviously reduced compared with pure PE,because the surface free energy of the composite material decreases.Moreover,due to the good dispersion,the composites show enhanced mechanical properties.That is,by adding 1.10 wt%CNTs,the tensile stress and impact toughness of the composites are 20.76 MPa and 37.89 kJ m^(-2),respectively,increases of 15.0% and 11.9% compared with pure PE.This paper supports the idea that the crystallinity of the PE matrix can be improved by adding CNTs,thereby increasing the corrosion resistance and anti-scaling properties.This work can provide inspiration for using the methods of scale inhibition and corrosion resistance in polymer nanocomposites.

Unraveling the significance of cobalt on transformation kinetics,crystallography and impact toughness in high-strength steels

This work reveals the significant effects of cobalt(Co)on the microstructure and impact toughness of as-quenched highstrength steels by experimental characterizations and thermo-kinetic analyses.The results show that the Co-bearing steel exhibits finer blocks and a lower ductile-brittle transition temperature than the steel without Co.Moreover,the Co-bearing steel reveals higher transformation rates at the intermediate stage with bainite volume fraction ranging from around 0.1 to 0.6.The improved impact toughness of the Co-bearing steel results from the higher dense block boundaries dominated by the V1/V2 variant pair.Furthermore,the addition of Co induces a larger transformation driving force and a lower bainite start temperature(BS),thereby contributing to the refinement of blocks and the increase of the V1/V2 variant pair.These findings would be instructive for the composition,microstructure design,and property optimization of high-strength steels.

Quickly obtaining densely dispersed coherent particles in steel matrix and its related mechanical property

Densely distributed coherent nanoparticles(DCN)in steel matrix can enhance the work-hardening ability and ductility of steel simultaneously.All the routes to this end can be generally classified into the liquid-solid route and the solid-solid route.However,the formation of DCN structures in steel requires long processes and complex steps.So far,obtaining steel with coherent particle enhancement in a short time remains a bottleneck,and some necessary steps remain unavoidable.Here,we show a high-efficiency liquid-phase refining process reinforced by a dynamic magnetic field.Ti-Y-Mn-O particles had an average size of around(3.53±1.21)nm and can be obtained in just around 180 s.These small nanoparticles were coherent with the matrix,implying no accumulated dislocations between the particles and the steel matrix.Our findings have a potential application for improving material machining capacity,creep resistance,and radiation resistance.

Effects of carbon content on the microstructure and tensile properties of a low-density steel

Carbon can change the phase components of low-density steels and influence the mechanical properties.In this study,a new method to control the carbon content and avoid the formation ofδ-ferrite by decarburization treatment was proposed.The microstructural changes and mechanical characteristics with carbon content induced by decarburization were systematically examined.Crussard-Jaoul(C-J)analysis was employed to examine the work hardening characteristics during the tensile test.During decarburization by heat treatments,the carbon content within the austenite phase decreased,while Mn and Al were almost unchanged;this made the steel with full austenite transform into the austenite and ferrite dual phase.Meanwhile,(Ti,V)C carbides existed in both matrix phase and the mole fraction almost the same.In addition,the formation of other carbides restrained.Carbon loss induced a decrease in strength due to the weakening of the carbon solid solution.For the steel with the single austinite,the deformation mode of austenite was the dislocation planar glide,resulting in the formation of microbands.For the dual-phase steel,the deformation occurred by the dislocation planar glide of austenite first,with the increase in strain,the cross slip of ferrite took place,forming dislocation cells in ferrite.At the late stage of deformation,the work hardening of austinite increased rapidly,while that of ferrite increased slightly.

Review of precipitation strengthening in ultrahigh-strength martensitic steel

Martensite is an important microstructure in ultrahigh-strength steels,and enhancing the strength of martensitic steels often involves the introduction of precipitated phases within the martensitic matrix.Despite considerable research efforts devoted to this area,a systematic summary of these advancements is lacking.This review focuses on the precipitates prevalent in ultrahigh-strength martensitic steel,primarily carbides(e.g.,MC,M_(2)C,and M_(3)C)and intermetallic compounds(e.g.,Ni Al,Ni_(3)X,and Fe_(2)Mo).The precipitation-strengthening effect of these precipitates on ultrahigh-strength martensitic steel is discussed from the aspects of heat treatment processes,microstructure of precipitate-strengthened martensite matrix,and mechanical performance.Finally,a perspective on the development of precipitation-strengthened martensitic steel is presented to contribute to the advancement of ultrahigh-strength martensitic steel.This review highlights significant findings,ongoing challenges,and opportunities in the development of ultrahigh-strength martensitic steel.

Effect of Nb-V microalloying on the hot deformation behavior of medium Mn steels

The influence of Nb-V microalloying on the hot deformation behavior and microstructures of medium Mn steel(MMS)was investigated by uniaxial hot compression tests.By establishing the constitutive equations for simulating the measured flow curves,we successfully constructed deformation activation energy(Q)maps and processing maps for identifying the region of flow instability.We concluded the following consequences of Nb-V alloying for MMS.(i)The critical strain increases and the increment diminishes with the increasing deformation temperature,suggesting that NbC precipitates more efficiently retard dynamic recrystallization(DRX)in MMS compared with solute Nb.(ii)The deformation activation energy of MMS is significantly increased and even higher than that of some reported high Mn steels,suggesting that its ability to retard DRX is greater than that of the high Mn content.(iii)The hot workability of MMS is improved by narrowing the hot processing window for the unstable flow stress,in which fine recrystallized and coarse unrecrystallized grains are present.

Microstructure and Wear/corrosion Resistance of Stainless Steel Laser-alloyed with Mn+W_(2)C, Mn+NiWC and Mn+SiC

In-situ formed high Mn steel coating reinforced by carbides was formed by laser surface alloying(LSA).Laser alloyed layers on 1Cr18Ni9Ti steel with Mn+W_(2)C(specimen A),Mn+NiWC(specimen B)and Mn+SiC(specimen C)powders were fabricated to improve the wear and corrosion behavior of 1Cr18Ni9Ti steel blades in high speed mixers.Microstructure evolution,phases,element distribution,microhardness,wear and corrosion behavior of the laser alloyed layers were investigated.Results indicated that high Mn steel matrix composites with undissolved W_(2)C,WC and other in-situ formed carbides were formed by LSA with Mn+W_(2)C and Mn+NiWC while SiC totally dissolved into the high Mn matrix when adding Mn+SiC.Ni as the binding phase in Ni-WC powder decreased the crack sensitivity of the alloyed layer as compared with the addition of W_(2)C powder.An improvement in average microhardness was achieved in the matrix in specimen A,B and C,with the value of 615,602 and 277 HV_(0.5),while that of the substrate was 212 HV_(0.5).The increase of microhardness,wear and corrosion resistance is highly corelated to microstructure,formed phases,type and content of carbides,micro-hardness and toughness of the alloyed layers.

The Mechanism of Heating Rate on the Secondary Recrystallization Evolution in Grain Oriented Silicon Steel

Grain-oriented silicon steels were prepared at different heating rates during high temperature annealing,in which the evolution of magnetic properties,grain orientations and precipitates were studied.To illustrate the Zener factor,the diameter and number density of precipitates of interrupted testing samples were statistically calculated.The effect of precipitate ripening on the Goss texture and magnetic property was investigated.Data indicated that the trend of Zener factor was similar under different heating rates,first increasing and then decreasing,and that the precipitate maturing was greatly inhibited as the heating rate increased.Secondary recrystallization was developed at the temperature of 1010℃when a heating rate of 5℃/h was used,resulting in Goss,Brass and{110}<227>oriented grains growing abnormally and a magnetic induction intensity of 1.90T.Furthermore,increasing the heating rate to 20℃/h would inhibit the development of undesirable oriented grains and obtain a sharp Goss texture.However,when the heating rate was extremely fast,such as 40℃/h,poor secondary recrystallization was developed with many island grains,corresponding to a decrease in magnetic induction intensity to 1.87 T.At a suitable heating rate of 20℃/h,the sharpest Goss texture and the highest magnetic induction of 1.94 T with an onset secondary recrystallization temperature of 1020℃were found among the experimental variables in this study.The heating rate affected the initial temperature of secondary recrystallization by controlling the maturation of precipitates,leading to the deviation and dispersion of Goss texture,thereby reducing the magnetic properties.

Microstructural evolution during the progressive transformation-induced plasticity effect in a Fe-0.1C-5Mnmedium manganese steel

The microstructural evolution of a cold-rolled and intercritical annealed medium-Mn steel(Fe-0.10C-5Mn)was investigated during uniaxial tensile testing.In-situ observations under scanning electron microscopy,transmission electron microscopy,and X-ray diffraction analysis were conducted to characterize the progressive transformation-induced plasticity process and associated fracture initiation mechanisms.These findings were discussed with the local strain measurements via digital image correlation.The results indicated that Lüders band formation in the steel was limited to 1.5%strain,which was mainly due to the early-stage martensitic phase transformation of a very small amount of the less stable large-sized retained austenite(RA),which led to localized stress concentrations and strain hardening and further retardation of yielding.The small-sized RA exhibited high stability and progressively transformed into martensite and contributed to a stably extended Portevin-Le Chatelier effect.The volume fraction of RA gradually decreased from 26.8%to 8.2%prior to fracture.In the late deformation stage,fracture initiation primarily occurred at the austenite/martensite and ferrite/martensite interfaces and the ferrite phase.

Effect of lamellarization on the microstructure and mechanical properties of marine 10Ni5CrMoV steel

Multistage heat treatment involving quenching(Q),lamellarizing(L),and tempering(T)is applied to marine 10Ni5CrMoV steel.The microstructure and mechanical properties were studied by multiscale characterizations,and the kinetics of reverse austenite transformation,strain hardening behavior,and toughening mechanism were further investigated.The lamellarized specimens possess low yield strength but high toughness,especially cryogenic toughness.Lamellarization leads to the development of film-like reversed austenite at the martensite block and lath boundaries,refining the martensite structure and lowering the equivalent grain size.Kinetic analysis of austenite reversion based on the JMAK model shows that the isothermal transformation is dominated by the growth of reversed austenite,and the maximum transformation of reversed austenite is reached at the peak temperature(750℃).The strain hardening behavior based on the modified Crussard-Jaoul analysis indicates that the reversed austenite obtained from lamellarization reduces the proportion of martensite,significantly hindering crack propagation via martensitic transformation during the deformation.As a consequence,the QLT specimens exhibit high machinability and low yield strength.Compared with the QT specimen,the ductile-brittle transition temperature of the QLT specimens decreases from-116 to-130℃due to the low equivalent grain size and reversed austenite,which increases the cleavage force required for crack propagation and absorbs the energy of external load,respectively.This work provides an idea to improve the cryogenic toughness of marine 10Ni5CrMoV steel and lays a theoretical foundation for its industrial application and comprehensive performance improvement.

Development of high corrosion-resistant ferritic stainless steel and its application in the building cladding system

Effects of Mo, Nb, Ti on mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of 22.5% Cr ferritic stainless steel were investigated. The results show that Mo exists in ferritic stainless steel mainly in the solution treatment condition, and it can enhance steel＇ s strength through solid solution strengthening. In Ti ＋ Nb dual-stabilized ferritic stainless steel, the steel＇s toughness decreases obviously because coarse TiN particles form and some metallic compounds precipitate along the grain boundaries. In Nb single-stablized ferritic stainless steel, Nb exists either in the solution treatment condition or in the form of dispersed precipitates Nb（C, N）, which will act as the nuclei of precipitation of the fine （r phase. As a result, the precipitation of the coarse σ phase along the grain boundary can be inhibited, leading to significant improvement in steel＇ s toughness at a low temperature. Based on these, high corrosion-resistant ferritic stainless steel B445R was developed for the building cladding system. Test results show that B445R has a superior corrosion resistance to austenitic 316 L in chloride solution. Besides, it has a good forming property and weldability. All these make it an ideal decorating material for the building cladding system in severe coastal regions.

Novel Methodologies for Preventing Crack Propagation in Steel Gas Pipelines Considering the Temperature Effect

Using the software ANSYS-19.2/Explicit Dynamics,this study performedfinite-element modeling of the large-diameter steel pipeline cross-section for the Beineu-Bozoy-Shymkent gas pipeline with a non-through straight crack,strengthened by steel wire wrapping.The effects of the thread tensile force of the steel winding in the form of single rings at the crack edges and the wires with different winding diameters and pitches were also studied.The results showed that the strengthening was preferably executed at a minimum value of the thread tensile force,which was 6.4%more effective than that at its maximum value.The analysis of the influence of the winding dia-meters showed that the equivalent stresses increased by 32%from the beginning of the crack growth until the wire broke.The increment in winding diameter decelerated the disclosure of the edge crack and reduced its length by 8.2%.The analysis of the influence of the winding pitch showed that decreasing the distance between the winding turns also led to a 33.6%reduction in the length of the straight crack and a 7.9%reduction in the maximum stres-ses on the strengthened pipeline cross-section.The analysis of the temperature effect on the pipeline material,within a range from-40℃ to+50℃,resulted in a crack length change of up to 5.8%.As the temperature dropped,the crack length decreased.Within such a temperature range,the maximum stresses were observed along the cen-tral area of the crack,which were equal to 413 MPa at+50℃ and 440 MPa at-40℃.The results also showed that the presence of the steel winding in the pipeline significantly reduced the length of crack propagation up to 8.4 times,depending on the temperature effect and design parameters of prestressing.This work integrated the existing methods for crack localization along steel gas pipelines.

Investigation on the explosive welding mechanism of corrosion-resisting alu-minum and stainless steel tubes through finite element simulation and experi-ments

To solve the difficulty in the explosive welding of corrosion-resistant aluminum and stainless steel tubes, three technologies were proposed after investigating the forming mechanism through experiments. Then, a 3D finite element model was established for systematic simulations in the parameter determination. The results show that the transition-layer approach, the coaxial initial assembly of tubes with the top-center-point the detonation, and the systematic study by numerical modeling are the key technologies to make the explosive welding of LF6 aluminum alloy and 1Cr18Ni9Ti stainless steel tubes feasible. Numerical simulation shows that radial contraction and slope collision through continuous local plastic deformation are necessary for the good bonding of tubes. Stand-off distances between tubes （D1 and D2） and explosives amount （R） have effect on the plastic deformation, moving velocity, and bonding of tubes. D1 of 1 mm, D2 of 2 mm, and R of 2/3 are suitable for the explosive welding of LF6-L2-1Cr18Ni9Ti three-layer tubes. The plastic strain and moving velocity of the flyer tubes in-crease with the increase of stand-off distance. More explosives （R2/3） result in the asymmetrical distribution of plastic strain and non-bonding at the end of detonation on the tubes.

Development and prospects of molten steel deoxidation in steelmaking process

In the long traditional process of steelmaking,excess oxygen is blown into the converter,and alloying elements are used for deoxidation.This inevitably results in excessive deoxidation of products remaining within the steel liquid,affecting the cleanliness of the steel.With the increasing requirements for steel performance,reducing the oxygen content in the steel liquid and ensuring its high cleanliness is necessary.After more than a hundred years of development,the total oxygen content in steel has been reduced from approximately 100×10^(-6)to approximately 10×10^(-6),and it can be controlled below 5×10^(-6)in some steel grades.A relatively stable and mature deoxidation technology has been formed,but further reducing the oxygen content in steel is no longer significant for improving steel quality.Our research team developed a deoxidation technology for bearing steel by optimizing the entire conventional process.The technology combines silicon–manganese predeoxidation,ladle furnace diffusion deoxidation,and vacuum final deoxidation.We successfully conducted industrial experiments and produced interstitial-free steel with natural decarbonization predeoxidation.Non-aluminum deoxidation was found to control the oxygen content in bearing steel to between 4×10^(-6) and 8×10^(-6),altering the type of inclusions,eliminating large particle Ds-type inclusions,improving the flowability of the steel liquid,and deriving a higher fatigue life.The natural decarbonization predeoxidation of interstitial-free steel reduced aluminum consumption and production costs and significantly improved the quality of cast billets.

Review on the plastic instability of medium -Mn steels for identifying the formation mechanisms of Lüders and Portevin -Le Chatelier bands

Plastic instability,including both the discontinuous yielding and stress serrations,has been frequently observed during the tensile deformation of medium-Mn steels(MMnS)and has been intensively studied in recent years.Unfortunately,research results are controversial,and no consensus has been achieved regarding the topic.Here,we first summarize all the possible factors that affect the yielding and flow stress serrations in MMnS,including the morphology and stability of austenite,the feature of the phase interface,and the deformation parameters.Then,we propose a universal mechanism to explain the conflicting experimental results.We conclude that the discontinuous yielding can be attributed to the lack of mobile dislocation before deformation and the rapid dislocation multiplication at the beginning of plastic deformation.Meanwhile,the results show that the stress serrations are formed due to the pinning and depinning between dislocations and interstitial atoms in austenite.Strain-induced martensitic transformation,influenced by the mechanical stability of austenite grain and deformation parameters,should not be the intrinsic cause of plastic instability.However,it can intensify or weaken the discontinuous yielding and the stress serrations by affecting the mobility and density of dislocations,as well as the interaction between the interstitial atoms and dislocations in austenite grains.

Prediction model for corrosion rate of low-alloy steels under atmospheric conditions using machine learning algorithms

This work constructed a machine learning(ML)model to predict the atmospheric corrosion rate of low-alloy steels(LAS).The material properties of LAS,environmental factors,and exposure time were used as the input,while the corrosion rate as the output.6 dif-ferent ML algorithms were used to construct the proposed model.Through optimization and filtering,the eXtreme gradient boosting(XG-Boost)model exhibited good corrosion rate prediction accuracy.The features of material properties were then transformed into atomic and physical features using the proposed property transformation approach,and the dominant descriptors that affected the corrosion rate were filtered using the recursive feature elimination(RFE)as well as XGBoost methods.The established ML models exhibited better predic-tion performance and generalization ability via property transformation descriptors.In addition,the SHapley additive exPlanations(SHAP)method was applied to analyze the relationship between the descriptors and corrosion rate.The results showed that the property transformation model could effectively help with analyzing the corrosion behavior,thereby significantly improving the generalization ability of corrosion rate prediction models.

Effects of iron oxide on crystallization behavior and spatial distribution of spinel in stainless steel slag

Chromium plays a vital role in stainless steel due to its ability to improve the corrosion resistance of the latter.However,the re-lease of chromium from stainless steel slag(SSS)during SSS stockpiling causes detrimental environmental issues.To prevent chromium pollution,the effects of iron oxide on crystallization behavior and spatial distribution of spinel were investigated in this work.The results revealed that FeO was more conducive to the growth of spinels compared with Fe2O3 and Fe3O4.Spinels were found to be mainly distrib-uted at the top and bottom of slag.The amount of spinel phase at the bottom decreased with the increasing FeO content,while that at the top increased.The average particle size of spinel in the slag with 18wt%FeO content was 12.8μm.Meanwhile,no notable structural changes were observed with a further increase in FeO content.In other words,the spatial distribution of spinel changed when the content of iron oxide varied in the range of 8wt%to 18wt%.Finally,less spinel was found at the bottom of slag with a FeO content of 23wt%.