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.

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.

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.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of a cast TRIP-assisted multiphase stainless steel

Stainless steels are used in a wide range of complex environments due to their excellent corrosion resistance.Multiphase stainless steels can offer an excellent combination of strength,toughness and corrosion resistance due to the coexistence of different microstructures.The microstructure and mechanical properties of a novel cast multiphase stainless steel,composed of martensite,ferrite,and austenite,were investigated following appropriate heat treatment processes:solution treatment at 1,050℃ for 0.5 h followed by water quenching to room temperature,and aging treatment at 500℃ for 4 h followed by water quenching to room temperature.Results show reversed austenite is formed by diffusion of Ni element during aging process,and the enrichment of Ni atoms directly determines the mechanical stability of austenite.The austenite with a lower Ni content undergoes a martensitic transformation during plastic deformation.The tensile strength of the specimen exceeds 1,100 MPa and the elongation exceeds 24%after solid solution,and further increases to 1,247 MPa and 25%after aging treatment.This enhancement is due to the TRIP effect of austenite and the precipitation of the nanoscale G-phase pinning dislocations in ferrite and martensite.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Dynamic recrystallization and precipitation in high manganese austenitic stainless steel during hot compression

Dynamic recrystallization and precipitation in a high manganese austenitic stainless steel were investigated by hot compression tests over temperatures of 950-1150~C at strain rates of 0.001 s-1-1 s-1. All the flow curves within the studied deformation regimes were typ- ical of dynamic recrystallization. A window was constructed to determine the value of apparent activation energy as a function of strain rate and deformation temperature. The kinetics of dynamic recrystallization was analyzed using the Avrami kinetics equation. A range of apparent activation energy for hot deformation from 303 kJ/mol to 477 kJ/mol is obtained at different deformation regimes. Microscopic characterization confirms that under a certain deformation condition （medium Zener-Hollomon parameter （Z） values）, dynamic recrystalliza- tion appears at first, but large particles can not inhibit the recrystallization. At low or high Z values, dynamic recrystallization may occur be- fore dynamic precipitation and proceeds faster. In both cases, secondary phase precipitation is observed along prior austenite grain bounda- ries. Stress relaxation tests at the same deformation temperatures also confirm the possibility of dynamic precipitation. Unexpectedly, the Avrami＇s exponent value increases with the increase of Z value. It is associated with the priority of dynamic recrystallization to dynamic precipitation at higher Z values.

Effects of initial grain size and strain on grain boundary engineering of high-nitrogen CrMn austenitic stainless steel

18 Mn18 Cr0.5 N steel with an initial grain size of 28–177 μm was processed by 2.5%–20% cold rolling and annealing at 1000°C for 24 h,and the grain boundary character distribution was examined via electron backscatter diffraction.Low strain(2.5%) favored the formation of low-Σ boundaries.At this strain,the fraction of low-Σ boundaries was insensitive to the initial grain size.However,specimens with fine initial grains showed decreasing grain size after grain boundary engineering processing.The fraction of low-Σ boundaries and the(Σ9 + Σ27)/Σ3 value decreased with increasing strain; furthermore,the specimens with fine initial grain size were sensitive to the strain.Finally,the effects of the initial grain size and strain on the grain boundary engineering were discussed in detail.

Microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of aging high nitrogen austenitic stainless steels

The microstructural evolution of 18Crl 8Mn2Mo0.77N high nitrogen austenitic stainless steel in aging treatment was investigated by optical microscopy （OM）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The results show that hexagonal intergranular and cellular Cr2N with a=0.478 nm and c=0.444 nm and body-centered cubic intermetaUic X phase with a=0.892 nm precipitate gradually in the isothermal aging treatment. The matrix nitrogen depletion due to the intergranular Cr2N precipitation induces the decay of Vickers hardness, and the formation of cellular Cr2N and X phase causes the increase in the values. The impact toughness presents a monotonic decrease and SEM morphologies show the leading brittle intergranular fracture. The tensile strength and elongation deteriorate obviously except for the sample aged for 1 h in yield strength. Stress concentration occurs when the matrix dislocations pile up at the pre- cipitation and matrix interfaces, and the interracial dislocations may become precursors to the misfit dislocations, which can form small cleavage steps and accelerate the formation of cracks.

Ag-containing austenitic antibacterial stainless steel

Ag-containing austenitic antibacterial stainless steel was produced by adding Ag-Cu intermediate alloy of different compositions during the melting process. After the Ag-containing austenitic antibacterial stainless steel＇s microstructure, mechanical properties and corrosion resistance were analyzed, conclusions that the antibacterial Ag-enriched phase distributed uniformly in the steel, and Ag-containing austenitic stainless steel had a good antibacterial property in addition to the properties of normal austenitic stainless steel were obtained.

Surface stability and conductivity of a high Cr and Ni austenitic stainless steel plates for PEMFC

In order to use stainless steel as bipolar plate for PEMFC, electrochemical behavior of a high Cr and Ni austenitic stainless steel was studied in the solutions containing different concentration of H2SO4 and 2 mg·L-1 F-, and interfacial contact resistance was measured after corrosion tests. The experimental results show that the passive current density lowers with decreasing the concentration of H2SO4. The interfacial contact resistance between carbon paper and passive film formed in the simulated PEMFC environment is higher than the goal of bipolar plate for PEMFC. Surface conductivity should be further reduced by surface modification.

Effects of cold rolling deformation on microstructure,hardness,and creep behavior of high nitrogen austenitic stainless steel

Effects of cold rolling deformation on the microstructure, hardness, and creep behavior of high nitrogen austenitic stainless steel （HNASS） are investigated. Microstructure characterization shows that 70% cold rolling deformation results in significant refinement of the microstructure of this steel, with its average twin thickness reducing from 6.4 μm to 14 nm. Nanoindentation tests at different strain rates demonstrate that the hardness of the steel with nano-scale twins （nt-HNASS） is about 2 times as high as that of steel with micro-scale twins （mt-HNASS）. The hardness of nt-HNASS exhibits a pronounced strain rate dependence with a strain rate sensitivity （m value） of 0.0319, which is far higher than that of mt-HNASS （m = 0.0029）. nt-HNASS shows more significant load plateaus and a higher creep rate than mt-HNASS. Analysis reveals that higher hardness and larger m value of nt-HNASS arise from stronger strain hardening role, which is caused by the higher storage rate of dislocations and the interactions between dislocations and high density twins. The more significant load plateaus and higher creep rates of nt-HNASS are due to the rapid relaxation of the dislocation structures generated during loading.

Strain hardening behavior, strain rate sensitivity and hot deformation maps of AISI 321 austenitic stainless steel

Hot compression tests were performed on AISI 321 austenitic stainless steel in the deformation temperature range of 800–1200℃ and constant strain rates of 0.001,0.01,0.1,and 1 s^(−1).Hot flow curves were used to determine the strain hardening exponent and the strain rate sensitivity exponent,and to construct the processing maps.Variations of the strain hardening exponent with strain were used to predict the microstructural evolutions during the hot deformation.Four variations were distinguished reflecting the different microstructural changes.Based on the analysis of the strain hardening exponent versus strain curves,the microstructural evolutions were dynamic recovery,single and multiple peak dynamic recrystallization,and interactions between dynamic recrystallization and precipitation.The strain rate sensitivity variations at an applied strain of 0.8 and strain rate of 0.1 s^(−1) were compared with the microstructural evolutions.The results demonstrate the existence of a reliable correlation between the strain rate sensitivity values and evolved microstructures.Additionally,the power dissipation map at the applied strain of 0.8 was compared with the resultant microstructures at predetermined deformation conditions.The microstructural evolutions strongly correlated to the power dissipation ratio,and dynamic recrystallization occurred completely at lower power dissipation ratios.