Effect of deformation parameters on the austenite dynamic recrystallization behavior of a eutectoid pearlite rail steel

Understandings of the effect of hot deformation parameters close to the practical production line on grain refinement are crucial for enhancing both the strength and toughness of future rail steels.In this work,the austenite dynamic recrystallization(DRX)behaviors of a eutectoid pearlite rail steel were studied using a thermo-mechanical simulator with hot deformation parameters frequently employed in rail production lines.The single-pass hot deformation results reveal that the prior austenite grain sizes(PAGSs)for samples with different deformation reductions decrease initially with an increase in deformation temperature.However,once the deformation temperature is beyond a certain threshold,the PAGSs start to increase.It can be attributed to the rise in DRX volume fraction and the increase of DRX grain with deformation temperature,respectively.Three-pass hot deformation results show that the accumulated strain generated in the first and second deformation passes can increase the extent of DRX.In the case of complete DRX,PAGS is predominantly determined by the deformation temperature of the final pass.It suggests a strategic approach during industrial production where part of the deformation reduction in low temperature range can be shifted to the medium temperature range to release rolling mill loads.

Corrosion Test of the Steel Plate in a WJ-8 Fastener for High Speed Rail

It was found that the steel plate in the composite plate in the WJ-8 fastener used in high speed rail is rusty. The objective of this study is to test the zinc coating of the steel plate. A literature review was conducted to identify the zinc coating techniques, and the companies that can provide different coating service was identified. A salt fog chamber was built that was in compliance with the ANSI B117 code, and the steel plates that were coated by the identified companies were tested using the salt fog chamber. The results indicated that the coating technique that had the best performance in preventing corrosion was the Greenkote plates with passivation. The galvanized option had the roughest coating layer, and it was the most reactive in the salt water solution. This makes it non-ideal for the dynamic rail environment because the increased friction of the plate could damage the supports, especially during extreme temperatures that would cause the rail to expand or contract. Greenkote with Phosphate and ArmorGalv also provided increased corrosion prevention with a smooth, strong finish, but it had more rust on the surface area than the Greenkote with ELU passivation. The ArmorGalv sample had more rust on the surface area than the Greenkote samples. This may not be a weakness in the ArmorGalv process;rather, it likely was the result of this particular sample not having the added protection of a colored coating.

Structure and mechanical properties of aluminum alloy/Ag interlayer/steel non-centered electron beam welded joints

Electron beam welding was carried out between aluminum alloy and steel with Ag interlayer. Seam morphology, structure and mechanical properties of the joints were investigated with different action positions of the electron beam spot. The results show that with the increment of the beam offset to the silver side from the interface between silver and steel, the seam morphology was improved, and the porosity in the Ag interlayer vanished. A transition layer mainly composed of Ag2Al and Al eutectic was formed at the interface between silver and aluminum, and became thin and spiccato as the beam offset increased. When the beam offset was too large, two IMC layers composed of FeAl and FeAl3 respectively were formed at the interface between steel and Ag interlayer. The optimal beam offset was 0.2 mm, and the maximum tensile strength of the joint was 193 MPa, 88.9% that of the aluminum alloy, and the fracture occurred at the interface between steel and Ag interlayer.

Effect of Rare Earths on Properties of BNbRE Rail Steel

The development and properties of BNbRE rail steel and the effect of RE on rail steel were studied. The results show that the properties of rail steel ( σ b≥980 MPa, δ 5≥8%) can be improved by adding RE and niobium and adjusting the content of C, Si and Mn in steel. At the same time, the abrasion resistance, contact fatigue and fatigue property of BNbRE rail steel are excellent. It also shows that RE in rail steel has the functions of purifying steel, modifying inclusion and micro alloy action effect. The improved steel making process enhances the quality of molten steel. Although the content of RE is low, excellent properties of BNbRE rail steel are achieved.

Research on the properties of laser welded joints of aluminum killed cold rolled steel

Aluminum killed cold rolled steel used for automobiles was welded in this paper by using CO 2 laser with wavelength 10.6μm.The experiment shows that high quality of welding can be realized at welding speed of 4 500mm/min by optimizing the parameters.The strength and hardness of laser welded joints for aluminum killed cold rolled steel increased compared to those of the base metal while the formability decreased.Forming limit diagram of joint material indicated that the laser weld seam should avoid the maximum deformation area of automobile parts during the designing period for the position of weld seam.

THE STRAIN CYCLIC CHARACTERISTICS AND RATCHETING OF U71Mn RAIL STEEL UNDER UNIAXIAL LOADING

An experimental study was carried out of the cyclic behavior of U71Mn rail steel subjected to uniaxial strain and stress. The effects of cyclic struin amplitude, mean struin,strain loading rate and their histories on the strain cyclic characteristics were studied.Under the asymmetrical stress cycling, the effects of stress amplitude, mean stress,stress loading rate and their histories on the ratcheting were analyzed. The interaction between strain cycling and stress cycling was also discussed. It is shown that either the cyclic characteristics under strain cycling or the ratcheting under asymmetrical stress cycling depends not only on the cumnt loading state, but also on the previous loading history. Some significant results are obtained.

Effects of Ni on microstructure and properties of aluminum- stainless steel TIG welding-brazing joint with AI-Si filler

Effects of Ni on microstructure and properties of aluminum-stainless steel TIG welding-brazing joint with Al-Si filler were studied. Different mass percentage of Ni powder was added in the flux separately. Results of tensile tests show that a significant improvement on mechanical properties of the butt joint is obtained using the modified flux. Moreover, obvious differences on microstructures of the interfaces were observed with Ni addition, that two intermetallic compound （IMC） layers at the interface change to one layer and the IMC thickness also decreases. Finally, effect mechanism of Ni was analyzed and discussed. Ni addition leads to an enrichment of element Si at the brazing interface, and furthermore suppresses the formation of intermetaUic compound. The reduction of IMC thickness is the main reason for the improvement of joint properties.

Effects of aluminum and titanium on the microstructure of ODS steels fabricated by hot pressing

Three oxide-dispersion-strengthened(ODS)steels with compositions of Fe-14Cr-2W-0.2V-0.07Ta-0.3Y_2O_3(wt%,so as the follows)(14Y),Fe-14Cr-2W-0.2V-0.07Ta-1Al-0.3Y_2O_3(14YAl),and Fe-14Cr-2W-0.2V-0.07Ta-0.3Ti-0.3 Y_2O_3(14YTi)were fabricated by hot pressing.Transmission electron microscopy(TEM)was used to characterize the microstructures and nanoparticles of these ODS steels.According to the TEM results,14Y,14YAl,and 14YTi ODS steels present similar bimodal structures containing both large and small grains.The addition of Al or Ti has no obvious effect on the microstructure of the steels.The spatial and size distribution of the nanoparticles was also analyzed.The results indicate that the average size of nanoparticles in the 14YTi ODS steel is smaller than that in the 14YAl ODS steel.Nanoparticles such as Y_2O_3,Y_3Al_5O_(12) and YAlO_3,and Y_2Ti_2O_7 were identified in the 14Y,14YAl,and 14YTiODS steels,respectively.

Effect of process parameters on microstructure and properties of laser welded joints of aluminum/steel with Ni/Cu interlayer

The effects of laser parameters and interlayer material on the microstructure and properties of the welded joint between 6061 aluminum alloy and stainless steel were studied.The results show that the density and microstructure of the welded joint can be optimized by changing the laser power with 0.05 mm Cu foil and 0.1 mm Ni foil as interlayer.A large number of new Cu-Al binary phases were found near the aluminum alloy,which effectively inhibited the formation of the binary brittle phase of Fe-Al.The maximum shear force of 1350.96 N was obtained with laser power of 2200 W.The shear force of the welded joint increased to 1754.73 N when the thickness of the Cu foil thickness changed to 0.02 mm.

Experimental study on dissimilar TIG welding-brazing of 5A06 aluminum alloy to SUS321 stainless steel

Dissimilar metals TIG welding-brazing of 5A06 aluminum alloy to SUS321 stainless steel has been carried out with Al-Sil2 eutectic filler metal and modified non-corrosive flux. The surface appearance and microstructures of the joint were analyzed and the average tensile strength of the joint was estimated. The results show that a sound dissimilar metals joint is obtained by TIG welding-brazing. Slag and residual flux on steel surface can be removed by sanding easily. The joint has dual characteristics： in aluminum alloy side, it is a welded joint, while in stainless steel side, it is a brazed joint. The whole interface layer, unequal in thickness at different position, ranges from 5 μm to 25 μm. The average tensile strength of the butt joint reaches 120 MPa and the fracture occurs at the interface layer.

Effect of Si content on interfacial reaction and properties between solid steel and liquid aluminum

The effect of Si content on the microstructures and growth kinetics of intermetallic compounds(IMCs)formed during the initial interfacial reaction(<10 s)between solid steel and liquid aluminum was investigated by a thermophysical simulation method.The influence of Si addition on interfacial mechanical properties was revealed by a high-frequency induction brazing.The results showed that IMCs layers mainly consisted ofη-Fe_(2)Al_(5)andθ-Fe_(4)Al_(13).The addition of Si reduced the thickness of the IMCs layer.The growth of theηphase was governed by the diffusion process when adding 2 wt.%Si to the aluminum melt.When 5 wt.%or 8 wt.%Si was added to aluminum,the growth was governed by both the diffusion process and interfacial reaction,and ternary phaseτ1/τ9-(Al,Si)_(5)Fe_(3)was formed in theηphase.The apparent activation energies of theηphase decreased gradually with increasing Si content.The joint with pure aluminum metal had the highest tensile strength and impact energy.

Interfacial characterization of resistance spot welded joint of steel and aluminum alloy

The dissimilar material resistance spot welding of galvanized high strength steel and aluminum alloy had been conducted. The welded joint exhibited a thin reaction layer composed of Fe2Al5 and Fe4Al13 phases at steel/aluminum interface. The welded joint presented a tensile shear load of 3.3 kN with an aluminum alloy nugget diameter of 5.7 mm. The interfacial failure mode was observed for the tensile shear specimen and fracture occurred at reaction layer and aluminum alloy fusion zone beside the interface. The reaction layer with compounds was the main reason for reduction of the welded joint mechanical property.

Microstructure,strength and welding window of aluminum alloy-stainless steel explosive cladding with different interlayers

Aluminum 5052(Al 5052)-stainless steel 316(SS 316)plates were explosively cladded with Al 1100,pure copper and SS 304 interlayers.The operational parameters viz.,standoff distance,explosive mass ratio(mass ratio of the explosive to the flyer plate)and inclination angle were varied and the results were presented.The advent of interlayer relocates the lower boundary of the welding window,and enhances the welding regime by 40%.A triaxial welding window,considering the influence of the third operational parameter,was developed as well.Use of interlayer transforms the continuous molten layer formed in the traditional Al 5052-SS 316 explosive clad interfaces into a smooth interface devoid or with a slender presence of intermetallic compounds.The microhardness,ram tensile and shear strengths of the interlayered clads are higher than those of the traditional explosive clads,and the maximum values are witnessed for stainless steel interlaced Al 5052-SS 316 explosive clads.

Process for improving the ladle free- opening rate for high aluminum steel in continuous casting

Steel 20Mn23AlV is a type of high aluminum steel with a very low ladle free-opening rate. The aluminum composition of 20Mn23AlV ranges from 1.6% to 2.45% ,which is significantly higher than other types of steel. According to the real condition of 40 t ladle in steel-making plant of Baosteel Special Steel Company, previous works show that the key factors affecting the ladle free-opening rate of high aluminum steel in continuous casting are：sand material, accessories baking, ladle nozzle cleaning, the process and amount of adding sand, and the rate of argon stirring during refining. Therefore, improving the ladle filler sand quality, baking all of the raw materials, controlling the addition of ladle filler sand, cleaning the ladle nozzle, and optimizing argon stirring during the refining process can resolve the problem of a low ladle free-opening rate of high aluminum steel caused by the long ladle time of liquid steel.

A STUDY OF CONTINUOUS EXTRUSION-CLADDING PROCESSFOR PRODUCTION OF ALUMINUM-CLADDING STEEL WIRE

In this study the process of cladding steel wires with aluminum is investigated experimentally. It is studied how the cladding process and the quality of products are influenced by the aluminum deformation temperature, the wheel speed, the temperature of steel wire, the wire speed and the steel wire tensile force. The relation among the process parameters above is discussed, and the effect of the aluminum deformation temperature on the coating microstructure is analyzed. This paper suggested a reasonable range of process parameters for producing aluminum cladding steel wires.

Formation mechanism and control of aluminum layer thickness fluctuation in embedded aluminum-steel composite sheet produced by cold roll bonding process

The influences of rolling reduction and aluminum sheet initial thickness(AIT)on the thickness fluctuation of aluminum layer(TFA)of embedded aluminum?steel composite sheet produced by cold roll bonding were investigated,the formation mechanism of TFA was analyzed and method to improve the thickness uniformity of the aluminum layer was proposed.The results showed that when the reduction increased,TFA increased gradually.When the reduction was lower than40%,AIT had negligible effect on the TFA,while TFA increased with the decrease of AIT when the reduction was higher than40%.The non-uniformities of the steel surface deformation and the interfacial bonding extent caused by the work-hardened steel surface layer,were the main reasons for the formation of TFA.Adopting an appropriate surface treatment can help to decrease the hardening extent of the steel surface for improving the deformation uniformity during cold roll bonding process,which effectively improved the aluminum thickness uniformity of the embedded aluminum/steel composite sheets.

Corrosion behavior of aluminum/steel dissimilar metals friction stir welding joint

The corrosion performance of aluminum/steel contact and aluminum/steel FSW joint in 3.5 wt.%NaCl solution were analyzed using potentiostatic tests.The post-corrosion microstructure of the welding joint was characterized by optical microscope(OM),scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS).The results showed that the localized corrosion of FSW joint of Al/steel dissimilar metals mainly initiated at the interface transition zone(ITZ).Precipitation of intermetallic compounds(IMCs)and Fe-rich phase particles in ITZ accelerated the corrosion of the FSW joint.This phenomenon has been attributed to distinct corrosion potentials between IMCs and steel,aluminum base metal.The corrosion resistance sequence of IMCs in ITZ is Fe_(3)Al>FeAl>Fe_(2)Al_(5).

Microstructure and mechanical property of resistance spot welded joint of aluminum alloy to high strength steel with especial electrodes

Dissimilar material joining of 6008 aluminum alloy to H220 YD galvanized high strength steel was performed by resistance spot welding with especial electrodes that were a flat tip electrode against the steel surface and a domed tip electrode upon the aluminum alloy surface. An intermetallic compound layer composed of Fe2Al5 and FeAl3 was formed at the steel/ aluminum interface in the welded joint. The thickness of the intermetallic compound layer increased with increasing welding current and welding time, and the maximum thickness being 7. 0 μm was obtained at 25 kA and 300 ms. The weld nugget diameter and tensile shear load of the welded joint had increased tendencies first with increasing welding current （ 18 -22 kA） and welding time （ 50 - 300 ms）, then changed little with further increasing welding current （ 22 - 25 kA） and welding time （300 -400 ms）. The maximum tensile shear load reached 5.4 kN at 22 kA and 300 ms. The welded joint fractured through brittle intermetallic compound layer and aluminum alloy nugget.

Effects of nugget alloying on microstructures and properties of resistance spot welded joints of aluminum and steel

The resistance spot welding of 6063-T6 aluminum alloy and 16Mn steel was studied by nugget alloying. The results indicated that the Al-steel joint had characteristics of welding-brazing. The nugget zone consisted mainly of α-Al solid solution with dislocations and fine Mg2Si particles. The interface zone had a double-layer structure： Fe2Al5 layer at steel side and Fe4Al13 layer at Al nugget side. The nugget alloying has a significant effect on the joint properties by changing phase composition and refinement of grains. When alloy elements Cu, Zn, Ti and Ni were added, the tensile shear load of Al-steel joints reached 2 780 N, 2 910 N, 2 915 N and 2 929 N respectively, which increased by 24. 1%, 29.9%, 30. 1% and 30. 7% respectively compared with that （2 241 N） of joint without nugget alloying. Therefore, it is an effective way for improving mechanical properties of resistance spot welded Al-steel joints.

Improving pulsed laser weldability of duplex stainless steel to 5456 aluminum alloy via friction stir process reinforcing of aluminum by BNi-2 brazing alloy

Effects of laser pulse distance and reinforcing of 5456 aluminum alloy were investigated on laser weldability of Al alloy to duplex stainless steel (DSS) plates. The aluminum alloy plate was reinforced by nickel-base BNi-2 brazing powder via friction stir processing. The DSS plates were laser welded to the Al5456/BNi-2 composite and also to the Al5456 alloy plates. The welding zones were studied by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, micro-hardness and shear tests. The weld interface layer became thinner from 23 to 5 μm, as the laser pulse distance was increased from 0.2 to 0.5 mm. Reinforcing of the Al alloy modified the phases at interface layer from Al-Fe intermetallic compounds (IMCs) in the DSS/Al alloy weld, to Al-Ni-Fe IMCs in the DSS/Al composite one, since more nickel was injected in the weld pool by BNi-2 reinforcements. This led to a remarkable reduction in crack tendency of the welds and decreased the hardness of the interface layer from ~950 HV to ~600 HV. Shear strengths of the DSS/Al composite welds were significantly increased by ~150%, from 46 to 114 MPa, in comparison to the DSS/Al alloy ones.