Aging precipitation and recrystallization in high-nitrogen austenitic stainless steel

The interaction between precipitation and recrystallization in cold deformed Fe-18Cr-12Mn-0.48N high-nitrogen austenitic stainless steel was investigated by means of hardness test, optical microscopy (OM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that the recrystallization of the steel begins at about 750℃ . When aging at 750℃ , the precipitation occurs prior to recrystallization. Large numbers of the second phases nucleate in dislocation, grain boundary and subgrain boundary. Precipitation of the second-phase particles hinders the formation of recrystallization nucleus.

Welding of nickel free high nitrogen stainless steel: Microstructure and mechanical properties

High nitrogen stainless steel(HNS) is a nickel free austenitic stainless steel that is used as a structural component in defence applications for manufacturing battle tanks as a replacement of the existing armour grade steel owing to its low cost, excellent mechanical properties and better corrosion resistance.Conventional fusion welding causes problems like nitrogen desorption, solidification cracking in weld zone, liquation cracking in heat affected zone, nitrogen induced porosity and poor mechanical properties.The above problems can be overcome by proper selection and procedure of joining process. In the present work, an attempt has been made to correlate the microstructural changes with mechanical properties of fusion and solid state welds of high nitrogen steel. Shielded metal arc welding(SMAW), gas tungsten arc welding(GTAW), electron beam welding(EBW) and friction stir welding(FSW) processes were used in the present work. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction were used to characterize microstructural changes. Hardness, tensile and bend tests were performed to evaluate the mechanical properties of welds. The results of the present investigation established that fully austenitic dendritic structure was found in welds of SMAW. Reverted austenite pools in the martensite matrix in weld zone and unmixed zones near the fusion boundary were observed in GTA welds. Discontinuous ferrite network in austenite matrix was observed in electron beam welds.Fine recrystallized austenite grain structure was observed in the nugget zone of friction stir welds.Improved mechanical properties are obtained in friction stir welds when compared to fusion welds. This is attributed to the refined microstructure consisting of equiaxed and homogenous austenite grains.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of High-Nitrogen Austenitic Stainless Steels Subjected to Equal-Channel Angular Pressing

Three high-nitrogen stainless steels with different N contents were successfully processed by equal-channel angular pressing for one pass, and their microstructures and mechanical properties were investigated. It was found that the microstructure of the billet was heterogeneous across the billet thickness, resulting in the difference in the mechanical properties due to the different deformation conditions. A relatively low strength, high uniform elongation, and high work- hardening rate for the samples at the bottom of the billet was achieved in comparison with those processed at the top. Meanwhile, it was observed that the density of deformation twins increased with the content of N; accordingly, the strength and elongation of the alloys increase with the content of N, resulting in a good strength-ductility combination.

Enhanced strength and toughness of high nitrogen stainless bearing steel by controlling interstitial partitioning via V-microalloying

High-nitrogen stainless bearing steel(HNSBS)with ultra-high tensile strength(∼2403 MPa)and good toughness(∼80.0 J)was obtained by V-microalloying,overcoming the strength-toughness trade-off of conventional V-free HNSBS.In this work,since V-microalloying facilitated the enrichment of interstitial atoms(C and N)in precipitates,the content of interstitial atoms in the matrix was reduced accordingly(i.e.,interstitial partitioning).On the one hand,V-microalloying reduced the substantial intergranular precipitates and transformed the precipitates from M_(23)C_(6)+M_(2)N into V-containing M_(23)C_(6)+M_(2)N+MN with multi-scale particle sizes,causing a coupling strengthening effect,which contributed to the toughness and additional strength increase.On the other hand,V-microalloying controlled interstitial partitioning,effectively refined coarse retained austenite(RA),increased the fraction of dislocation martensite,and reduced the fraction of twin martensite.The more film-like RA and dislocation martensite with high dislocation density coordinated plastic deformation and prevented crack propagation,thus obviously enhancing the strength and toughness of 0.2 V steel.This study provides a new route to develop high-performance HNSBS for aerospace applications.

Application of Grain Boundary Engineering to Improve Intergranular Corrosion Resistance in a Fe–Cr–Mn–Mo–N High-Nitrogen and Nickel-Free Austenitic Stainless Steel

Optimization of grain boundary engineering(GBE) process is explored in a Fe–20Cr–19Mn–2Mo–0.82N high-nitrogen and nickel-free austenitic stainless steel, and its intergranular corrosion(IGC) property after GBE treatment is experimentally evaluated. The proportion of low Σ coincidence site lattice(CSL) boundaries reaches 79.4% in the sample processed with 5% cold rolling and annealing at 1423 K for 72 h;there is an increase of 32.1% compared with the solution-treated sample. After grain boundary character distribution optimization, IGC performance is noticeably improved. Only Σ3 boundaries in the special boundaries are resistant to IGC under the experimental condition. The size of grain cluster enlarges with increasing fraction of low ΣCSL boundaries, and the amount of Σ3 boundaries interrupting the random boundary network increases during growth of the clusters, which is the essential reason for the improvement of IGC resistance.

Effect of Cold Deformation on the Friction–Wear Property of a Biomedical Nickel-Free High-Nitrogen Stainless Steel

The microstructural,mechanical and corrosion properties of different cold-rolled biomedical nickel-free highnitrogen stainless steels（NFHNSSs） were investigated to study the effect of cold deformation on its dry wear resistance as well as corrosion–wear behaviors in distilled water and Hank＇s solution. The results indicated that NFHNSS was characterized by stable austenite and possessed excellent work-hardening capacity; due to increasing cold deformation,the corrosion resistance just decreased very slightly and the dry wear rate decreased initially but subsequently increased,while the corrosion–wear resistance was improved monotonically in both distilled water and Hank＇s solution in spite of the presence of corrosive ions. The friction coefficients for different cold-rolled NFHNSSs were very close under the same lubricating condition,but they were the largest in distilled water compared to that in dry wear tests and Hank＇s solution.

高氮奥氏体不锈钢的研究进展

高氮奥氏体不锈钢由于具有强度高、韧性好、无磁、耐腐蚀性能佳及晶间腐蚀敏感性低等诸多独特优点而得到越来越广泛的应用,但基础理论和制造技术方面的研究仍相对落后。文中分析了高氮奥氏体不锈钢的研发历程和冶金理论现状,综述了高氮奥氏体不锈钢的钢种、成分、制造工艺和力学性能,以及该钢的发展与展望。

双填丝等离子弧增材制造高强高硬高氮钢组织与特性研究

针对等离子单填丝增材制造电弧热量利用率低和熔丝效率低,容易造成增材金属过热的问题,以高氮钢丝材为熔化材料,采用单电弧双填丝共熔池的等离子弧增材制造工艺制备了高氮钢直壁体试样。采用游标卡尺、光学显微镜、扫描电镜和力学性能试验等手段,分别对单填丝和双填丝两种工艺增材直壁体的成型尺寸、熔敷效率、显微组织、力学性能和断裂形式进行了对比检测分析。然后详细考察了丝材熔敷量增加对试样组织和力学性能的影响,并分析双填丝等离子弧增材制造高强高硬高氮钢构件的组织变化规律和性能变化规律。结果表明,相对于单填丝增材工艺,在同样的增材电流下,双填丝增材工艺中总填丝速度可以成倍增加,分层更加清晰,平均有效熔敷效率提高92%。试样的显微组织大部分为平行增材方向奥氏体柱状树枝晶,存在少量的δ铁素体和弥散分布的氮化物,少量奥氏体树枝晶生长的方向出现不一致。在同样的电弧进行速度下,双填丝等离子弧增材制造的试样的抗拉强度均有明显提升,最大提升可达到44 MPa;断后伸长率均有增加,最高提升了9.4%。试样的显微硬度比单填丝增材试样的显微硬度略有提高。

Effect of aging treatment on microstructure and corrosion behavior of a Fe-18Cr-15Mn-0.66N stainless steel

The effect of aging treatment on the microstructure and corrosion behavior of a Fe-18Cr-15Mn-0.66N high-nitrogen stainless steel(HNSS) in 3.5 wt.% Na Cl solution was investigated using a series of electrochemical tests, scanning electronic microscopy(SEM), X-ray diffraction(XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS). The results showed that the aging treatment led to the precipitation of CrN particles along the grain boundaries and their morphologies changed from dispersive particles to continuous network as the aging time increased up to 60 min. Aging time had minor effects on the corrosion potential and corrosion current density, but resulted in the sharp decrease in the pitting corrosion potential.The passive film behaved as a n-type semiconductor, and the donor density of the passive film increased with the aging time. Meanwhile, the fraction of stable oxide(CrO) in the passive film decreased with the aging time. It demonstrates that the aging treatment deteriorated the protectiveness of the passive film, hence weakened the corrosion resistance of HNSS.

大厚度高氮钢多层多道等离子弧增材构件的组织与性能分析

以自研的高氮奥氏体不锈钢焊丝为增材丝材,采用等离子弧成功堆敷了25 mm大厚度高氮钢构件。采用X射线检测、光学显微镜、扫描电镜、能谱仪和机械试验机对增材构件的缺陷、成分、组织和力学性能进行了检测分析,详细考察了堆敷速度对组织和力学性能的影响,揭示了大厚度多层多道增材制造的组织变化规律和性能增强机制。结果表明:大厚度高氮钢增材构件内部存在少量气孔,并且构件内合金元素分布均匀。试样的组织大部分为奥氏体,还有少量的δ铁素体和弥散分布的氮化物,层间和道间均分布着铁素体带。当堆敷速度由30 cm/min下降到18 cm/min时,上下两层相邻焊道交界处铁素体带的宽度由160μm降低到35μm,每层热输入量由1.275×104 kJ降到1.042×104 kJ;试样的横向和纵向平均抗拉强度分别提高90 MPa、76 MPa,横向和纵向平均延伸率分别提高6.5%、7.0%,横向和纵向平均冲击韧度分别提高12.07 J/cm 2、4.02 J/cm 2,试样的平均显微硬度提高了22.2HV。

Improving Intergranular Stress Corrosion Cracking Resistance in a Fe–18Cr–17Mn–2Mo–0.85N Austenitic Stainless Steel Through Grain Boundary Character Distribution Optimization

The grain boundary character distribution(GBCD) optimization and its effect on the intergranular stress corrosion cracking(IGSCC) resistance in a cold-rolled and subsequently annealed Fe-18 Cr-17 Mn-2 Mo-0.85 N high-nitrogen nickel-free austenitic stainless steel were systematically explored.The results show that stacking faults and planar slip bands appearing at the right amount of deformation(lower than 10%) are beneficial cold-rolled microstructures to the GBCD optimization.The proportion of special boundaries gradually increases in the subsequent stages of recrystallization and grain growth,accompanying with the growth of twin-related domain in the experimental steel.In this way,the fraction of low ∑ coincidence site lattice(CSL) boundaries can reach as high as 82.85% for the specimen cold-rolled by 5% and then annealed at 1423 K for 72 h.After GBCD optimization,low ∑ CSL boundaries and the special triple junctions(J2,J3) of high proportion can greatly hinder the nitride precipitation along grain boundaries and enhance the capability for intergranular crack arrest,thus improving the IGSCC resistance of the experimental steel.