Effect of Warm Rolling on Micro-deformation Behavior and Mechanical Properties of Columnar-grained Fe-6.5 mass%Si Alloy

Micro-deformation behavior and mechanical properties of columnar-grained Fe-6.5 mass%Si alloy before and after warm rolling were investigated by means of micro-indentation and three-point bending tests.The results show that the columnar-grained Fe-6.5mass%Si alloy before warm rolling presents sink-in mode of micro-indentation,while pile-up mode with a number of arc-shaped deformation bands exists in the warm-rolled alloy.Compared with that of the alloy before warm rolling,the maximum bending fracture stress and maximum bending fracture deflection of the warm-rolled alloy are increased by 96% and 50%,respectively.The different micro-deformation behavior and mechanical properties of the columnar-grained Fe-6.5mass%Si alloy are ascribed to the changes of dislocation density,dislocation configuration and long-range order degree,which significantly improve the room temperature plasticity of the alloy after warm rolling.

固体渗硅制备的Fe-6.5 mass%Si合金的组织演变与磁性能

对3mass%冷轧硅钢板材进行固体渗硅和扩散退火处理,采用扫描电镜和X射线衍射仪等研究了其组织、物相和板材厚度方向Si成分的演变,并对其在不同频率下的铁损进行分析。结果表明:经过850℃的固体渗硅后,可在板材上制备出致密的化合物层,化合物层由表面的FeSi相层和邻近的Fe3Si相层构成;随着渗硅时间的增加,FeSi相层厚度不变,Fe3Si相层厚度增加;当板材心部完全形成Fe3Si相后,FeSi相层厚度开始增大。在扩散退火过程中,板材表面化合物层中Si向心部扩散,最终形成Si沿厚度方向均匀分布的、由单一α-Fe相构成的Fe-6.5 mass%Si合金。在较低的频率(1000 Hz)下,Fe-6.5 mass%Si合金的铁损高于3 mass%硅钢;在中等频率下(1000-20000 Hz),二者铁损接近;在较高的频率下(>20000 Hz),Fe-6.5 mass%Si合金的铁损小于3 mass%硅钢,频率越高差异越大。

Numerical modeling for electron-beam evaporated process of magnetic alloy Fe-6.5%Si

Based on Langmuir equation and thermodynamic properties of iron-silicon binary alloy, a mathematical model about the process of electron-beam evaporated binary alloy Fe-6.5%Si was established. Variation of the composition of molten pool, vapor and deposit with time, length of transient time and the composition of molten pool, deposit under the steady condition were presented according to the numerical model. The experimental results on the composition of deposit were compared to the data calculated through the model. The results show that the model is applicable, after evaporating for about 50min, the compositions of the deposit are equal to those of the ingot.

Simulation of solidification microstructure of Fe-6.5%Si alloy using cellular automaton-finite element method

3D microstructures of Fe–6.5%Si(mass fraction) alloys prepared under different cooling conditions were simulated via finite element-cellular automaton(CAFE) method. The simulated results were compared to experimental results and found to be in accordance. Variations in the temperature field and solid-liquid region, which plays important roles in determining solidification structures, were also examined under various cooling conditions. The proposed model was utilized to determine the effects of Gaussian distribution parameters to find that the lower the mean undercooling, the higher the equiaxed crystal zone ratio; also, the larger the maximum nucleation density, the smaller the grain size. The influence of superheat on solidification structure and columnar to equiaxed transition(CET) in the cast ingot was also investigated to find that decrease in superheat from 52 K to 20 K causes the equiaxed crystal zone ratio to increase from 58.13% to 65.6%, the mean gain radius to decrease from 2.102 mm to 1.871 mm, and the CET to occur ahead of schedule. To this effect, low superheat casting is beneficial to obtain finer equiaxed gains and higher equiaxed dendrite zone ratio in Fe–6.5%Si alloy cast ingots.

Texture Evolutions in Fe-6.5%Si Produced by Rapid Solidification and Chemical Vapor Deposition

Fe-Si ribbons and thin sheets with 6.5%Si content were prepared by means of the single roller rapid solidification and chemical vapor deposition (CVD), respectively. The initial textures of rapidly solidified Fe-6.5%Si ribbons were characteristic of the {100} fiber-type, which became weakened during primary recrystallization in various atmospheres. At the stage of secondary recrystallization, the {100} texture formed in Ar and the {110} texture in hydrogen, while there occurred a texture transformation from the {100} type to the {110} type in vacuum with the increase of annealing temperature. For Fe-6.5%Si sheets prepared by Si deposition in cold-rolled Fe-3%Si matrix sheets, their textures were dominated by the η-fiber (<001>//RD) with the maximum density at the {120}<001> orientations. After homogenization annealing, the η-fiber could evolve into the {130}<001> type or become more concentrated on the {120}<001> orientations, depending on the cold rolling modes of Fe-3%Si matrix sheets.

Fabrication of Fe-6.5wt%Si Bulk by Spark Plasma Sintering

Fe-6.5wt%Si composite compact was fabricated by spark plasma sintering(SPS).Mec hanical alloying(MA)was used to prepare Fe-Si composite powders.The composite p owders were sintered by SPS at elevsated temperature from 500℃ to 700℃.The exp erimental results indicate that the non-equilibrium state of composite Fe-Si i s preserved in the compact.The density of the bulk rises with the increasing tem perature and there is no diffusion of silicon and iron in the interface.

Effect of heat treatment on mechanical properties of heavily cold-rolled Fe-6.5wt%Si alloy sheet

Fe-6.5wt%Si alloy has excellent soft magnetic properties,but it is hard to be cold-rolled due to appearance of ordered phases in this alloy.In this paper we report that ultra thin Fe-6.5wt%Si sheet of 0.05 mm thick was obtained by heavily cold rolling.By means of optical microscope,micro-hardness indenter,instron,SEM and X-ray diffraction,the effect of heat treatment on mechanical properties of this alloy sheet was investigated.The heavily cold-rolled sheet exhibits some extent of ductility.The ultimate tensile strength reaches 1.93 GPa.After heat treatment,micro-hardness is decreased and the ductility is lost,especially at temperature above 650℃ when recrystallization takes place.The reason for decreasing the ductility lies in the ordered DO3 phase transformation.

Warm deformation behavior and work-softening mechanism of Fe- 6.5wt.%Si alloy

Warm deformation behavior of the Fe-6.5wt.%Si alloy was studied by isothermal compression in the temperature range of 300-700℃.The results show that the influence of the ordered phases on the flow stress gradually weakens with increasing deformation temperature.The flow stress of the furnace-cooled sample with the high degree of order at 300℃is higher than that of the quenched sample with the low degree of order,and the flow stresses of both samples are nearly the same at 500-700℃.The hardness difference between two samples deformed at 500℃gradually decreases with increasing strain,accompanying with a reduction in hardness of the furnace-cooled sample,which indicates a work-softening behavior.The analyses of dislocation configurations and ordered structure suggest that the dynamic recovery and deformation-induced disorder result in the work-softening behavior.An appropriate deformation temperature window for improving the formability of the Fe-6.5wt.%Si alloy is about 500-600℃.

Effect of 0.5 mass% Cu Addition on Ductility and Magnetic Properties of Fe-6.5Si Alloy

The effect of adding 0.5mass% Cu on ductility and magnetic properties of Fe-6.5Si（mass%）alloy was investigated.The alloys with and without 0.5mass% Cu addition were warm rolled into thin sheets of thickness no more than 0.3mm at temperature below 600 ℃.It was found that the alloy with 0.5mass% Cu addition was more easily warm rolled than Cu-free alloy.Tensile tests were carried out to further investigate this phenomenon,which confirmed that the ductility of the alloy with 0.5mass% Cu addition was significantly higher than that of Cu-free alloy at 550 ℃.Based on the results of transmission electron microscopy analysis,the ductility increase of the alloy with 0.5mass% Cu addition was attributed to the effect of Cu on the promotion of dynamic recovery and suppression of long-range order in the alloy during warm rolling process.It was also observed that the iron loss was lower and inductance was higher for the alloy with 0.5 mass% Cu addition.Thus,it can be concluded that adding a suitably small amount of Cu would not only increase the ductility of Fe-6.5Si alloy at warm rolling temperatures but also improve its magnetic properties.

Comprehensive impact of as-cast microstructure and ordered structures on formability of large-scale Fe-6.5 wt.%Si alloy ingots

Large-scale Fe-6.5 wt.%Si ingot with excellent formability is required for a pilot line producing sheets through hot/cold rolling.The variation of the as-cast microstructure,ordered structures and the formability of the Fe-6.5 wt.%Si alloy ingots with the cooling rate during casting was investigated.Under air-cooling condition,inhomogeneous microstructures with a low proportion of equiaxed grains were formed,but the formation of ordered structures was partially inhibited,especially DO3.Homogeneous microstructures with a high proportion of equiaxed grains were observed under the condition of furnace cooling,but the ordered structures were fully generated,and the degree of order is high.It is generally believed that high degree of order is the main factor of brittleness,but the homogeneous microstructure(including grain morphology and size)of the furnace-cooled sample helps to improve the formability.The influence of these two aspects on formability is contradictory.Therefore,the formability is tested through the flow stress during the compression and the microstructure after the compression.The results show that the furnace-cooled sample has better formability.For large-scale ingots,the control of as-cast microstructure becomes more significant than the control of degree of order.Slow cooling during casting is important for the large-scale ingots to have good formability meeting the requirements of direct hot rolling.

Effect of Deformation Temperature on Deformation Mechanism of Fe-6.5Si Alloys with Different Initial Microstructures

Deformation behaviors and mechanisms under different temperatures for columnar-grained Fe 6.5Si （mass%） alloys fabricated by directional solidification and equiaxed grained Fe-6.5Si alloy fabricated by forging were comparatively investigated. The results showed that, with increasing the deformation temperature from 300℃ to 500℃, the elongation increased from 2.9% to 30.1% for the equiaxed-grained Fe-6.5Si alloy, while from 6.6% to about 51% for the columnar-grained Fe-6.5Si alloy. The deformation mode of equiaxed-grained Fe 6.5Si alloy trans ferred from nearly negligible plastic deformation to large plastic deformation dominated by dislocation slipping. Comparatively, the deformation mode of the columnar grained alloy transferred from nearly negligible plastic deformation to plastic deformation dominated by the twining, and finally to plastic deformation dominated by dislocation slipping. Meanwhile, compared with the alloy with equiaxed grains, it was found that ultimate tensile strength and elongation could be increased simultaneously, which was ascribed for the twinning deformation in columnar-grained Fe-6.5Si al loy. This work would assist us to further understand the plastic deformation mechanism of Fe-6.5Si alloy and pro vide more clues for high-efficiency production of the alloy.

Deformation twinning in equiaxed-grained Fe-6.5 wt.%Si alloy after rotary swaging

Tensile behavior of an equiaxed-grained Fe-6.5 wt.%Si alloy,which was deformed intoφ6 mm bar by hot rotary swaging,was investigated at various temperatures(300–400℃)and stretching rates(0.42–1 mm/min).The results revealed an enhancement in the intermediate-temperature tensile ductility after heat treatments.Deformation twinning was found in the equiaxed-grained Fe-6.5 wt.%Si bars during the tensile test,and heat treatments can enhance the deformation twinning.More twins can be observed in the necking areas than other regions.The high Schmid factor values above 0.4 after heat treatments demonstrated that deformation twinning can easily occur in the equiaxed-grained Fe-6.5 wt.%Si alloy.Higher deformation temperatures,higher strain rates,and larger degree of order suppressed the formation of deformation twinning,while the grain sizes had little effect on the deformation twinning.The twinning stress of the Fe-6.5 wt.%Si alloy increased with the increasing grain size,which did not agree with the Hall–Petch type relationship.The deformation twinning resulted in the improved ductility of the Fe-6.5 wt.%Si alloy.

Morphology and distribution of precipitates and their effects on compression cracks in Fe-6.5Si-0.02B electrical steel

Morphology and distribution of precipitates in the Fe-6.5Si-0.02B alloy were characterized, and these effects on room- temperature compression cracks were investigated. The results showed that the precipitate in the Fe-6.5Si-0.02B alloy is FezB with body-centered tetragonal structure, and its nano-hardness is 15.0 GPa which is higher than that of the matrix （- 8.5 GPa）. In the as-cast alloys, most of the intragranular precipitates are coarse lath-like with the length of 5-15 μm and width of 2-5 μm, and the precipitates formed at the grain boundaries are of about 2-3 μm in width. After oil quenching followed by heat treatment at 1100 ℃ for more than 30 min, the precipitates inside grains are refined with a size of several hundred nanometers and the precipitates at the grain boundaries are refined with a size of 〈 1 μm. After compression test, transgranular and intergranular cracks occur in the as-cast alloys with coarse precipitates. For the quenched alloys with fine precipitates, the number of cracks decreases significantly, and no transgranular cracks happen because some cracks are blocked or the propagation direction is changed by grain boundary.

Numerical study of heat transfer of gas-atomized Fe-6.5 %Si （mass and solidification behavior fraction） droplets

During spray atomization process, the heat transfer and solidification of droplets play very important roles for the deposition quality. Due to the difficulties of experimental approach, a numerical model is developed, which integrates liquid undercooling, nucleation recalescence and post-re- calescence growth to present the full solidification process of Fe-6.5%Si （mass fraction） droplet. The droplet velocity, temperature, cooling rate as well as solid fraction profiles are simulated for droplets with different sizes to demonstrate the critical role of the size effect during the solidification process of droplets. The relationship between the simulated cooling rate and the experimentally obtained secondary dendrite arm spacing is in excellent agreement with the well-established formula. The pre-constant and exponent values lie in the range of various rapid solidified Fe-based alloys reported, which indicates the validity of the numerical model.

Evolution of Microstructure and Ordering in Rolling Process of Fe-6. 5 mass% Si Alloy

Fe-6. 5 mass% Si alloy is an excellent soft magnetic material with good application prospects. After rolling,the structure of the sheet is likely to be heterogeneous along the normal direction. The microstructure and ordering evolution in the thickness range of the sheets during hot-warm rolling process was studied by means of optical microscope and transmission electron microscope. The results show that dynamic recrystallization occurs in the surface parts during the hot and warm rolling processes,where the grains are equiaxed but have high density of dislocations due to the large deformation. The grains in the center part are elongated along the rolling direction. It is also found that in the hot rolled sheet,the center part has lower density of dislocations because of dynamic recovery. Meanwhile,this part has higher ordering content compared with the surface part,indicating that the high density of dislocations can inhibit the formation of ordering in the air cooling process after hot rolling. In the warm rolling process,both of the parts are deformed heavily. Large deformation destroys ordered phases and induces disordering. The ordering content is low in the whole warm rolled sheet.