THEORY OF BAINITIC TRANSFORMATION: A MODEL WITH COUPLED FIRST-ORDER PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS

The Ginzbury-Landau theory for bainitic transformation was devised, which contains two first-order phase transformations, one being reconstructive represented by the diffusional proeutectoidal precipitation of ferrite, and the other the displacive transformation. It provides a coupled mechanism for the formation of bainite. With the numerical simulation results, a diffusion-induced nucleation and a diffusion-accompanied growth of displacive transformation were suggested. This theory can be helpful to over- throw the thermodynamic difficulty of displacive transformation above the Ms temperature, and also helpful to understand the Bs temperature, the partial supersaturation, the single variation of bainitic carbides, and the incomplete-reaction phenomenon of bainitic transformation, etc..

Progress in Modeling of Phase Transformation Kinetics

Several methods representing the evolution of microstructure were introduced, which include the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kolmogorov （JMAK） equation, Internal State Variable （ISV） framework, Koistinen-Marburger （K-M） equation, modified Magee＇s rule and phase field model, etc. By combining calculation of martensite transformation kinetics, considering the selection of parameters with the effect of austenite grain size （AGS）, some suitable ways of obtaining better results have been proposed.

Calculation of Phase Transformation Kinetics from Dilatation Curves

The structure of a steel changes with temperature due to phase transformations. This phase change is generally companied by a variation in the specific volume which is exhibited as a departure from the behaviour of the thermal expansion or contraction, at the temperature at which the change occurs. This behaviour can be detected as a change in the dimensions of a suitable test piece, and forms the operating principle of dilatometry. The dilatometric technique may be applicable to the investigation of the phase transformation kinetics if the relation between the fractions of phases, the temperature, the compositions of phases and the dilatation can be built up. Efforts have been made to analyze the dilatation during an isothermal transformation or to calculate the dilatation during the heating of plain carbon steels using the thermodynamic function. The existing models are, however, not directly applicable to the determination of the phase transformation kinetics from a dilatation curve. A detailed analysis has been made of the length change of a hypoeutectoid steel during a continuous cooling. A model has been developed in which the transient dilatation is calculated based on the fraction of the phases present. The model takes into account the redistribution of carbon and is applicable to the determination of the phase transformation kinetics from the dilatation data during a cooling of a hypo-eutectoid steel. The model was validated by comparing the model results with the experimental results of an interstitial free steel. Experiments have been done with an interstitial-free steel and a C-Mn steel. The model has been applied to the calculation of the transformation kinetics indicated by the dilatation curves. Excellent agreements between the model and the experiments have been obtained.

In situ observation of the effect of Al N particles on bainitic transformation in a carbide-free medium carbon steel

The bainitic transformation of the steels with different mass fractions of N, ~0.002% and 0.021%, was observed in situ by using high-temperature metalloscope. Micrometer-and nanometer-sized aluminum nitride(AlN) particles were found in the steel with 0.021% N.Grain boundaries, the interior of the grains, and Al N particles were used as initial nucleation sites of bainitic ferrite, and bainitic ferrite subunits served as new nucleation sites to induce secondary nucleation. The lengthening rate of bainitic ferrite varied at different nucleation sites, which was controlled by the repeated nucleation and growth of bainitic subunits. The Al N particles not only provided several nucleation sites, but also increased the autocatalytic effect on the transformation, further shortening the incubation period, promoting the bainitic transformation, and refining the bainitic microstructure.

Phase transformation and reduction kinetics during the hydrogen reduction of ilmenite concentrate

The reduction of ilmenite concentrate by hydrogen gas was investigated in the temperature range of 500 to 1200℃. The microstructure and phase transition of the reduction products were studied by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and optical microscopy （OM）. It was found that the weight loss and iron metallization rate increased with the increase of reduction temperature and reaction time. The iron metallization rate could reach 87.5% when the sample was reduced at 1150℃ for 80 min. The final phase constituents mainly consist of Fe, M305 solid solution phase （M=Mg, Ti, and Fe）, and few titanium oxide. Microstructure analysis shows that the surfaces of the reduction products have many holes and cracks and the reactions take place from the exterior of the grain to its interior. The kinetics of reduction indicates that the rate-controlling step is diffusion process control with the activation energy of 89 kJ.mo1-1.

Phase transformation kinetics of Ti-1300 alloy during continuous heating

Abstract The α ＋ β→β phase transformation kinetics of Ti-1300 alloy during continuous heating at different heating rates were investigated using dilatometric method. Results show that the curves of the α ＋ β→β phase transformation exhibit a typical S-shaped pattern, which indicates that the α ＋ β→β phase transformation is a nucleation-growth-controlled process. The overall activation energy of the α ＋ β→β transformation of the alloy is 797 kJ·mol^-1. The nucleation and growth mechanism of the α ＋ β→β transformation was also investigated using the non-isothermal Avrami exponent. The Avrami exponent during α ＋ β→β transformation process significantly changes with transformed volume fraction increasing, which indicates that the α ＋ β→β transformation mechanism in the Ti-1300 alloy varies at different sections.

Mechanism and Kinetics of Phase Transformation in Two-phase TiAl-based Alloys

The aged and quenched microstructures of both alloys, Ti-42at-%Al and Ti-45at -%Al,homogenized in the disordered single phase field. were investigated And the results show that the quinched microstructure is a supersaturated single phase of ordered 22. When the supersaturated phase is aged in the two phase range at 1273 and 1373 K, it will transform to a lamellar microstructure of γ+α2. with a discontinuous decomposition mechanism in Ti-42at-%Al alloy and a semicontinuous decomposition mechanism in T1-45at-%Al alloy. With the methods of quantitative metallograph examination and X-ray diffraction analysis. the relationship between the amount of γ, phase precipitation and the time of isothermal transformation is agreed

Phase transformation kinetics in metastable titanium alloys

We investigated the phase transformation sequence,kinetics,and microstructural evolutions during heating,isothermal treatment,and continuous cooling of the metastable Ti–B19 alloy.On the basis of these results,we summarized the phase transformation characteristics of this kind of alloys,especially the metastable b-Ti alloy.We also analyzed and discussed the possibility of describing the size,morphology,and distribution of precipitates as well as the possibility of and complications in establishing relationships among the chemical composition,microstructure,processing parameters,and properties of the metastable Ti–B19 alloy.

Cyclic stress induced phase transformation in super-bainitic microstructure

The effects of cyclic stress loading on the microstructual evolution and tensile properties of a medium-carbon super- bainitic steel were investigated. Experimental results show that the cyclic stress can induce the carbon gathering in austenite and phase transformation from film-like retained austenite to twin martensite, which will obviously enhance the tensile strength and the product of tensile strength and ductility. The higher the bainitic transformation temperature, the lower the transformation rate of the retained austenite. The amount and thickness of the film-like retained austenite play an important role during the cyclic stress induced phase transformation.

Analytical Description for Solid-State Phase Transformation Kinetics:Extended Works from a Modular Model, a Review

Solid-state phase transformation plays an important role in adjusting the microstructure and thus tuning the properties of materials. A general modular, analytical model has been widely applied to describe the kinetics of solid-state phase transformation involving nucleation, growth and impingement; the basic conception for iso-kinetics which constitutes a physical foundation for the kinetic models or recipes can be extended by the analytical model. Applying the model, the evolution of kinetic parameters is an effective tool for describing the crystallization of enormous amorphous alloys. In order to further improve the effectiveness of this kinetic model, recently, the recipes and the model fitting procedures were extended, with more factors （e.g., anisotropic growth, soft impingement, and thermodynamic driving force） taken into consideration in the modified models. The recent development in the field of analytical model suggests that it is a general, flexible and open kinetic model for describing the solid-state phase transformation kinetics.

VALENCE ELECTRON STRUCTURE OF 40CrNiMo AND ITS INFLUENCES ON PHASE TRANSFORMATION KINETICS

Based on R. H. Yu’s empirical electron theory of solids and molecules, the bond length difference (BLD) analysis has been carried out on 40CrNiMo austenite structure. The valence electron structure of the austenite has been established on the basis of atomic hybridization state, atomic magnetic moment, experimental bond length, etc. ; the short range segregation of C-Cr, C-Ni, C-Mo in austenite has been ratiocinated from microscopic non-homogenerous theory of solid solusion; and the effects of C-Cr, C-Ni, C-Mo segrefation on transformation product have been proved by electronic microscopic analysis and energy spectroscopic analysis. Therefore, the formation of isothermal transformation kinetic curve of 40Cr-NiMo can be traced back to the valence electron structure of alloy phase.

PHASE TRANSFORMATION UNIT OF BAINITIC FERRITE AND ITS SURFACE RELIEF IN LOW AND MEDIUM CARBON ALLOY STEELS

The lath-or plate-shaped bainitic ferrite of low and medium carbon alloy steels consists of packets of ferrite sublaths which are composed of many finer and regular ferrite blocks.They are uniform shear growth units of bainitic phase transformation.No carbide is precipitated from them.The bainitic O-carbides are precipitated from γ-α interface or carbon-rich austenite.The mode of arrangement of the units in ferrite sublath packet is in uni-or bi-di- rection.Single surface relief is produced by the accumulation of uniform shear strains with all the ferrite units arranged unidirectionally in a sublath packet,while tent-shaped surface relief is formed by the integration of the uniform shear strains of two groups with ferrite units piling up in two directions and growing face to face;whereas if they grow back to back,the integra- tion will be responsible for invert-tent-shaped surface relief.The interface trace between two groups of ferrite units in a sublath packet is shown as“midrib”.

Alumina Effect on the Phase Transformation of 3Y-TZP Ceramics

The isothermal tetragonal-to-monoclinic phase transformation of 3 mol fraction Y2O3-ZrO2 ceramics contain- ing different amounts of Al2O3 during ageing in water at 130℃ for periods of time up to 40 h was investigated to explore the effect of Al2O3 addition on this transformation. The propagation of the transformation into the specimen interiors was suppressed by the addition of Al2O3. The transformation kinetics showed a nucleation and growth mechanism on the specimen surface to be dominant in the low temperature ageing in water environment.

EFFECT OF Mn CONTENT ON KINETIC PARAMETER DURING PHASE TRANSFORMATION IN CuZnAlMnNi SHAPE MEMORY ALLOYS

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Numerical Study of the Plastic Behaviour of a Low Alloy Steel during Phase Transformation

Phase transformations in steels play a major role on the generation of residual stresses and distortions during thermal processes such as welding and heat treatments. In this paper, we focus on the influence of phase transformations on the plastic behaviour of a low-alloy steel. It is now well known that the plastic strain rate can then be decomposed as the sum of two terms. The first one corresponds to classical plasticity while the second one is due to the evolution of the transformation and is usually referred to as corresponding to transformation induced plasticity. A theoretical approach of the problem has been achieved ([1][2][3]] and a macroscopic model has been proposed in the case of ideal-plastic phases. The theoretical approach has been assessed and completed using micromechanical numerical simulations but these were based on rather coarse 3D meshes due to limited computer capabilities in the 80’s. This paper presents new finite element micromechanical calculations using refined meshes to analyse the classical plastic behaviour and transformation induced plasticity. The results of the computations are discussed and compared with the calculations initially performed. Finally improvements of the macroscopic model are proposed.

Kinetic Study of Phase Transformations in Zr-Cr-Fe Alloy

The effect of prior microstructure on the kinetics of the α- β phase transformation in Zr-1.14 wt%Cr 0.08 wt%Fe alloy was studied. Specimens of different metallurgical histories and hence microstructures were prepared. Thermoelectric power (TEP) measurements and optical metallographt wereused to examine the transformations produced in these three kinds of specimens when they were reheated totemperatures 800～100℃ at different heating rates (slow and fast). The results indicate that the kinetics ofthe α-βphase transformation is strongly influenced by the metallurgical history of specimens. The presenceof nonequilibnum structures accelerates the phase transformation in the alloy and decreases the x-β transfor-mation temperature from 950℃ to 870℃. The influence of experimental conditions on the transformationkinetics is more complicated than that of metallurgical history. For an heated and as-received specimens, theα-βtransformation kinetics of the fast-heated specimens is slower than for the slow-heated specimens. How-ever. in the quenched specimens, the transformation kinetics of slow-heated specimens is greater than in fastheated specimens. This behaviour may be related to the size and shape of the Zr(CrFe)_2 precipitates andthe homogenization of the matrix.

Formation of Omega-like Nanocrystalline in the Melt-Spun Nd_(85)Al_(15) Alloy by Phase Transformation

Microstructure and subsequent phase transformations on heating of the melt-spun Nd85Al15 alloy have been studied by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The melt-spun Nd85Al15 alloy shows two-stage transformation processes as follows: amorphous+72 nm supersaturated bcc-Nd(AI) solid solution-7 nm omega-like phase-AINd3+hexagonal Nd. The activation energies for the first and second transformation were found to be 100 kj/mol and 188 kj/mol, respectively. The formation mechanism of nanoscale omega-like phase is discussed.

A Molecular Dynamics Study on the Effects of Lattice Defects on the Phase Transformation from BCC to FCC Structures

Molecular dynamics simulations of the phase transformation from body- centered-cubic (bcc) to face-centered-cubic (fcc) structures were performed. A Morse-type function was applied, and the parameters were determined so that both fcc and bcc structures were stable for the perfectcrystal model. When the fcc structure was superior to the bcc structure, the bcc model transformed to fcc. Two mechanisms, based on the Bain and Nishiyama- Wasserman (NW) relationships, were considered. Then, point or linear lattice defects, i.e., randomly scattered or regularly aligned vacancies, were introduced. Consequently, bcc models tended to transform to an fcc structure, whereas fcc models remained stable. The transformation process was also investigated in detail. BCC-to-FCC transformation is often considered as a homogeneous process based on changes in the axis lengths, and such a process was observed for the perfectcrystal model. Conversely, for the defect models, local heterogeneous deformation patterns, including cylindrical domain and planar interface formation, were observed. These behaviors are considered to be related to plastic deformation during phase transformation, and the validity of the presented model for further investigation was confirmed.