Laser Beam Welding of 600 MPa Quenched and Tempered High-Strength Steel

Conventional fusion arc welding of high-strength quenched and tempered steel can be improved through the use of non-conventional laser beam welding. This article presents the investigations of autogenous bead on plate and butt CO2 Laser Welding (LW) of 7 mm thick high-strength quenched and tempered low alloy SM570 (JIS) steel plates. The influence of laser welding parameters, mainly welding speed, defocusing distance and shielding gas flow rate on the weld profile, i.e., weld zone penetration depth and width, microstructure and mechanical properties of welded joints was determined. All welded joints showed smooth and uniform weld beads free from superficial porosity and undercuts. The selected best welding conditions were a laser power of 5.0 kW, welding speed of 500 mm/min, argon gas shielding flow rate of 30 L/min and a defocusing distance of -0.5 mm. It was observed that these conditions gave complete penetration and minimized the width of the weld bead. The microstructure of the welded joints was evaluated by light optical microscopy. The weld metal (WM) and heat-affected zone (HAZ) near weld metal achieved maximum hardness (355 HV). The tensile fractured samples showed the ductile mode of failure and ultimate tensile strength of 580 MPa.

Effect of Heat Treatment on Microstructure and Mechanical properties of high strength low alloy(HSLA)steel

In this paper,a Fe-based Mn-Ni–Cr–Mo high strength low alloy(HSLA)steel was prepared by using Vacuum melting,following by hot rolling with 78%deformation and various heat treatment processes.Microstructure were characterized by optical microscope(OM),scanning electron microscope(SEM)equipped with energy dispersive spectrometer.Tensile tests were performed.After direct quenching(Q)from 860℃,the samples were subjected to secondary quenching(L)at different intercritical temperatures within the two-phase region and various tempering temperatures(T).Results show that QLT treatment increases elongation and decreases yield ratio compared with conventional quenching and tempering process(QT).The optimum QLT heat treatment parameter in terms of temperature are determined as Q:860℃,L:700℃,and T:600℃,resulting in the better combined properties with yield strength of 756MPa,tensile strength of 820MPa,tensile elongation of 16.76%and yield ratio of 0.923.

Neural network modeling to evaluate the dynamic flow stress of high strength armor steels under high strain rate compression

An artificial neural network(ANN) constitutive model is developed for high strength armor steel tempered at 500 C, 600 C and 650 C based on high strain rate data generated from split Hopkinson pressure bar(SHPB) experiments. A new neural network configuration consisting of both training and validation is effectively employed to predict flow stress. Tempering temperature, strain rate and strain are considered as inputs, whereas flow stress is taken as output of the neural network. A comparative study on Johnsone Cook(Je C) model and neural network model is performed. It was observed that the developed neural network model could predict flow stress under various strain rates and tempering temperatures. The experimental stressestrain data obtained from high strain rate compression tests using SHPB, over a range of tempering temperatures(500e650 C), strains(0.05e0.2) and strain rates(1000e5500/s) are employed to formulate Je C model to predict the high strain rate deformation behavior of high strength armor steels. The J-C model and the back-propagation ANN model were developed to predict the high strain rate deformation behavior of high strength armor steel and their predictability is evaluated in terms of correlation coefficient(R) and average absolute relative error(AARE). R and AARE for the Je C model are found to be 0.7461 and 27.624%, respectively, while R and AARE for the ANN model are 0.9995 and 2.58%, respectively. It was observed that the predictions by ANN model are in consistence with the experimental data for all tempering temperatures.

Effects of heat treatment on structures and properties of high speed steel rolls

The effects of quenching temperature, cooling pattern, temper temperature andtemper times on the structure and properti-es of high speed steel (HSS) rolls have beeninvestigated. The results show that, when the quenching temperature is lower than 1050℃ thehardness of HSS increases with the quenching temperature increasing in oil cooling, but when thequenching temperature exceeds 1100℃ the hardness decreases. In the conditions of salt bath coolingand air cooling, the effect of quenching temperature on the hardness is similar to the above law,but the quenching temperature obtaining the highest hardness is higher than that in oil cooling.When the temper temperature below 350℃ the hardness of HSS has a little change, when above 475℃the hardness will increase with the temper temperature increasing, and the highest hardness isobtained at 525℃. When the temper temperature continues to increase, the hardness decreases. Twicetemper has little effect on the hardness, but three times temper decreases the hardness. HSS in aircooling has lower hardenability, oil cooling can easily produce crackle, and HSS quenching in saltbath has high harde-nability and excellent wear resistance.

Microstructural analysis of the softened zone in the welding joint of 100 kg class hot-rolled extra-high-strength steel

Using the Gleeble 3500 thermal-mechanical system to simulate thermal cycles with different peak temperatures, the hardness and microstructure in the heat-affected zones of two kinds of 100 kg class hot-rolled extra-high-strength steel were compared. When the peak temperature of the thermal cycle was 800℃ ,incomplete transformation occurred during quenching in both steels, and massive martensite and bainite grains were formed. The hardness was determined by the composition and distribution of the microstructure. The concentration of massive martensite was low, and hence the hardness was low,in steel #1. Conversely,the massive martensite content in steel #2 was high and uniformly distributed,resulting in a high hardness. These findings can provide a reference for improving the mechanical properties in the softened zone.

Development and application research of light weight heat treated B-grade bulletproof steel

The light weight heat treated B-grade bulletproof steel was developed through composition design and optimization based on multiplex alloying,multiplex micro-alloying design ideas and complex phase structure strengthening theory.The puzzle how to avoid the quenching deformation problem of super high strength thin sheet was solved through heat treatment in a die with a set of cooling system.Such B-grade bulletproof steel plate has fine tempered lath martensite structure.The shooting and certification test results showed that the shoot resistance of B-grade bulletproof steel plate can meet the protection demand of Protection specification for cash carrying vehicles(GA 164—2005).In comparison with B-grade bulletproof steel plate made by one of the companies in Sweden,the weight of the developed B-grade bulletproof steel plate can be decreased by 8 %under the same shoot resistance condition.It will be meaningful for cash truck and anti-hijacking vehicle to realize light weight,energy conservation and emission reduction.

Feasibility of 0.02% Nb-Based Microalloyed Steel for the Application of One-Step Quenching and Partitioning Heat Treatment

To attain an enhanced combination of mechanical properties for low alloyed steel, the current study has been made to fulfill that growing need in the industry. Its results are introduced within this paper. One step Quenching and Partitioning (Q&P) heat treatment has been applied on Niobium-based microalloyed steel alloy with 0.2 %C, in the form of 2 mm thickness sheets. The target of this study is to investigate the viability of applying that significantly recommended, results-wise, heat treatment on the highly well-suited alloy steel samples, to achieve the main target of enhanced properties. A single temperature of 275°C was used as quenching and Partitioning temperature. Four Partitioning periods (30, 200, 500, and 1000 Seconds) were used for soaking at the same temperature. The results were analyzed in the light of microstructural investigation and mechanical testing. All applied cycles did not enhance the strength but moderately improved the ductility and toughness, mainly caused by the slightly high soaking temperature used. Niobium impact of grain refining was apparent through all cycles. The cycle of 500 Seconds Partitioning time obtained optimum values at that particular temperature. The 1000 Seconds Cycle obtained the worst combination of properties. A set of recommendations are set. More research is required at this point, where a lower Partitioning temperature is advised. In the light of the applied combination of parameters, the Partitioning period at such temperature is advised to be between 500 and 1000 Seconds. A high probability that periods closer to 500 than 1000 Seconds will produce better results. More research is needed between those two values of Partitioning time to precisely determine the optimum time at that temperature on that specific alloy.

Hybrid Laser-GMAW Welding of High Strength Quenched-Tempered Steels

High-strength quenched and tempered (HSQT) steels have been widely used in structural applications where light weight is of primary design interest.Gas metal arc welding is a common way to join QT steels.When GMAW is used to join the HSQT steel,multi-pass is usually required to achieve full penetration.In addition,weld crack is often observed because of HSQT steel's high susceptibility to hydrogen embrittlement.In addition,due to the large amount of heat input from the arc,the heat affected zone is often softened.This reduces the ductility and strength of welds and makes the weld weaker than the base metal.In this study,a hybrid laser/GMAW process is proposed to produce butt joint for 6.5mm thick HSQT A514 steel plate.Hydrogen diffusion mechanism is first discusses for GMAW and hybrid laser-GMAW welding processes.Metal transfer mode during the hybrid laser/GMAW welding process is also analyzed.A high speed CCD camera with 4000 frame/second is used to monitor the welding process in real time.Welds obtained by GMAW and hybrid laser/GMAW techniques are compared and tested by static lap shear and dynamic impact.Effects of gap between two metal plates and laser beam/GMAW torch spacing on weld property are studied.By appropriately choosing these two parameters,crack-free butt joints with full penetration can be successfully obtained by the hybrid laser/GMAW welding process for HSQT A514 steel plate.

Study on Quenching and Tempering Process of Q960 High Strength Steel for Construction Machinery

To develop the Q960 high-strength quenched and tempered steel plates for construction machinery,the effects of quenching and tempering treating regime on the microstructures and mechanical properties were investigated.The results show that the perfect austenization and fine grain size can be achieved by the optimum quenching process that is quenching temperature 900℃ and holding time 20min.Considering performance and production efficiency,the optimum tempering process parameters are found that tempering temperature 600℃ and holding time 40min.The excellent overall properties of specimens with tempered sorbite microstructure can be ultimately obtained.The yield strength is 1030MPa,tensile strength 1080MPa,percentage elongation 16.8% and the Charpy impact energy 144J at-40℃.All these indexes come up to the National Standard GB/T 16270-2009.

High strength and ductility of 34CrNiMo6 steel produced by laser solid forming

Because of the excellent mechanical properties of 34 CrNiMo6 steel, it is widely used in high-value components. Many conventional approaches to strengthening-steels typically involve the loss of useful ductility.In this study, 34 CrNiMo6 Steel having high strength and ductility is produced by laser solid forming(LSF)with a quenching-tempering(QT) treatment. Tempering of bainite is mainly by solid phase transformation in the previous LSF layers during the LSF process. The stable microstructure of LSF consists of ferrite and fine carbides. The microstructure transfers to tempered sorbite after heat-treatment. The tensile properties of the LSF steel meet those of the wrought standard. The UTS and elongation of LSF sample at 858 MPa, 19.2%, respectively, are greater than those of the wrought. The QT treatment enhanced the ultimate tensile strength and yield strength of the LSF sample. The ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, reduction in area, and elongation of the LSF+QT sample at 980 MPa, 916 MPa, 58.9%, and 13.9%,respectively, are greater than those of the wrought standard. The yield strength of the LSF+QT sample is approximately 1.27 times that of the wrought. The LSF samples failed in a ductile fracture mode, while the LSF+QT samples showed mixed-mode failure. The defects have only a small effect on the tensile properties owing to the excellent ductility of the LSF sample.

Effect of Nb-V Microalloying on Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of Medium Carbon Non-Quenched and Tempered Steel

Based on optical microscope(OM),transmission electron microscope(TEM) and mechanical performance measurement,the microstructures and mechanical properties of Nb-V micro-alloying non-quenched and tempered steels have been studied.The results showed that the microstructure consists of ferrite and pearlite,in which there exists a lot of intragranular ferrite.Niobium carbide is the main form of carbonitrides,Nb-enriched carbonitrides refine grains,V-enriched carbonitrides have precipitation strengthening effect,which promotes the toughness of the studied steel.The mechanical properties for steels 1,2 and 3 have met the standards required by high load automobile crankshaft,in which the comprehensive property for No.2 is the best.

Microstructural Evolution and Properties of a High Strength Steel with Different Direct Quenching Processes

A high strength low alloy steel with low carbon equivalent was selected for simulating online direct quench- ing and coiling （DQ-C） process. The influence of stop quenching temperature on mechanical properties and micro- structures was studied and compared with normal direct quenching and tempering （DQ-T） process. The study con- firmed that required mechanical properties were obtained for both the processes. Properties of the experimental steel with DQ-C process could reach the same level as that of DQ-T process in general. In the DQ-C process, strength de- creased with increase in stop quenching temperature. Martensite was obtained and experienced an aging process at stop quenching temperature below Mi. On fast cooling below Mi, martensite was partially transformed and carbon partitioning occurred during slow cooling. The reduction in solid solution carbon and increased amount of retained austenite led to lower strength compared with the DQ-T process. DQ-C process was more favorable for microalloy carbide precipitation. However, impact toughness under different cooling conditions was adequate because of low car- bon equivalent and refined microstructure.

Effect of tempering on carbides and hydrogen embrittlement in E690 high strength marine structural steel

The effect of tempering on carbides and hydrogen embrittlement in E690 high strength marine structural steel has been investigated.The steel was tempered at 600℃ for 1–3 h.Detailed characterization was carried out to characterize the microstructure,especially the dislocation density and grain size.The hydrogen permeation test and thermal desorption spectroscopy test were also implemented.The dislocation density decreases,the amount of carbide increases,and carbides(M_(23)C_(6) and MX)coarsen with the tempering time increasing.After tempered at 600℃ for 3 h,the diffusible hydrogen trapped by lattice and dislocation decreases while the non-diffusible hydrogen trapped by carbides increases,leading to the best hydrogen embrittlement resistance,although hydrogen diffuses rapidly due to the reduction of dislocation density.And the fracture mode changes from a combination of brittle cleavage and ductile dimpled fracture to fully ductile dimple fracture under hydrogen charging condition.Moreover,a phenomenon that hydrogen accelerates the dislocations movement of the steel during deformation was observed,which is related to the fact that hydrogen enhanced localized plasticity mechanism.

Effect of low-temperature tempering on the mechanical properties of cold-rolled martensitic steel

Cold-rolled martensitic steel is an important type of advanced high-strength steel for automobile production.With martensite as its primary microstructure constituent, martensitic steel possesses exceptional high strength despite its low alloy content.As the strength of cold-rolled martensitic steel increases, the martensite and carbon content also increases, leading to a decrease in bending properties and toughness.In this paper, the effect of various tempering parameters on the bending property and impact toughness of a quenched cold-rolled martensitic steel sheet was studied.It is found that after quenching, the ductility and impact toughness of the experimental steel are improved using low-temperature heat treatment.The optimal tempering conditions for ductility and toughness are analyzed.

回火温度对易焊接80 kg级高强钢组织和力学性能的影响

研究了不同回火温度对80 kg级直接淬火钢组织和性能的影响。结果表明:直接淬火钢具有较高的强韧性组合和高温回火抗性,当回火温度在450~650℃时,试验钢仍然保持板条状马氏体的形状和位向,随着回火温度升高,板条发生粗化,伴随着残余奥氏体的分解和碳化物的析出和长大等过程。当回火温度为700℃时,试验钢发生较高程度的再结晶,性能明显恶化。当回火温度为650℃时,试验钢具有最佳的综合力学性能,屈服强度为795 MPa,抗拉强度为821 MPa,断后伸长率为20.6%,标准试样-20℃冲击功为195 J。

回火温度对2%Mn高强钢组织和性能的影响

高强度高塑性是先进高强钢发展的方向,本工作以2%Mn钢为研究对象,通过控制回火温度实现高强度高塑性最佳匹配,并采用SEM、TEM、XRD等技术分析影响2%Mn高强钢组织和力学性能的机制。结果表明:2%Mn高强钢经珠光体区等温退火后组织为铁素体、珠光体、低碳马氏体和残余奥氏体;随着回火温度升高,残余奥氏体体积分数由退火态的6.78%持续降低至425℃回火态的2.55%,回火温度继续升高,残余奥氏体体积分数基本不变,维持在稳定水平;随着回火温度升高,铁素体含量持续增加,位错密度、抗拉强度、屈服强度、硬度持续降低,延伸率先增加后降低;2%Mn钢经425℃回火后,铁素体平均板条宽度为95.1 nm,位错密度为2.6×10^(14)m^(-2),碳化物平均直径为13.9 nm,抗拉强度为1770 MPa,屈服强度为1450 MPa,伸长率为9.84%,强塑积达到最大值17.4 GPa·%。

一种提高45钢力学性能的热处理工艺

研究了提高45钢力学性能的高压调质热处理工艺。采用光学显微镜、硬度计和电子万能试验机观察和测试了该工艺处理后45钢的组织和力学性能,并与相同工艺常规热处理的样品相比较。结果表明:该工艺有效提高了45钢的力学性能,在4 GPa压力作用下,经900℃保温15 min处理后再经550℃保温40 min回火处理,45钢的硬度和压缩屈服强度分别为36.5 HRC和928 MPa,较同工艺常压调质处理的分别提高了17.74%和16.88%。

退火温度对淬火配分后热轧高强钢显微组织和力学性能的影响

将热轧高强钢升温至不同温度(780,810,840,870℃)保温退火600s后进行200℃×60s淬火+410℃×300s配分处理,研究了退火温度对其显微组织和力学性能的影响。结果表明:随着退火温度升高,淬火配分后试验钢中铁素体和马奥岛含量减少,回火马氏体、残余奥氏体和贝氏体含量增加;随着退火温度升高,抗拉强度先减小后增大,屈服强度、断后伸长率、屈强比和冲击吸收功均先增大后减小;840℃退火温度下淬火配分后试验钢的强度、塑性和韧性匹配优异,抗拉强度(830MPa)较大,屈服强度(585MPa)、断后伸长率(39.6%)、屈强比(0.70)和冲击吸收功(-20,-40℃环境下分别为28.35,27.69kJ)最大。

薄规格高强度工程机械用钢板在线淬火工艺开发

通过对薄规格高强度工程机械用钢研发过程中的技术难题进行了分析,并有针对性采取了措施,使得20~29 mm厚度钢板在线淬火工艺得以成功应用。通过对轧制道次的优化提高了轧制板形、通过冷却单元上下水比、边部遮挡优化保证了冷却的均有性,通过钢板头部跟踪位置优化解决了头部过冷问题,为水冷后板形的改善创造了条件。通过头尾遮挡参数及热处理回火工艺优化,保证了钢板性能的均匀性,实现了薄规格钢板的短流程生产,取得了较好的经济效益和社会效益。

深层页岩气用高强度套管强韧性研究

为满足井深大于3 500 m的页岩气开发用高强度套管的强韧性要求,对试验用套管钢在不同热处理条件下的强韧性变化、显微组织演变及微观断裂机制等进行试验研究。试验结果表明:该试验钢的最佳热处理工艺条件为920℃保温45 min后淬火,660℃保温60~90 min后回火,其屈服强度≥1 000 MPa、-10℃横向冲击功≥80 J,可满足T/CPSI 01301—2022标准对140钢级的要求,具有最佳的强韧性匹配。随着回火温度升高及回火保温时间延长,晶界、板条内及板条界等位置上析出碳化物发生球化、聚集及粗化演变,断口形貌特征逐渐转变为准解理、撕裂棱及二次裂纹,进而演变成大小韧窝和少量二次裂纹特征,造成了试验钢的强韧性差异。