Lap-Shear Performance of Weld-Bonded Mg Alloy and Austenitic Stainless Steel in Three-Sheet Stack-Up

With the growing interest in utilizing Mg and austenitic stainless steel(ASS)in the automotive sector,joining them together in three-sheet configuration is inevitable.However,achieving this task presents considerable challenges due to the large differences in their physical,metallurgical and mechanical properties.To overcome these challenges,the feasibility of using weld-bonding to join Mg alloy/ASS/ASS was investigated.The nugget formation,interface characteristics,microstructure and mechanical properties of the joints were investigated.The results show that the connection between the Mg alloy and upper ASS was achieved through the combined effect of the cured adhesive and weld-brazing in the weld zone.On the other hand,a metallurgical bond was formed at the ASS/ASS interface.The Mg nugget microstructure exhibited fine columar grains composed predominantly of primaryα-Mg grains along with a eutectic mixture ofα-Mg andβ-Mg17Al12.The nugget formed at the ASS/ASS interface consisted largely of columnar grains of austenite,with some equiaxed dendritic grains formed at the centerline of the joint.The weld-bonded joints exhibited an average peak load and energy absorption of about 8.5 kN and 17 J,respectively(the conventional RSW joints failed with minimal or no load application).The failure mode of the joints changed with increasing welding current from interfacial failure via the Mg nugget/upper ASS interface to partial interfacial failure(part of the Mg nugget was pulled out of the Mg sheet).Both failure modes were accompanied by cohesive failure in the adhesive zone.

Bulging Distortion of Austenitic Stainless Steel Sheet on the Partially Penetrated Side of Non-Penetration Lap Laser Welding Joint

Non-penetration laser welding of lap joints in austenitic stainless steel sheets is commonly preferred in fields where the surface quality is of utmost importance.However,the application of non-penetration welded austenitic stainless steel parts is limited owing to the micro bulging distortion that occurs on the back surface of the partial penetration side.In this paper,non-penetration lap laser welding experiments,were conducted on galvanized and SUS304 austenitic stainless steel plates using a fiber laser,to investigate the mechanism of bulging distortion.A comparative experiment of DC01 galvanized steel-Q235 carbon steel lap laser welding was carried out,and the deflection and distortion profile of partially penetrated side of the sheets were measured using a noncontact laser interferometer.In addition,the cold-rolled SUS304 was subjected to heat holding at different temperatures and water quenching after bending to characterize its microstructure under tensile and compressive stress.The results show that,during the heating stage of the thermal cycle of laser lap welding,the partial penetration side of the SUS304 steel sheet generates compressive stress,which extrudes the material in the heat-affected zone to the outside of the back of the SUS304 steel sheet,thereby forming a bulge.The findings of these experiments can be of great value for controlling the distortion of the partial penetrated side of austenitic stainless steel sheet during laser non-penetration lap welding.

Interplay between temperature-dependent strengthening mechanisms and mechanical stability in high-performance austenitic stainless steels

The effects of deformation temperature on the transformation-induced plasticity(TRIP)-aided 304L,twinning-induced plasti-city(TWIP)-assisted 316L,and highly alloyed stable 904L austenitic stainless steels were compared for the first time to tune the mechan-ical properties,strengthening mechanisms,and strength-ductility synergy.For this purpose,the scanning electron microscopy(SEM),electron backscattered diffraction(EBSD),X-ray diffraction(XRD),tensile testing,work-hardening analysis,and thermodynamics calcu-lations were used.The induced plasticity effects led to a high temperature-dependency of work-hardening behavior in the 304L and 316L stainless steels.As the deformation temperature increased,the metastable 304L stainless steel showed the sequence of TRIP,TWIP,and weakening of the induced plasticity mechanism;while the disappearance of the TWIP effect in the 316L stainless steel was also observed.However,the solid-solution strengthening in the 904L superaustenitic stainless steel maintained the tensile properties over a wide temper-ature range,surpassing the performance of 304L and 316L stainless steels.In this regard,the dependency of the total elongation on the de-formation temperature was less pronounced for the 904L alloy due to the absence of additional plasticity mechanisms.These results re-vealed the importance of solid-solution strengthening and the associated high friction stress for superior mechanical behavior over a wide temperature range.

Prediction of Hot Deformation Behavior of 7Mo Super Austenitic Stainless Steel Based on Back Propagation Neural Network

The hot compression tests of 7Mo super austenitic stainless(SASS)were conducted to obtain flow curves at the temperature of 1000-1200℃and strain rate of 0.001 s^(-1)to 1 s^(-1).To predict the non-linear hot deformation behaviors of the steel,back propagation-artificial neural network(BP-ANN)with 16×8×8 hidden layer neurons was proposed.The predictability of the ANN model is evaluated according to the distribution of mean absolute error(MAE)and relative error.The relative error of 85%data for the BP-ANN model is among±5%while only 42.5%data predicted by the Arrhenius constitutive equation is in this range.Especially,at high strain rate and low temperature,the MAE of the ANN model is 2.49%,which has decreases for 18.78%,compared with conventional Arrhenius constitutive equation.

Effects of interstitial cluster mobility on dislocation loops evolution under irradiation of austenitic steel

The evolution of dislocation loops in austenitic steels irradiated with Fe^(+)is investigated using cluster dynamics(CD)simulations by developing a CD model.The CD predictions are compared with experimental results in the literature.The number density and average diameter of the dislocation loops obtained from the CD simulations are in good agreement with the experimental data obtained from transmission electron microscopy(TEM)observations of Fe~+-irradiated Solution Annealed 304,Cold Worked 316,and HR3 austenitic steels in the literature.The CD simulation results demonstrate that the diffusion of in-cascade interstitial clusters plays a major role in the dislocation loop density and dislocation loop growth;in particular,for the HR3 austenitic steel,the CD model has verified the effect of temperature on the density and size of the dislocation loops.

Effect of Mn addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of GX40CrNiSi25-12 austenitic heat resistant steel

Three types of steels were designed on the basis of GX40CrNiSi25-12 austenitic heat resistant steel by adding different Mn contents(2wt.%,6wt.%,and 12wt.%).Thermodynamic calculation,microstructure characterization and mechanical property tests were conducted to investigate the effect of Mn addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the austenitic heat resistant steel.Results show that the matrix structure in all the three types of steels at room temperature is completely austenite.Carbides NbC and M_(23)C_(6)precipitate at grain boundaries of austenite matrix.With the increase of Mn content,the number of carbides increases and their distribution becomes more uniform.With the Mn content increases from 1.99%to 12.06%,the ultimate tensile strength,yield strength and elongation increase by 14.6%,8.0%and 46.3%,respectively.The improvement of the mechanical properties of austenitic steels can be explained by utilizing classic theories of alloy strengthening,including solid solution strengthening,precipitation strengthening,and grain refinement.The increase in alloy strength can be attributed to solid solution strengthening and precipitation strengthening caused by the addition of Mn.The improvement of the plasticity of austenitic steels can be explained from two aspects:grain refinement and homogenization of precipitated phases.

Processing map and dynamic recrystallization behaviours of 316LN-Mn austenitic stainless steel

The hot deformation behaviours of 316LN-Mn austenitic stainless steel were investigated by uniaxial isothermal compression tests at different temperatures and strain rates.The microstructural evolutions were also studied using electron backscatter diffraction.The flow stress decreases with the increasing temperature and decreasing strain rate.A constitutive equation was established to characterize the relationship among the deformation parameters,and the deformation activation energy was calculated to be 497.92 k J/mol.Processing maps were constructed to describe the appropriate processing window,and the optimum processing parameters were determined at a temperature of 1107-1160℃ and a strain rate of 0.005-0.026 s^(-1).Experimental results showed that the main nucleation mechanism is discontinuous dynamic recrystallization(DDRX),followed by continuous dynamic recrystallization(CDRX).In addition,the formation of twin boundaries facilitated the nucleation of dynamic recrystallization.

Effect of Chromium-enhanced Diffusivity on Reverted Transformation in Metastable Austenitic Stainless Steels:Theoretical Calculation and Experiment

Effects of nucleation sites and diffusivity enhancement of chromium on reverted transformation of AISI 304 stainless steel during annealing process were investigated.Dynamics calculation revealed that the reverted transformation of strain-inducedα’-martensite→γaustenite could were closely associated with active nucleation sites and diffusivity enhancement of chromium in nanocrystallineα’-martensite.The experimental data and the results were in accordance with 2-grain austenite/α’-martensite junctions calculated theoretically,which could result from high chromium diffusion rate in nanocrystallineα’-martensite.In addition,low temperature is not conducive to reversed transformation,while high temperature and long annealing time will lead to inhomogeneous grain size distribution.

THRESHOLD STRESS INTENSITIES FOR HYDROGEN-INDUCED DELAYED FAILURE OF WELD METAL OF AUSTENITIC STAINLESS STEEL

It was found that hydrogen induced delayed failure could occur in 308L and 347L weld metals,and the threshold stress intensities of 308L and 347L welds were lower than that of 304L austenitic stainless steel.When dynamically charged under load on a single edge notched specimen,the threshold stress intensities of 308L,347L and 304L decrease with the increase in the diffusible hydrogen content C 0 and the experimental results are as follows:K ⅠH =85.2-10.7 ln C 0 (308L),K ⅠH =76.1-9.3 ln C 0 (347L),K ⅠH =91.7-10.1 ln C 0 (304L).The morphology of the hydrogen induced delayed fracture in the three materials are correlated with the K Ⅰ and C 0 values.

Pitting corrosion and crevice corrosion behaviors of high nitrogen austenitic stainless steels

Pitting corrosion and crevice corrosion behaviors of high nitrogen austenitic stainless steels （HNSS） were investigated by electrochemical and immersion testing methods in chloride solution, respectively. The chemical constitution and composition in the depth of passive films formed on HNSS were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectrum （XPS）. HNSS has excellent pitting and crevice corrosion resistance compared to 316L stainless steel. With increasing the nitrogen content in steels, pitting potentials and critical pitting temperature （CPT） increase, and the maximum, average pit depths and average weight loss decrease. The CPT of HNSS is correlated with the alloying element content through the measure of alloying for resistance to corrosion （MARC）. The MARC can be expressed as an equation of CPT=2.55MARC-29. XPS results show that HNSS exhibiting excellent corrosion resistance is attributed to the enrichment of nitrogen on the surface of passive films, which forms ammonium ions increasing the local pH value and facilitating repassivation, and the synergistic effects of molybdenum and nitrogen.

High Nitrogen Austenitic Stainless Steels Manufactured by Nitrogen Gas Alloying and Adding Nitrided Ferroalloys

A simple and feasible method for the production of high nitrogen austenitic stainless steels involves nitrogen gas alloying and adding nitrided ferroalloys under normal atmospheric conditions. Alloying by nitrogen gas bubbling in Fe-Cr-Mn-Mo series alloys was carried out in MoSi2 resistance furnace and air induction furnace under normal atmospheric conditions. The results showed that nitrogen alloying could be accelerated by increasing nitrogen gas flow rate, prolonging residence time of bubbles, increasing gas/molten steel interfaces, and decreasing the sulphur and oxygen contents in molten steel. Nitrogen content of 0.69% in 18Crl8Mn was obtained using air induction furnace by bubbling of nitrogen gas from porous plug. In addition, the nickel-free, high nitrogen austenitic stainless steels with sound and compact macrostructure had been produced in the laboratory using vacuum induction furnace and electroslag remelting furnace under nitrogen atmosphere by the addition of nitrided alloy with the maximum nitrogen content of 0.81%. Pores were observed in the ingots obtained by melting and casting in vacuum induction furnace with the addition of nitrided ferroalloys and under nitrogen atmosphere. After electroslag remelting of the cast ingots, they were all sound and were free of pores. The yield of nitrogen increased with the decrease of melting rate in the ESR process. Due to electroslag remelting under nitrogen atmosphere and the consequential addition of aluminum as deoxidizer to the slag, the loss of manganese decreased obviously. There existed mainly irregular Al2O3 inclusions and MnS inclusions in ESR ingots, and the size of most of the inclusions was less than 5 um. After homogenization of the hot rolled plate at 1 150℃ × 1 h followed by water quenching, the microstructure consisted of homogeneous austenite.

Fabrication of high nitrogen austenitic stainless steels with excellent mechanical and pitting corrosion properties

A series of high nitrogen austenitic stainless steels were successfully developed with a pressurized electroslag remelting furnace. Nitride additives and deoxidizer were packed into the stainless steel pipes, and then the stainless steel pipes were welded on the surface of an electrode with low nitrogen content to prepare a compound electrode. Using Si3N4 as a nitrogen alloying source, the silicon contents in the ingots were prone to be out of the specification range, the electric current fluctuated greatly and the surface qualities of the ingots were poor. The surface qualities of the ingots were improved with FeCrN as a nitrogen alloying source. The sound and compact macrostructure ingot with the maximum nitrogen content of 1.21wt% can be obtained. The 18Cr18Mn2Mo0.9N high nitrogen austenitic stainless steel exhibits high strength and good ductility at room temperature. The steel shows typical ductile-brittle transition behavior and excellent pitting corrosion resistance properties.

Structure Evolution and Solidification Behavior of Austenitic Stainless Steel in Pulsed Magnetic Field

To understand the solidification behavior of austenitic stainless steel in pulsed magnetic field, the solidification process is investigated by means of the self-made high voltage pulse power source and the solidification tester. The results show that the solidification structure of austenitic stainless steel can be remarkably refined in pulsed magnetic field, yet the grains become coarse again when the magnetic intensity is exceedingly large, indicating that an optimal intensity range existed for structure refinement. The solidification temperature can be enhanced with an increase in the magnetic intensity. The solidification time is shortened obviously, but the shortening degree is reduced with the increase of the magnetic intensity.

Antibacterial Properties of an Austenitic Antibacterial Stainless Steel and Its Security for Human Body

An austenitic antibacterial stainless steel is reported in this paper. The very fine and dispersive ε-Cu precipitations in the matrix of the antibacterial steel after the antibacterial treatment endow the steel with antibacterial function. The antibacterial function is strong, long-term and broad-spectrum, and can be maintained even after repeated wear and long time dipping in water. The steel is safe for human body and could be used widely in daily application.

Hot compression deformation behavior of AISI 321 austenitic stainless steel

The hot compression behavior of AISI 321 ll00~C and the strain rates of 0.01-1 s-1 using a Baehr austenitic stainless steel was studied at the temperatures of 950- DIL-805 deformation dilatometer. The hot deformation equations and the relationship between hot deformation parameters were obtained. It is found that strain rate and deformation temperature significantly influence the flow stress behavior of the steel. The work hardening rate and the peak value of flow stress increase with the decrease of deformation temperature and the increase of strain rate. In addition, the activation energy of deformation （Q） is calculated as 433.343 kJ/mol. The microstructural evolution during deformation indicates that, at the temperature of 950~C and the strain rate of 0.01 s-1, small circle-like precipitates form along grain boundaries; but at the temperatures above 950~C, the dissolution of such precipitates occurs. Energy-dispersive X-ray analyses indicate that the precipitates are complex carbides of Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Ti.

Load Bearing Capacity and Safety Analysis for Strain-hardening Austenitic Stainless Steel Pressure Vessels

By increasing the yield strengths of austenitic stainless steels for pressure vessels with strain hardening techniques,the elastic load bearing capacity of austenitic stainless steel pressure vessels can be significantly improved.Two kinds of strain hardening methods are often used for austenitic stainless steel pressure vessels：Avesta model for ambient temperature applications and Ardeform model for cryogenic temperature applications.Both methods are obtained from conventional design rules based on the linear elastic theory,and only consider the hardening effect from materials.Consequently this limits the applications of strain hardening techniques for austenitic stainless steel pressure vessels because of safety concerns.This paper investigates the effect of strain hardening on the load bearing capacity of austenitic stainless steel pressure vessels under large deformation,based on the elastic-plastic theory.Firstly,to understand the effect of strain hardening on material behavior,the plastic instability loads of a round tensile bar specimen are derived under two different loading paths and validated by experiments.Secondly,to investigate the effect of strain hardening on pressure vessels strength, the plastic instability pressure under strain hardening is derived and further validated by finite element simulations.Further,the safety margin of pressure vessels after strain hardening is analyzed by comparing the safety factor values calculated from bursting tests,finite element analyses,and standards.The researching results show that the load bearing capacity of pressure vessels at ambient temperature is independent of the loading history when the effects of both material strain hardening and structural deformation are considered.Finite element simulations and bursting tests results show that the minimum safety factor of austenitic stainless steel pressure vessels with 5% strain hardening is close to the recommended value for common pressure vessels specified in the European pressure vessel standard.The proposed study also shows that in the strain hardening design of austenitic stainless steel pressure vessels,the calculation for plastic instability pressure could use theoretical formula or finite element analyses based on geometrical dimensions and material property parameters before strain hardening,but a 5%strain should be employed as a design limit.The proposed research can be used for the strain hardening design of austenitic stainless steel pressure vessels safely.

Microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of friction stir-welded C71000 copper–nickel alloy and 304 austenitic stainless steel

Dissimilar joints comprised of copper–nickel and steel alloys are a challenge for manufacturers in modern industries, as these metals are not thermomechanically or chemically well matched. The present study investigated the effects of tool rotational speed and linear speed on the microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir-welded C71000 copper–nickel and 340 stainless steel alloys using a tungsten carbide tool with a cylindrical pin. The results indicated that a rotational-to-linear speed ratio of 12.5 r/mm did not cause any macro defects, whereas some tunneling defects and longitudinal cracks were found at other ratios that were lower and higher. Furthermore, chromium carbide was formed on the grain boundaries of the 304 stainless steel near the shoulder zone and inside the joint zone, directing carbon and chromium penetration toward the grain boundaries. Tensile strength and elongation percentages were 84% and 65% of the corresponding values in the copper–nickel base metal, respectively.

Application of response surface methodology to maximize tensile strength and minimize interface hardness of friction welded dissimilar joints of austenitic stainless steel and copper alloy

An attempt was made to optimize friction welding parameters to attain a minimum hardness at the interface and a maximum tensile strength of the dissimilar joints of AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel （ASS） and copper （Cu） alloy using response surface methodology （RSM）. Three-factor, five-level central composite design matrix was used to specify experimental conditions. Twenty joints were fabricated using ASS and Cu alloy. Tensile strength and interface hardness were measured experimentally. Analysis of variance （ANOVA） method was used to find out significant main and interaction parameters and empirical relationships were developed using regression analysis. The friction welding parameters were optimized by constructing response graphs and contour plots using design expert software. The developed empirical relationships can be effectively used to predict tensile strength and interface hardness of friction welded ASS-Cu joints at 95% confidence level. The developed contour plots can be used to attain required level of optimum conditions to join ASS-Cu alloy by friction welding process.

Intergranular corrosion behavior of high nitrogen austenitic stainless steel

The intergranular corrosion （IGC） behavior of high nitrogen austenitic stainless steel （HNSS） sensitization treated at 650-950℃ was investigated by the double loop electrochemical potentiodynamic reactivation （DL-EPR） method. The effects of the electrolytes, scan rate, sensitizing temperature on the susceptibility to IGC of HNSS were examined. The results show that the addi-tion of NaCl is an effective way to improve the formation of the cracking of a passive film in chromium-depleted zones during the reactivation scan. Decreasing the scan rate exhibits an obvious effect on the breakdown of the passive film. A solution with 2 mol/L H2SO4＋1 mol/L NaCl＋0.01 mol/L KSCN is suitable to check the susceptibility to IGC of HNSS at a sensitizing temperature of 650-950℃ at a suitable scan rate of 1.667 mV/s. Chromium depletion of HNSS is attributed to the precipitation of Cr2N which results in the susceptibility to IGC. The synergistic effect of Mo and N is suggested to play an important role in stabilizing the passive film to prevent the attack of IGC.

PRECIPITATION BEHAVIOR OF M_(2)N IN A HIGH-NITROGEN AUSTENITIC STAINLESS STEEL DURING ISOTHERMAL AGING

The precipitation behavior of M2N and the microstructural evolution in a Cr-Mn austenitic stainless steel with a high nitrogen content of 0.43mass% during isothermal aging has been investigated using optical microscopy （ OM）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The aging treatments have led to the decomposition of nitrogen supersaturated austenitic matrix through discontinuous cellular precipitation. The precipitated cells comprise alternate lamellae of M2N precipitate and austenitic matrix. This kind of precipitate morphology is similar to that of pearlite. However, owing to the non-eutectoidic mechanism of the reaction, the growth characteristic of the cellular precipitates is different from that of pearlite in Fe-C binary alloys. M2N precipitate in the cell possesses a hexagonal crystal structure with the parameters a = 0.4752nm and c = 0.4429nm, and the orientation relationship between the M2V precipitates and austenite determined from the SADP is [01^-10]M2N//[101]γ, [2^-1^-10]M2N//[010]γ.