Ultra-Pure Ferritic Stainless Steels-Grade,Refining Operation,and Application

The grades of ultra-pure ferritic stainless steels, especially the grades used in automobile exhaust system, were reviewed. The dependence of properties on alloying elements, the refining facilities, and the mechanism of the reactions in steel melts were described in detail. Vacuum, strong stirring, and powder injection proved to be effective technologies in the melting of ultra-pure ferritic stainless steels. The application of the ferritic grades was also briefly introduced.

Effect of welding parameters on the heat-affected zone of AISI409 ferritic stainless steel

One of the main problems during the welding of ferritic stainless steels is severe grain growth within the heat-affected zone （HAZ） In the present study, the microstmctural characteristics of tungsten inert gas （TIG） welded AISI409 ferritic stainless steel were investigated by electron backscattered diffraction （EBSD）, and the effects of welding parameters on the grain size, local misorientation, and low-angle grain boundaries were studied. A 3-D finite element model （FEM） was developed to predict the effects of welding parameters on the holding time of the HAZ above the critical temperature of grain growth. It is found that the base metal is not fully recrystallized. During the welding, complete recrystallization is followed by severe grain growth. A decrease in the number of low-angle grain boundaries is observed within the HAZ. FEM results show that the final state of residual sWains is caused by competition between welding plastic strains and their release by recrystallization. Still, the decisive factor for grain growth is heat input.

Effect of tin addition on the microstructure and properties of ferritic stainless steel

This article reports the effects of Sn on the inclusions as well as the mechanical properties and hot workability of ferritic stainless steel. Precipitation phases and inclusions in Sn-bearing ferritic stainless steel were observed, and the relationship between the workability and the microstructure of the steel was established. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopic analysis of the steel reveals that an almost pure Sn phase forms and MnS-Sn compound inclusions appear in the steel with a higher Sn content. Little Sn segregation was observed in grain boundaries and in the areas around sulfide inclusions;however, the presence of Sn does not adversely affect the workability of the steel con-taining 0.4wt%Sn. When the Sn content is 0.1wt%-0.4wt%, Sn improves the tensile strength and the plastic strain ratio and also improves the plasticity with increasing temperature. A mechanism of improving the workability of ferritic stainless steel induced by Sn addition was discussed：the presence of Sn lowers the defect concentration in the ultra-pure ferritic lattice and the good distribution of tin in the lattice overcomes the problem of hot brittleness that occurs in low-carbon steel as a result of Sn segregation.

Interfacial Microstructure of Diffusion Bonded Inconel 738 and Ferritic Stainless Steel Couple

In this study, Inconel 738 alloy was diffusion bonded to a ferritic stainless steel. The effect of bonding temperature on the microstructural development across the joint region was investigated. Following the diffusion bonding, conventional characterization techniques such as scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, energy dispersive X-ray （EDX） and microhardness were used to examine the interracial microstructure. It was seen that bonding temperature was effective on the diffusion of Ni from Inconel 738 to ferritic stainless steel that affected the microstructure of the interface. Austenite phase was formed at the interface as a result of Ni diffusion from the Inconel 738 to the interface.

Tensile and Impact Properties of Shielded Metal Arc Welded AISI 409M Ferritic Stainless Steel Joints

The present study is concerned with the effect of filler metals such as austenitic stainless steel, ferritic stainless steel and duplex stainless steel on tensile and impact properties of the ferritic stainless steel conforming to AISI 409M grade. Rolled plates of 4 mm thickness were used as the base material for preparing single pass butt welded joints. Tensile and impact properties, microhardness, microstructure and fracture surface morphology of the joints fabricated by austenitic stainless steel, ferritic stainless steel and duplex stainless steel filler metals were evaluated and the results were reported. From this investigation, it is found that the joints fabricated by duplex stainless steel filler metal showed higher tensile strength and hardness compared to the joints fabricated by austenitic and ferritic stainless steel filler metals. Joints fabricated by austenitic stainless steel filler metal exhibited higher ductility and impact toughness compared with the joints fabricated by ferritic stainless steel and duplex stainless steel filler metals.

Corrosion behavior of ferritic stainless steel with 15wt% chromium for the automobile exhaust system

The effect of chloride ion concentration, pH value, and grain size on the pitting corrosion resistance of a new ferritic stainless steel with 15wt% Cr was investigated using the anodic polarization method. The semiconducting properties of passive films with different chloride ion concentrations were performed using capacitance measurement and Mott-Schottky analysis methods. The aging precipitation and intergranular corrosion behavior were evaluated at 400- 900℃. It is found that the pitting potential decreases when the grain size increases. With the increase in chloride ion concentration, the doping density and the flat-bland potential increase but the thickness of the space charge layer decreases. The pitting corrosion resistance increases rapidly with the decrease in pH value. Precipitants is identified as Nb（C,N） and NbC, rather than Cr-carbide. The intergranular corrosion is attributed to the synergistic effects of Nb（C,N） and NbC precipitates and Cr segregation adjacent to the precipitates.

Effect of Cr, Mo, and Nb additions on intergranular cohesion of ferritic stainless steel: First-principles determination

Effects of Cr, Mo, and Nb on the ferritic stainless steel ]2（210） grain boundary and intragranularity are investigated using the first-principles principle. Different positions of solute atoms are considered. Structural stability is lowered by Cr doping and enhanced by Mo and Nb doping. A ranking on the effect of solute atoms enhancing the cohesive strength of the grain boundary, from the strongest to the weakest is Cr, Mo, and Nb. Cr clearly prefers to locate in the intragranular region of Fe rather than in the grain boundary, while Mo and Nb tend to segregate to the grain boundary. Solute Mo and Nb atoms possess a strong driving force for segregation to the grain boundary from the intragranular region, which increases the grain boundary embrittlement. For Mo- and Nb-doped systems, a remarkable quantity of electrons accumulate in the region close to Mo （Nb）. Therefore, the bond strength may increase. With Cr, Mo, and Nb additions, an anti-parallel island is formed around the center of the grain boundary.

Application and failure evaluation of ferritic stainless steels for automotive exhaust systems

In recent years, with attention paid to global environmental problems, there have been requirements for continuous improvement of automobile fuel economy and exhaust gas purification rate. The properties of the ferritic stainless steels （FSS） used to make automobile parts have been improved. This paper introduces the construction of automotive exhaust systems and describes their main failure behaviors and corrosion evaluation procedures.

Effect of micro-alloying Nb and Ti on solidification structure in 430 ferritic stainless steel

With the increase in the content of carbon, nitrogen and titanium in 430 ferritic stainless steel, the refinement of the solidification structure is obvious and the proportion of equiaxed grain increases remarkably as well. This is attributed to the increasing role of the inhomogeneous nucleation by TiN particles during solidification. In addition, more fine precipitations of （Ti ,Nb）N are found in steel with increased carbon and nitrogen content.

Effect of stabilizing elements Nb and Ti on the microstructure and properties of low carbon ferritic stainless steel

The effect of stabilizing elements, such as Nb and Ti, on the microstructure and properties of low carbon ferritic stainless steel （FSS） has been investigated. The results of the Thermo-calc simulation have shown that the interstitial elements, such as C and N, may be completely stabilized by the addition of Nb and Ti. With the increase of Nb and Ti contents ,the α ＋ γ two phases gradually transfer to a single α-phase under a high temperature condition ,and the content of the carbide M23 C6 gradually decreases. The microstructure has indicated that the combined addition of Nb and Ti can promote the recrystallization of the band structure and form more uniform equiaxed grains. Also, with the increase of Nb and Ti contents,the elongation, the r-value and the corrosion resistance of cold-rolled and annealed sheets are improved prominently. In comparison with the effect of Ti ,the addition of Nb is more beneficial to the increase of r-value and the corrosion resistance.

Study on the corrosion properties of 0Cr11 ferritic stainless steel for automotive exhaust systems

This study investigates the corrosion properties of 0Cr11Ti and 0Cr11NbTi ferritic stainless steels （FSS） for automotive exhaust systems. The results indicate that the base metal and weld seam of 0Cr11NbTi steel exhibit better intergranular and condensate corrosion resistant properties because carbon and nitrogen are stabilized by Nb and Ti, and the precipitation of Cr carbide is retarded in grain boundaries.

Mechanism of Brittle Cracking for High-Purity Cr18Mo2 Ferritic Stainless Steel

A study has been carried out on the effect of continuous cooling with different rate from 1 200 ℃ on the brittleness of vacuum melted,extra-low interstitial Cr18Mo2 ferritic stainless steels.The ductile-brittle transition temperature was found to be the lowest after water cooling and the highest after furnace cooling.The increase of brittleness with cooling rate decrease is attributed to the formation of more nitrides.With the increase of titanium content the ductile- brittle transition temperature increases significantly.A low transition temperature occurred in steel containing0.18%Nb,and further increase of niobium brought about an increase of transition temperature.The transition temperature of ferritic stainless steel was raised severely by the precipitation of nitrides(Cr2N,Cr2Nb2N2and TiN)and oxides(Al2O3)promoting brittle crack initiation.

Development of ferritic stainless steel B445R with superior corrosion resistance for architectural applications

The dull-finish ferritic stainless steel （FSS） sheet B445R for architectural roofing has been developed by Baosteel. This steel product exhibits excellent corrosion resistance superior to that of SUS 316L with a lower cost. It can be easily formed into roofing panels by ordinary processes. Moreover,the thermal strain of it is less than SUS 316L because of its lower thermal expansion coefficient, and its reflectivity is lower due to the dull-finish treatment. All of these features make it capable of being used as architectural roofing materials in coastal regions.

Effects of asymmetric rolling process on ridging resistance of ultra-purified 17%Cr ferritic stainless steel

In ferritic stainless steels, a significant non-uniform recrystallization orientation and a substantial texture gradient usually occur, which can degrade the ridging resistance of the final sheets. To improve the homogeneity of the recrystallization orientation and reduce the texture gradient in ultra-purified 17%Cr ferritic stainless steel, in this work, we performed conventional and asymmetric rolling processes and conducted macro and micro-texture analyses to investigate texture evolution under different cold-rolling conditions. In the conventional rolling specimens, we observed that the deformation was not uniform in the thickness direction, whereas there was homogeneous shear deformation in the asymmetric rolling specimens as well as the formation of uniform recrystallized grains and random orientation grains in the final annealing sheets. As such, the ridging resistance of the final sheets was significantly improved by employing the asymmetric rolling process. This result indicates with certainty that the texture gradient and orientation inhomogeneity can be attributed to non-uniform deformation, whereas the uniform orientation gradient in the thickness direction is explained by the increased number of shear bands obtained in the asymmetric rolling process.

Electrodeposition of Fe-Ni alloy coating on ferritic stainless steel

Fe-Ni alloy coatings were electrodeposited on ferritic stainless steel(FSS)in solutions containing FeSO4 and NiSO4.The effects of pH,[Fe2 +]/[Ni 2+](molar ratio)of electroplating solutions and cathode current density on deposition rate and surface appearances of the coatings were investigated.The results indicated that the deposition rate of the coating in solution with [Fe 2+ ]/[Ni 2+ ]of 0.4 slightly increased with increasing pH from 2.5 to 3.5 under the current density of 5.5 mA/cm 2 ,and then the deposition rate of the coating in solution with pH 4.0 began to decrease.The deposition rate also slightly increased with pH up to 3.5 under higher cathode current densities of 13.5 and 27 mA/cm2.Under 13.5 mA/cm 2,however,the coating deposited in solution with pH 4 was prone to crack or flake.The deposition rate increased and the surface of coatings became less smooth with increasing cathode current density.The effect of the ratio of[Fe2 +]to[Ni 2+]on deposition rate was not obvious.With increasing the ratio of [Fe2 +]to[Ni 2+]in plating solution,the content of Fe in the coatings increased;while the Ni content in the coatings decreased with the increase in the ratio of[Fe 2+ ]to[Ni 2+ ].The deposited coating consisted of Fe-Ni alloy phase.

High corrosion resistance 21%Cr-0.4%Cu ferritic stainless steel contributing to resource conservation

With prices for metal resources such as nickel and molybdenum soaring,there is a heightened sense of crisis concerning resource scarcity.While Type304,the most common stainless steel,offers excellent corrosion resistance,its price is affected significantly by the cost of nickel because of its 8%nickel content.The stainless steel that has the same corrosion resistance as that of Type304 and does not contain nickel and molybdenum has been required.JFE Steel Corporation has developed a new 21%Cr-0.4%Cu stainless steel,the world's first ferritic stainless steel,which offers equivalent corrosion resistance to Type304 while containing absolutely no nickel or molybdenum,two rare metals.The newly developed steel contains 21%chromium with the addition of 0.4% copper.The development of the steel is based on a new discovery that the passive films of stainless steels could be strengthened by the synergy effect of high chromium content and copper addition.Copper addition enriches the chromium content in passive films after field exposure.Newly developed 21%Cr-0.4%Cu stainless steel is adopted for many applications as a substitution for Type304,including commercial kitchenware,building materials and industrial machinery.The steel is expected to be a new standard of a ferritic stainless steel as a substitution for Type304.

Mechanical and corrosion properties of 445J2 ultra pure ferritic stainless steel joint

The microstracture, mechanical and corrosion resistance properties of 445J2 ultra pure ferritic stainless steel thin plate joints conducted by the pulsed current gas tungsten arc welding （PCGTAW） were discussed in this paper. In order to avoid weld defects, the appropriate welding process was adjusted. The joints were subjected to optical microscopy, transverse static tensile, plastic deformation, intergranular corrosion and electrochemistry corrosion tests. The results indicated that the weld zone （WZ） is characterized with columnar grains and equiaxed grains and the heat-affected zone （HAZ） shows coarse ferrite grains due to the rapid solidification of thin plate welding. The PCGTAW joint exhibited acceptable mechanical properties and equivalent corrosion resistance properties as the base metal.

Effect of the solidification structure on the ridging and drawability of ultra low carbon ferritic stainless steel

In order to understand the effect of the solidification structure on the formability of ultra low carbon ferritic stainless steel （FSS） ,this work studies the ridging phenomenon and the deep-drawing property in detail and the research method was X-ray diffraction （XRD） and scanning electron microscope （SEM） technique. The result shows that the columnar grain specimen had a higher ridging height than the equiaxed grain specimen, which was mainly attributed to the formation of grain colonies in the columnar grain specimen. After final recrystallization annealing, the equiaxed grain specimen obtained a high-intensity T-fiber texture and an excellent deep-drawing property.

Effect of cold-rolled annealing processes on microstructure and properties of ultra-pure ferritic stainless steel

In this study, the influence of annealing processes for cold-rolled sheets on the microstructure and mechanical performance of ultra-pure 430 ferritic stainless steel was investigated. Thermo-Calc calculation, organization observation, SEM detection,and tensile tests were used to discern the optimal annealing process. It is found that the microstructure is made up by the fine and uniform recrystallized ferritic grains after annealing. The optimum annealing process for ultra-pure 430 stainless steel is 950 ℃ for 90 s. After annealing, the stainless steel can obtain the optimum microstructure,recrystallization texture, and mechanical properties.

Development of heat-resistant ferritic stainless steels for exhaust lines at Nisshin Steel

Exhaust emission regulations of the automotive are enforced in each country to prevent air pollution and global warming,and the restriction standard tends to become severer.Various techniques such as the combustion improvement of gasoline,upgrades of the catalyst,and the thermal capacity decreases in the exhaust lines are adopted to suit the regulations,and these lead to an increase of the maximum temperature of the exhaust gas. Recently,ferritic stainless steels are mainly used to parts of exhaust lines,as their thermal expansion coefficient is small,and the cyclic oxidation resistance and the thermal fatigue property are better than austenitic stainless steels. This paper presents newly developed heat-resistant stainless steels from Nisshin Steel for exhaust lines usage,and describes the currents of the steel development that could be envisaged in the future.With regard to improving the high-temperature strength of ferritic stainless steels,the addition of Nb,Mo and Cu is effective in solution hardening and precipitation hardening at 700℃,while the addition of Nb,Mo and W is effective in mainly solution hardening at 900℃.The addition of Cr,Si and Mn suppress the breakaway oxidation in air at 950℃up to 200 h of ferritic stainless steels containing 14%Cr.Especially,the addition of 0.8%or higher Mn would effectively improve the adherence of oxide scale.It is confirmed that ferritic stainless steels,NSSHR-1(14Cr-lMn-0.9Si-Nb) and NSSHR-2(10Cr-0.9Si-Nb-Ti ),is having a superior heat resistance,formability and cost performance compared to conventional Type441 and Type439 respectively.