An Experimental Artificial Neural Network Model:Investigating and Predicting Effects of Quenching Process on Residual Stresses of AISI 1035 Steel Alloy

The present study establishes a new estimation model using an artificial neural network(ANN) to predict the mechanical properties of the AISI 1035 alloy.The experiments were designed based on the L16 orthogonal array of the Taguchi method.A proposed numerical model for predicting the correlation of mechanical properties was supplemented with experimental data.The quenching process was conducted using a cooling medium called “nanofluids”.Nanoparticles were dissolved in a liquid phase at various concentrations(0.5%,1%,2.5%,and 5% vf) to prepare the nanofluids.Experimental investigations were done to assess the impact of temperature,base fluid,volume fraction,and soaking time on the mechanical properties.The outcomes showed that all conditions led to a noticeable improvement in the alloy's hardness which reached 100%,the grain size was refined about 80%,and unwanted residual stresses were removed from 50 to 150 MPa.Adding 5% of CuO nanoparticles to oil led to the best grain size refinement,while adding 2.5% of Al_(2)O_(3) nanoparticles to engine oil resulted in the greatest compressive residual stress.The experimental variables were used as the input data for the established numerical ANN model,and the mechanical properties were the output.Upwards of 99% of the training network's correlations seemed to be positive.The estimated result,nevertheless,matched the experimental dataset exactly.Thus,the ANN model is an effective tool for reflecting the effects of quenching conditions on the mechanical properties of AISI 1035.

Temperature and stress fields in electron beam welded Ti-15-3 alloy to 304 stainless steel joint with copper interlayer sheet

Electron beam welding of Ti-15-3 alloy to 304 stainless steel （STS） using a copper filler metal was carried out. The temperature fields and stress distributions in the Ti/Fe and Ti/Cu/Fe joint during the welding process were numerically simulated and experimentally measured. The results show that the rotated parabola body heat source is fit for the simulation of the electron beam welding. The temperature distribution is asymmetric along the weld center and the temperature in the titanium alloy plate is higher than that in the 304 STS plate. The thermal stress also appears to be in asymmetric distribution. The residual tensile stress mainly exists in the weld at the 304 STS side. The copper filler metal decreases the peak temperature and temperature grade in the joint as well as the residual stress. The longitudinal and lateral residual tensile strengths reduce by 66 MPa and 31 MPa, respectively. From the temperature and residual stress, it is concluded that copper is a good filler metal candidate for the electron beam welding of Ti-15-3 titanium alloy to 304 stainless steel.

Effect of hydrogen on the stress corrosion cracking behavior of X80 pipeline steel in Ku'erle soil simulated solution

Hydrogen was a key factor resulting in stress corrosion cracking （SCC） of X80 pipeline steel in Ku＇erle soil simulated solution. In this article, the effect of hydrogen on the SCC susceptibility of X80 steel was investigated further by slow strain rate tensile test, the surface fractures were observed using scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and the fracture mechanism of SCC was discussed. The results indicate that hydrogen increases the SCC susceptibility. The SEM micrographs of hydrogen precharged samples presents a brittle quasi-cleavage feature, and pits facilitate the transgranular crack initiation. In the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy （EIS） measurement, the decreased polarization resistance and the pitting resistance of samples with hydrogen indicate that hydrogen increases the dissolution rate and deteriorates the pitting corrosion resistance. The potentiodynamic polarization curves present that hydrogen also accelerates the dissolution rate of the crack tip.

Effects of Temperature and Pressure on Stress Corrosion Cracking Behavior of 310S Stainless Steel in Chloride Solution

310S is an austenitic stainless steel for high temperature applications, having strong resistance of oxidation, hydrogen embrittlement and corrosion. Stress corrosion cracking（SCC） is the main corrosion failure mode for 310S stainless steel. Past researched about SCC of 310S primarily focus on the corrosion mechanism and influence of temperature and corrosive media, but few studies concern the combined influence of temperature, pressure and chloride. on SCC of 310S stainless steel, prepared samples are investigated via For a better understanding of temperature and pressure＇s effects slow strain rate tensile test（SSRT） in different temperature and pressure in NACE A solution. The result shows that the SCC sensibility indexes of 310S stainless steel increase with the rise of temperature and reach maximum at 10MPa and 160~C, increasing by 22.3% compared with that at 10 MPa and 80 ℃. Instead, the sensibility decreases with the pressure up. Besides, the fractures begin to transform from the ductile fracture to the brittle fracture with the increase of temperature. 310S stainless steel has an obvious tendency of stress corrosion at 10MPa and 160℃ and the fracture surface exists cleavage steps, river patterns and some local secondary cracks, having obvious brittle fracture characteristics. The SCC cracks initiate from inclusions and tiny pits in the matrix and propagate into the matrix along the cross section gradually until rupture. In particular, the oxygen and chloride play an important role on the SCC of 310S stainless steel in NACE A solution. The chloride damages passivating film, causing pitting corrosion, concentrating in the cracks and accelerated SSC ultimately. The research reveals the combined influence of temperature, pressure and chloride on the SCC of 310S, which can be a guide to the application of 310S stainless steel in super-heater tube.

Stress corrosion cracking of X80 pipeline steel exposed to high pH solutions with different concentrations of bicarbonate

Susceptibilities to stress corrosion cracking （SCC） of X80 pipeline steel in high pH solutions with various concentrations of HC03 at a passive potential of-0.2 V vs. SCE were investigated by slow strain rate tensile （SSRT） test. The SCC mechanism and the effect of HC03 were discussed with the aid of electrochemical techniques. It is indicated that X80 steel shows enhunced susceptibility to SCC with the concentration of HCO3 increasing from 0.15 to 1.00 mol/L, and the susceptibility can be evaluated in terms of current density at -0.2 V vs. SCE. The SCC behavior is controlled by the dissolution-based mechanism in these circumstances. Increasing the concentration of HCO3 not only increases the risk of rupture of passive films but also promotes the anodic dissolution of crack tips. Besides, little susceptibility to SCC is found in dilute solution containing 0.05 mol/L HCO3 for X80 steel. This can be attributed to the inhibited repassivation of passive films, manifesting as a more intensive dissolution in the non-crack tip areas than at the crack tips.

Stress-strain partitioning analysis of constituent phases in dual phase steel based on the modified law of mixture

A more accurate estimation of stress-strain relationships for martensite and ferrite was developed, and the modified law of mixture was used to investigate the stress-strain partitioning of constituent phases in dual phase （DP） steels with two different martensite volume fractions. The results show that there exist great differences in the stress-strain contribution of martensite and ferrite to DP steel. The stress-strain partitioning coefficient is not constant in the whole strain range, but decreases with increasing the true strain of DP steel. The softening effect caused by the dilution of carbon concentration in martensite with the increase of martensite volume fraction has great influence on the strain contribution of martensite. The strain ratio of ferrite to martensite almost linearly increases with increasing the true strain of DP steel when the martensite volume fraction is 22%, because martensite always keeps elastic. But the strain ratio of ferrite to martensite varies indistinctively with the further increase in true strain of DP steel above 0.034 when the martensite volume fraction is 50%, because plastic deformation happens in martensite. The stress ratio ofmartensite to ferrite decreases monotonously with increasing the true strain of DP steel whether the martensite volume fraction is 22% or 50%.

Stress Corrosion Cracking of Nitrogen-containing Stainless Steel 316LN in High Temperature Water Environments

Stress corrosion cracking （SCC） of stainless steels and Ni-based alloys in high temperature water coolant is one of the key problems affecting the safe operation of nuclear power plants （NPPs）. The nitrogen-added stainless steel is a kind of possible candidate materials for mitigating SCC since reducing the carbon content and adding nitrogen to offset the loss in strength caused by the decrease in carbon content can mitigate the problem of sensitization. However, the reports of SCC of nitrogen-added stainless steels in high temperature water are few available. The effects of applied potential and sensitization treatment on the SCC of a newly developed nitrogen-containing stainless steel （SS） 316LN in high temperature water doped with chloride at 250 ℃ were studied by using slow strain rate tests （SSRTs）. The SSRT results are compared with our data previously published for 316 SS without nitrogen and 304NG SS with nitrogen, and the possible mechanism affecting the SCC behaviors of the studied steels is also discussed based on SSRT and microstucture analysis results. The susceptibility to cracking of 316LN SS normally increases with increasing potential. The susceptibility to SCC of 316LN SS was less than that of 316 SS and 304NG SS. Sensitization treatment at 700℃ for 30 h showed little effect on the S CC of 316LN S S and significant effect on the S CC of 316 S S. The predominant cracking mode for the 316LN S S in both annealed state and the state after the sensitization treatment was transgranular. The presented conditions of mitigating stress corrosion cracking are some useful information for the safe use of 316LN SS in NPPs.

EFFECTS OF STRESS RATIO AND FREQUENCY ON CORROSION FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH MECHANISM IN LOW ALLOY STEELS

Based on theoretical analysis about local strain,strain rate and dissolving rate at crack tip, the corrosion fatigue crack growth rate of steels ZG20SiMn and SM50B-Zc in fresh water and 3.5% NaCl solution were measured experimentally,and the PH and electrode potential within crack were also measured continuously along with crack propagating.It showed that the increase of crack growth rate,caused by both decreasing frequency and raising stress ratio,was mainly accelerated by hydrogen embrittlement.

3D stress simulation and parameter design during twin-roll casting of 304 stainless steel based on the Anand model

This study first investigated cracks on the surface of an actual steel strip. Formulating the Anand model in ANSYS software, we then simulated the stress field in the molten pool of type 304 stainless steel during the twin-roll casting process. Parameters affecting the stress distribution in the molten pool were analyzed in detail and optimized. After twin-roll casting, a large number of transgranular and intergranular cracks resided on the surface of the thin steel strip, and followed a tortuous path. In the molten pool, stress was enhanced at the exit and at the roller contact positions. The stress at the exit decreased with increasing casting speed and pouring temperature. To ensure high quality of the fabricated strips, the casting speed and pouring temperature should be controlled above 0.7 m/s and 1520℃, respectively.

Effects of laser heat treatment on the fracture morphologies of X80 pipeline steel welded joints by stress corrosion

The surfaces of X80 pipeline steel welded joints were processed with a CO2 laser, and the effects of laser heat treatment （LHT） on H2S stress corrosion in the National Association of Corrosion Engineers （NACE） solution were analyzed by a slow strain rate test. The fracture morphologies and chemical components of corrosive products before and after LHT were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy, respectively, and the mechanism of LHT on stress corrosion cracking was discussed. Results showed that the fracture for welded joints was brittle in its original state, while it was transformed to a ductile fracture after LHT. The tendencies of hydrogen-induced corrosion were reduced, and the stress corrosion sensitivity index decreased from 35.2% to 25.3%, indicating that the stress corrosion resistance of X80 pipeline steel welded joints has been improved by LHT.

Multiaxial Fatigue Analyses of Stress Joints for Deepwater Steel Catenary Risers

In the present study, the dynamic and fatigue characteristics of two types of stress joints are investigated under ocean environmental condition. Connected with the riser and the platform, stress joint at the vessel hang-off position should be one of the main critical design challenges for a steel catenary riser （SCR） in deepwater. When the riser is under a high pressure and deepwater working condition, the stress state for the joint is more complex, and the fatigue damage is easy to occur at this position. Stress joint discussed in this paper includes two types： Tapered Stress Joint （TSJ） and Sleeved Stress Joint （SSJ）, and multiaxial fatigue analysis results are given for comparison. Global dynamic analysis for an SCR is performed first, and then the local boundary conditions obtained from the previous analysis are applied to the stress joint FE model for the later dynamic and multiaxial fatigue analysis. Results indicate that the stress level is far lower than the yield limit of material and the damage induced by fatigue needs more attention. Besides, the damage character of the two types of stress joints differs： for TSJ, the place where the stress joint connects with the riser is easy to occur fatigue damage; for SSJ, the most probable position is at the place where the end of the inner sleeve pipe contacts with the riser body. Compared with SSJ, TSJ shows a higher stress level but better fatigue performance, and it will have a higher material cost. In consideration of various factors, designers should choose the most suitable type and also geometric parameters.

Effect of deteriorated microstructures on stress corrosion cracking of X70 pipeline steel in acidic soil environment

In order to investigate stress corrosion cracking （SCC） of X70 pipeline steel and its weld joint area in acidic soil environ- ment in China, two simulating methods were used： one was to obtain bad microstructures in heat affected zone by annealing at 1300 ℃ for 10 min and then, quenching in water; the other was to get different simulating solutions of acidic soil in Yingtan in south- east China. The SCC susceptibilities of X70 pipeline steel before and after quenching in the simulating solutions were analyzed using slow stain rate test （SSRT） and potentiodynamic polarization technique to investigate the SCC electrochemical mechanism of different microstructures further. The results show that SCC appears in the original microstructure and the quenched microstructure as the polarization potential decreases. Hydrogen revolution accelerates SCC of the two tested materials within the range of-850 mV to -1200 mV vs. SCE. Microstructural hardening and grain coarsening also increase SCC. The SCC mechanisms are different, anodic dissolution is the key of causing SCC as the polarization potential is higher than the null current potential, and hydrogen embrittlement will play a more important role to SCC as the polarization potential lower than the null current potential.

Distribution of Welding Residual Stress of Mixed Steel U-Rib-Stiffened Plates

To analyze the effects of width and thickness of each composition element of mixed steel U-rib-stiffened plates on the welding residual stress distribution, the distribution of the U-rib and the plate residual stress was calculated using a simplified calculation method. The method involved welding the mixed steel U-rib-stiffened plates for a structure with different sizes and different strength ratios of U-rib to plate. Based on a welding residual stress numerical simulation method validated by the blind hole method test, the distribution law of the mixed steel U-rib stiffened plate was studied. The results showed that the change of plate width has little impact on the welding residual stress and that the ratio of the thicknesses of the plate to U-rib stiffeners, the thickness of the plate, and the thickness of the U-rib has a great influence on the distribution of the welding residual stress. The thickness of plate and steel strength also greatly influenced the distribution width of the residual tensile stress. While analyzing the compression capacity of U-rib-stiffened plates, the simplified distribution of welding residual stress was used.

Characterization of stress corrosion crack growth of 304 stainless steel by electrochemical noise and scanning Kelvin probe

The fatigue pre-cracking 304 stainless steel （SS） specimens with lengths of 1.002 mm （L-crack） and 0.575 mm （S-crack） were prepared. Their corrosion behavior was studied by electrochemical noise （EN） in 4 mol/L NaC1 ＋ 0.01 mol/L Na2S203 solution under slow-strain-rate-testing （SSRT） conditions. Moreover, the characteristics of L-crack＇s surface morphology and potential distribution with scanning Kelvin probe （SKP） before and after SSRT were also discussed. Compared with S-crack, L-crack is propagated and the features of crack propagation can be obtained. After propagation, the noise amplitudes increase with increasing stress and accelerating corrosion, the white noises at low and high frequencies （WE and WH） of the later stage are one order of magnitude larger than that at early stage in the current power spectral densities （PSDs）. The potential PSDs also increase, but WH disappears. In addition, the crack propagation can be demonstrated according to variation of probability distribution, surface morphology and potential distribution.

The Enrichment of Chloride Anion in the Occluded Cell and Its Effect on Stress Corrosion Crack of 304 Stainless Steel in Low Chloride Concentration Solution

The enrichment of chloride anion within the occluded cell （OC） for Type 304 austenitic stainless steel in low chloride concentration solution has been investigated by means of a simulated OC. The influence of the enrichment of chloride anion on stress corrosion crack （SCC） of Type 304 stainless steel has been studied. It was observed that the amount of chloride anion migration was proportional to the charge flowing through the anode. Owning to the effects of enrichment of chloride anion, low chloride concentration solution could induce SCC for Type 304 stainless steel.

Simulation of ductile fracture initiation in steels using a stress triaxiality-shear stress coupled model

Micromechanics-based models provide powerful tools to predict initiation of ductile fracture in steels. A new criterion is presented herein to study the process of ductile fracture when the effects of both stress triaxiality and shear stress on void growth and coalescence are considered. Finite-element analyses of two different kinds of steel, viz. ASTM A992 and AISI 1045, were carried out to monitor the history of stress and strain states and study the methodology for determining fracture initiation. Both the new model and void growth model (VGM) were calibrated for both kinds of steel and their accuracy for predicting fracture initiation evaluated. The results indicated that both models offer good accuracy for predicting fracture of A992 steel. However, use of the VGM leads to a significant deviation for 1045 steel, while the new model presents good performance for predicting fracture over a wide range of stress triaxiality while capturing the effect of shear stress on fracture initiation.

Residual stress and welding distortion of Al/steel butt joint by arc-assisted laser welding-brazing

The thermo-elastic.plastic finite element method(FEM)is used to simulate the thermo-mechanical behavior of Al/steel tungsten inert gas(TIG)arc-assisted laser welding-brazing(A-LWB)butt joint.The influence of material nonlinearity,geometrical nonlinearity and work hardening on the welding process is studied,and the differences in the welding temperature field,residual stress and welding distortion by A-LWB and by single laser welding-brazing(SLWB)are analyzed.The results show that the thermal cycle,residual stress distribution and welding distortion by the numerical simulation are in good agreement with the measured data by experiments,which verifies the effectiveness of FEM.Compared with the SLWB,A-LWB can make the high-temperature distribution zone of weld in width direction wider,decrease the transverse tensile stress in the weld and reduce the distribution range of longitudinal tensile stress.And the welding deformation also decreases to some extent.

PREDICTION OF FLOW STRESS OF HIGH-SPEED STEEL DURING HOT DEFORMATION BY USING BP ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK

The hot deformation behavior of TI (18W-4Cr-1V) high-speed steel was investigated by means of continuous compression tests performed on Gleeble 1500 thermomechan- ical simulator in a wide range of tempemtures (950℃-1150℃) with strain rotes of 0.001s-1-10s-1 and true strains of 0-0. 7. The flow stress at the above hot defor- mation conditions is predicted by using BP artificial neural network. The architecture of network includes there are three input parameters:strain rate,temperature T and true strain , and just one output parameter, the flow stress ,2 hidden layers are adopted, the first hidden layer includes 9 neurons and second 10 negroes. It has been verified that BP artificial neural network with 3-9-10-1 architecture can predict flow stress of high-speed steel during hot deformation very well. Compared with the prediction method of flow stress by using Zaped-Holloman parumeter and hyperbolic sine stress function, the prediction method by using BP artificial neurul network has higher efficiency and accuracy.

Hot deformation behaviors and flow stress model of GCr15 bearing steel

The hot deformation behaviors of GCr15 bearing steel were investigated by isothermal compression tests, performed on a Gleeble-3800 thermal-mechanical simulator at temperatures between 950 ℃ and 1 150 ℃ and strain rates between 0.1 and 10 s-1. The peak stress and peak strain as functions of processing parameters were obtained. The dependence of peak stress on strain rate and temperature obeys a hyperbolic sine equation with a Zener-Hollomon parameter. By regression analysis, in the temperature range of 950-1 150 ℃ and strain rate range of 0.1?10 s?1, the mean activation energy and the stress exponent were determined to be 351kJ/mol and 4.728, respectively. Meanwhile, models of flow stress and dynamic recrystallization (DRX) grain size were also established. The model predictions show good agreement with experimental results.

Effect of cathodic potential on stress corrosion cracking behavior of 21Cr2NiMo steel in simulated seawater

This study aims at providing systematically insights to clarify the impact of cathodic polarization on the stress corrosion cracking(SCC)behavior of 21 Cr2 NiMo steel.Slow-strain-rate tensile tests demonstrated that 21 Cr2 NiMo steel is highly sensitive to hydrogen embrittlement at strong cathodic polarization.The lowest SCC susceptibility occurred at-775 mV vs.SCE,whereas the SCC susceptibility was remarkably higher at potentials below-950 mV vs.SCE.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and electron backscattered diffraction(EBSD)revealed that the cathodic potential decline caused a transition from transgranular to intergranular mode in the fracture path.The intergranular mode transformed from bainite boundaries separation to prior austenitic grain boundaries separation under stronger cathodic polarization.Furthermore,corrosion pits promoted the nucleation of SCC cracks.In conclusion,with the decrease in the applied potential,the SCC mechanism transformed from the combination of hydrogen embrittlement and anodic dissolution to typical hydrogen embrittlement.