Improvement of Toughness of Ultrahigh Strength Steel Aermet 100

The influence of double aging on the microstructure and mechanical properties of ultrahigh strength steel Aermet 100 was analyzed. Under the double aging, there is no apparent decrease in the strength of steel. However, the impact fatigue life can be prolonged by 35.5% and dynamic fracture toughness be raised by 22.6% respectively, as compared with the normal aging. Based on the observation of microscopic structure, the physical mechanism of the prolongation of impact fatigue life and the enhancement of stability of the reverted austenite, AR, is analyzed further. The results show that this new technique is a breakthrough of combination optimization between strength and toughness for Aermet 100 steel. In the light of the current understanding on this subject, the volume fracture of soften and tough AR formed in process of heat preservation at higher temperature of double aging increases drastically. Moreover, during the treatment of lower temperature of double aging, the carbon separating from the martensitic ferrite will diffuse into AR, resulting that the martensitic brittleness decreases and the stability of AR increases.

Effects of Si on the stability of retained austenite and temper embrittlement of ultrahigh strength steels

Effects of silicon （Si） content on the stability of retained austenite and temper embrittlement of ultrahigh strength steels were investigated using X-ray diffraction （XRD）,transmission electron microscopy （TEM）,and other experimental methods.The results show that Si can suppress temper embrittlement,improve temper resistance,and hinder the decomposition of retained austenite.Reversed austenite appears gradually with the increase of Si content during tempering.Si has a significant effect on enhancing carbon （C） partitioning and improving the stability of retained austenite.Si and C atoms are mutually exclusive in lath bainite,while they attract each other in austenite.ε-carbides are found in 1.8wt% Si steel tempered at 250℃,and they get coarsened obviously when tempered at 400℃,leading to temper embrittlement.Not ε-carbides but acicular or lath carbides lead to temper embrittlement in 0.4wt% Si steel,which can be inferred as cementites and composite compounds.Temper embrittlement is closely related to the decomposition of retained austenite and the formation of reversed austenite.

High-cycle Fatigue Fracture Behavior of Ultrahigh Strength Steels

The fatigue fracture behavior of four ultrahigh strength steels with different melting processes and therefore different inclusion sizes were studied by using a rotating bar two-point bending fatigue machine in the high-cycle regime up to 107 cycles of loading. The fracture surfaces were observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy （FESEM）. It was found that the size of inclusion has significant effect on the fatigue behavior. For AtSI 4340 steel in which the inclusion size is smaller than 5.5 μm, all the fatigue cracks except one did not initiated from inclusion but from specimen surface and conventional S-N curve exists. For 65Si2MnWE and Aermet 100 steels in which the average inclusion sizes are 12.2 and 14.9 μm, respectively, fatigue cracks initiated from inclusions at lower stress amplitudes and stepwise S-N curves were observed. The S-N curve displays a continuous decline and fatigue failures originated from large oxide inclusion for 60Si2CrVA steel in which the average inclusion size is 44.4 pro. In the case of internal inclusion-induced fractures at cycles beyond about 1×10^6 for 65Si2MnWE and 60Si2CrVA steels, inclusion was always found inside the fish-eye and a granular bright facet （GBF） was observed in the vicinity around the inclusion. The GBF sizes increase with increasing the number of cycles to failure Nf in the long-life regime. The values of stress intensity factor range at crack initiation site for the GBF are almost constant with Nf, and are almost equal to that for the surface inclusion and the internal inclusion at cycles lower than about 1×10^6. Neither fish-eye nor GBF was observed for Aermet 100 steel in the present study.

ON THE STRENGTHENING MECHANISM OF HIGH Co-Ni ULTRAHIGH STRENGTH STEEL

In this paper, the microstructure and strengthening mechanism of 23NiCo steel were studied by transmission electron microscopy and atom-probe field-ion microscopy. The results show that the peak strength obtained when the steel is tempered at 440455℃is due to the precipitation of coherent zones of fine carbides.The peak in toughness attained at the absence of cementite and the formation of reverted and stable austenite.Tempering at higher temperatures resulted in loss of both strength and toughness. The drop of the strength of the steel tempered at high temperature is due to precipitation coarsening and loss of coherence with the matrix.

Role of extrusion rate on the microstructure and tensile properties evolution of ultrahigh-strength low-alloy Mg-1.0Al-1.0Ca-0.4Mn(wt.%)alloy

Mg-1.0Al-1.0Ca-0.4Mn(AXM1104, wt.%) low alloy was extruded at 200 ℃ with an extrusion ratio of 25 and different ram speeds from 1.0 to 7.0 mm/s. The influence of extrusion rate on microstructure and mechanical properties of the AXM1104 alloy was systematically studied. With the increasing of extrusion rate, the mean dynamically recrystallized(DRXed) grain size of the low alloy and average particles diameter of precipitate second phases were increased, while the degree of grain boundary segregation and the intensity of the basal fiber texture were decreased. With the rising of extrusion rate from 1.0 to 7.0 mm/s, the tensile yield strength(TYS) of the as-extruded AXM1104 alloy was decreased from 445 MPa to 249 MPa, while the elongation to failure(EL) was increased from 5.0% to 17.6%. The TYS, ultimate tensile strength(UTS) and EL of the AXM1104 alloy extruded at the ram speed of 1.5 mm/s was 412 MPa, 419 MPa and 12.0%, respectively,exhibiting comprehensive tensile mechanical properties with ultra-high strength and excellent plasticity. The ultra-high TYS of 412 MPa was mainly due to the strengthening from ultra-fine DRXed grains with segregation of solute atoms at grain boundaries. The strain hardening rate is increase slightly with increasing extrusion speed, which may be ascribed to the increasing mean DRXed grain size with rising extrusion speed. The higher strain hardening rate contributes to the higher EL of these AXM1104 samples extruded at higher ram speed.

Hierarchical structure and deformation behavior of a novel multicomponent β titanium alloy with ultrahigh strength

Based on the general [Mo] equivalent criterion and d-electron orbital theory, a new ultrahigh-strength βtitanium alloy with eight major elements(Ti-4.5Al-6.5Mo-2Cr-2.6Nb-2Zr-2Sn-1V, TB17) for industrial applications was developed. An ingot of five tons was successfully melted by thrice vacuum consumable arc melting. The microstructure and elements partitioning of different conditions were investigated systematically. The results suggest that the hierarchical structures of micro-scale first α phase(αf), nano-scale secondary α phase(αs), and ultrafine FCC substructures can be tailored by solution plus aging(STA) heat treatment. The lateral and epitaxial growth of αfphase promotes the HCP-α to FCC substructure transformation with the help of elements partitioning during the aging process. Moreover, the element V, generally regarded as β stabilizer, is found to mainly concentrate in the Al-rich αfphase in this study probably due to its relatively lower content and the strong bonding energy of Al-V. The hierarchical structure has a strong interaction with dislocations, which contributes to achieve a superhigh strength of 1376 MPa.In addition, the plastic strain is partitioned in the multi-scale precipitates(such as the α and FCC substructures) and β matrix, resulting in a considerable plasticity. TEM observation demonstrates that high density entangled dislocations at interfaces and mechanical twins exist in the STA sample after tensile test. It can be deduced that both dislocation slipping and twinning mechanisms are present in this alloy.Therefore, TB17 alloy can serve as an excellent candidate for structural materials on aircrafts that require high strength and lightweight.

Microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of an ultrahighstrength Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy via powder metallurgy and hot extrusion

In this work,a novel ultrahigh-strength Al-10Zn-3.5Mg-1.5Cu alloy was fabricated by powder metallurgy followed by hot extrusion.Investigations on microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of the fabricated samples were carried out.The results show that the grain size of sintered samples matches with the powder particles after ball milling.The relative densities of sintered and hot extruded samples reach 99.1%and 100%,respectively.Owing to the comprehensive mechanism of grain refinement,aging and dispersion strengthening,the ultimate tensile strength,yield strength and elongation of the Al-10Zn-3.5Mg-1.5Cu alloy after hot extrusion and subsequent heat treatment achieve 810 MPa,770 MPa and 8%,respectively.

Austenite/martensite structure and corresponding ultrahigh strength and high ductility of steels processed by Q&P techniques

The microstructure of steels treated by Q&P(quenching and partitioning) process was characterized,a method of controlling retained austenite fraction based on inhomogeneous martensitic transformation was proposed,and the mechanical properties of steels treated by Q&P process were measured.The results show that the microstructure of the studied steels is mainly composed of initial martensite,fresh martensite and retained austenite.The initial marteniste formed at the first quenching step is easily etched;the fresh martensite formed at the final quenching step looks like 'blocky' type phase,and the retained austenite is mainly located on the packet boundary and initial austenite grain boundary.The inhomogeneous microstructure causes the experimental optimum quenching temperature corresponding to maximum retained austenite fraction to be higher than the calculation based on CPE(constrained paraequilibrium) model.The product of tensile strength and total tensile elongation is 47.5 GPa%,and tensile strength of 1760 MPa was obtained for the steel with carbon content of 0.51 wt%.The TRIP(transformation induced plasticity) effects of the large fractioned metastable austenite make a main contribution to the high ductility improvement,and the martensitic matrix provides high strength.

Characterization of( Nb,Ti,Mo) C Precipitates in an Ultrahigh Strength Martensitic Steel

A study on ultrahigh strength steel plate subjected to novel thermo-mechanical control process was presented. The mechanical properties examination showed that the investigated steel exhibited excellent combination of ultra-high strength（ 2 200 MPa） and toughness（ 26 J）. The microstructure of the experimental steel was observed by scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope. Desired martensitic lath with width of about 180- 250 nm was obtained. Nanostructured carbide precipitates with sizes of 20-50 nm,which contained Nb,Ti and Mo,were observed in the lath martensitic microstructure,and confirmed to be MC-type carbides with B1 structure by means of selected area electron diffraction.The compositional characteristics revealed by energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer mapping implied that the carbide forming elements Nb,Ti and Mo distributed in the precipitates evenly. Three-dimensional atom probe tomography reconstruction further indicated that Mo incorporated into the precipitates without enrichment in the carbide-matrix interface and probably substituted for Nb and Ti to form the（ Nb,Ti,Mo） C carbides.

Strain-induced formation of a gradient nanostructured surface layer on an ultrahigh strength bearing steel

In the present work, an ultrahigh strength bearing steel（AISI 52100） was subjected to surface mechanical rolling treatment（SMRT） at room temperature. Microstructural observations showed that martensitic laths, twins and cementite particles in the initial microstructure underwent distinct plastic strains and were gradually refined into nanostructures. Consequently, a gradient nanostructured（GNS） surface layer with a mean grain size of -24 nm at the top surface was obtained on the bearing steel, resulting in an increment of -20% in the surface hardness. Analyses based on microstructural evolution, phase constitution and in-depth hardness distribution revealed a mechanically induced formation mechanism of the GNS surface layer. The multiple surface severe plastic deformation under fine lubrication and cooling during SMRT contributed to the formation of a thick hardened surface layer on the bearing steel.

Phase Transformation and Mechanical Properties of an Ultrahigh Strength Steel

The present study deals with the development of a low carbon high strength steel by thermomechanical controlled processing on a pilot scale.The continuous cooling transformation has yielded a flat top "C" curve with the phase field occupied by a mixture of bainite and martensite.The microstructure of water quenched steel essentially consists of highly dislocated lath martensite along with fine (Ti,Nb)CN precipitates and twins.High strength steel with 1217-1298 MPa yield strength and 1372-1513 MPa ultimate tensile strength along with 16-12% total elongation has been obtained in the range of 850 to 750℃ finish rolling temperature.The impact toughness value in the range of 45-72J was also achieved in the present steel.

Microstructural Evolution and Mechanical Behavior of Friction-Stir-Welded DP1180 Advanced Ultrahigh Strength Steel

Friction stir lap welding of a DP1180 advanced ultrahigh strength steel was successfully carried out by using three welding tools with different pin lengths. The effects of the welding heat input and material flow on the microstructure evolution of the joints were analyzed in detail. The relationship between pin length and mechanical properties of lap joints was studied. The results showed that the peak temperatures of all joints exceeded A c3, and martensite phases with similar morphologies were formed in the stir zones. These martensite retained good toughness due to the self-tempering effect. The formation of ferrite and tempered martensite was the main reason for the hardness reduction in heat-affected zone. The mechanical properties of the lap joints were determined by loading mode, features of lap interface and the joint defects. When the stir pin was inserted into the lower sheet with a depth of 0.4 mm, the lap joint exhibited the maximum tensile strength of 12.4 kN.

Electroslag Refining of CrNiMoWMnV Ultrahigh-Strength Steel

Increasing demands for ultrahigh-strength steels in commercial as well as military applications have raised interest in finding alternatives to the high-cost high-alloyed steel and super-alloys currently used, e.g. the use of economic low-alloy compositions processed via low-cost air induction melting and electroslag refining (ESR). In this work the yield of alloying elements and the removal of the impurities nitrogen, sulphur and phosphorus as a result of electroslag refining (ESR) in a newly developed CrNiMoWMnV ultrahigh-strength steel (UHSS) have been studied in relation to their activities in the molten metal pool. Six experimental heats of CrNiMoWMnV UHSS with different chemical compositions were designed, melted in an induction furnace (IF) and refined using ESR. This was followed by hot forging of the ingots at 1100°C to 950°C. ESR using a CaF2-CaO-Al2O3 slag system led to a high yield in Cr, Ni, Mo, W, Mn and V, while the yield of Si is low. The desulphurization of all six UHSS grades was pronounced with most of the sulphur removed either to the slag or by gas reactions. The degree of dephosphorization was only 5% irrespective of the steel composition. On the other hand, denitrification (removal of nitrogen) was achieved. It ranged from 8% to 63% depending on the steel composition. The yield of the alloying elements and removal of impurities from the steel during ESR depends on the chemical and physical properties of the ESR slag and the activity of the elements in the molten state, taking into account elemental interactions.

掺氢氧化钙对超高强混凝土力学性能影响的机理

鉴于含矿物掺合料较多的超高性能混凝土(Ultra-high performance concrete,UHPC)中火山灰反应所需氢氧化钙含量不足的状况,在配制超高强混凝土(UHPC基体)时掺加氢氧化钙,研究其对超高强混凝土力学性能的影响机理。结果表明,超高强混凝土力学性能的改善源于掺入的氢氧化钙与矿物掺合料中的SiO_(2)发生火山灰反应生成C-S-H及C-A-S-H凝胶,且在组合养护(90℃热水养护2 d+250℃干热养护3 d)下,部分C-(A)-S-H凝胶向托勃莫来石与硬硅钙石晶体转变,改善了超高强混凝土的微观结构。

钢管超高强混凝土受弯力学性能试验研究

以官盛渠江大桥为依托,通过3组共6个受弯试件的模型试验,探讨钢管超高强混凝土(抗压强度f_(cu)=80.3~115.2MPa)的受弯力学性能,研究混凝土强度对钢管超高强混凝土的抗弯承载力、变形特征与失效模式的影响。试验结果表明:钢管超高强混凝土的受弯破坏模式与普通钢管混凝土相同,主要为挠度过大而失效,呈整体弯曲破坏,受压区有局部鼓屈;试件进入屈服阶段后,承载力降低较少,具有很好的弯曲延性性能;管内混凝土主要对钢管提供横向约束,避免钢管过早受弯压陷屈曲;在截面含钢率一定时,管内混凝土强度增长对钢管超高强混凝土受弯构件的受弯破坏模式、承载力与延性性能的影响较小。

挤压成形和回火温度对DT300钢力学性能的影响分析

本文研究了挤压成形和不同回火温度对DT300钢力学性能的影响,并分析了各工艺条件下的影响规律,以获得最佳材料力学性能,为指导企业生产、促进DT300钢的推广应用提供了有效的试验数据。

Upper Limit for Rheological Strength of Crust in Continental Subduction Zone:Constraints Imposed by Laboratory Experiments

The transitional pressure of quartz coesite under the differential stress and highly strained conditions is far from the pressure of the stable field under the static pressure. Therefore, the effect of the differential stress should be considered when the depth of petrogenesis is estimated about ultrahigh pressure metamorphic (UHPM) rocks. The rheological strength of typical ultrahigh pressure rocks in continental subduction zone was derived from the results of the laboratory experiments. The results indicate the following three points. (1) The rheological strength of gabbro, similar to that of eclogite, is smaller than that of clinopyroxenite on the same condition. (2) The calculated strength of rocks (gabbro, eclogite and clinopyroxenite) related to UHPM decreases by nearly one order of magnitude with the temperature rising by 100 ℃ in the range between 600 and 900 ℃. The calculated strength is far greater than the faulting strength of rocks at 600 ℃, and is in several hundred to more than one thousand mega pascals at 700-800 ℃, which suggests that those rocks are located in the brittle deformation region at 600 ℃, but are in the semi brittle to plastic deformation region at 700-800 ℃. Obviously, the 700 ℃ is a brittle plastic transition boundary. (3) The calculated rheological strength in the localized deformation zone on a higher strain rate condition (1.6×10 -12 s -l ) is 2-5 times more than that in the distributed deformation zone on a lower strain rate condition (1.6×10 -14 s -1 ). The average rheological stress (1 600 MPa) at the strain rate of 10 -12 s -1 stands for the ultimate differential stress of UHPM rocks in the semi brittle flow field, and the average rheological stress (550-950 MPa) at the strain rate of l0 -14 - 10 -13 s -l stands for the ultimate differential stress of UHPM rocks in the plastic flow field, suggesting that the depth for the formation of UHPM rocks is more than 20-60 km below the depth estimated under static pressure condition due to the effect of the differential stress.

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.

超高强度7A36铝合金挤压管材热处理工艺研究

针对工业化生产条件下制备的?250 mm×20 mm和?340 mm×30 mm两种规格的7A36铝合金挤压管材,开展单级/双级固溶工艺和110~135℃下的单级时效-拉伸性能曲线研究,并采用优选的热处理工艺,对两种规格管材的拉伸性能进行对比研究。采用差热分析仪测试相转变温度,利用金相显微镜、扫描电镜和透射电镜进行显微组织与拉伸断口观察。结果表明:7A36合金管材在优选的热处理工艺下,其抗拉强度、屈服强度和伸长率分别可达696,655 MPa和14.0%;相比常规的半连续铸造(direct chill casting, DC)铸锭+大挤压比工艺,采用锻造铸锭+常规热挤压工艺,合金管材表现出晶粒和晶界/晶内析出相尺寸更小以及晶界无沉淀析出带(precipitation free zone, PFZ)更窄的组织特征,该组织特征是影响强度性能的主要原因;同时,该合金具有较高的淬火敏感性,固溶处理过程中,易在富Fe相附近诱发淬火微裂纹,显著影响合金管材的伸长率。

基于响应面法的超高压大口径闸阀阀体多目标优化

以某超高压大口径核级闸阀为研究对象,对其全开状态下的受力进行有限元分析,应力云图显示最大等效应力大于材料许用应力。且因其质量过大,装运困难,故对闸阀阀体进行多目标优化。选择5个输入变量和3个目标函数,对筛选出的敏感度较高的设计变量与其对应的目标函数构建响应面代理模型,耦合MOGA遗传算法得到优化结果。结果显示:最大等效应力降低了29.3%,阀体质量下降了5.5%,最大变形量减小了0.00052 mm。