Development of low-cost high-strength stainless steel for new-energy bus frames

Along with strict environmental regulation, new-energy vehicles are becoming increasingly popular due to their low emissions, and they will inevitably replace existing fossil-fuel-based buses in China. To achieve a lightweight bus body ,high-strength steels are commonly used for the bus frame,but these grades are susceptible to corrosion. From the perspective of ＂lower life-cycle cost＂, high-strength stainless steel is a better bus structure choice than high-strength carbon steels, since stainless steel bus frames last 10-15 years without requiring any maintenance. The low-cost high-strength stainless steels developed by Baosteel are introduced,the yield and tensile strengths of which can be controlled to within the range of 350-700 MPa and 900-1 200 MPa,respectively, and the elongation values are above 30%. Measurements of the toughness and fatigue resistance of these high-strength stainless steels and their joints indicate that the structural integrity requirements for bus frames can be met. The results of salt spray corrosion studies indicate that stainless steels will substantially increase the service life of bus frames in wet and icy winter conditions where deicing with CaC12 is necessary for road safety. The results of our investigation clearly indicate that high-strength stainless steel is a potential bus-frame material that makes it possible to achieve substantial weight savings, excellent corrosion resistance, and prolonged operational life.

Recent progress in visualization and digitization of coherent transformation structures and application in high-strength steel

High-strength steels are mainly composed of medium-or low-temperature microstructures,such as bainite or martensite,with coherent transformation characteristics.This type of microstructure has a high density of dislocations and fine crystallographic structural units,which ease the coordinated matching of high strength,toughness,and plasticity.Meanwhile,given its excellent welding perform-ance,high-strength steel has been widely used in major engineering constructions,such as pipelines,ships,and bridges.However,visual-ization and digitization of the effective units of these coherent transformation structures using traditional methods(optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy)is difficult due to their complex morphology.Moreover,the establishment of quantitative relationships with macroscopic mechanical properties and key process parameters presents additional difficulty.This article reviews the latest progress in microstructural visualization and digitization of high-strength steel,with a focus on the application of crystallographic methods in the development of high-strength steel plates and welding.We obtained the crystallographic data(Euler angle)of the transformed microstruc-tures through electron back-scattering diffraction and combined them with the calculation of inverse transformation from bainite or martensite to austenite to determine the reconstruction of high-temperature parent austenite and orientation relationship(OR)during con-tinuous cooling transformation.Furthermore,visualization of crystallographic packets,blocks,and variants based on actual OR and digit-ization of various grain boundaries can be effectively completed to establish quantitative relationships with alloy composition and key process parameters,thereby providing reverse design guidance for the development of high-strength steel.

Effects of iron oxide on crystallization behavior and spatial distribution of spinel in stainless steel slag

Chromium plays a vital role in stainless steel due to its ability to improve the corrosion resistance of the latter.However,the re-lease of chromium from stainless steel slag(SSS)during SSS stockpiling causes detrimental environmental issues.To prevent chromium pollution,the effects of iron oxide on crystallization behavior and spatial distribution of spinel were investigated in this work.The results revealed that FeO was more conducive to the growth of spinels compared with Fe2O3 and Fe3O4.Spinels were found to be mainly distrib-uted at the top and bottom of slag.The amount of spinel phase at the bottom decreased with the increasing FeO content,while that at the top increased.The average particle size of spinel in the slag with 18wt%FeO content was 12.8μm.Meanwhile,no notable structural changes were observed with a further increase in FeO content.In other words,the spatial distribution of spinel changed when the content of iron oxide varied in the range of 8wt%to 18wt%.Finally,less spinel was found at the bottom of slag with a FeO content of 23wt%.

Flow characteristics and hot workability of a typical low-alloy high-strength steel during multi-pass deformation

Heavy components of low-alloy high-strength(LAHS) steels are generally formed by multi-pass forging. It is necessary to explore the flow characteristics and hot workability of LAHS steels during the multi-pass forging process, which is beneficial to the formulation of actual processing parameters. In the study, the multi-pass hot compression experiments of a typical LAHS steel are carried out at a wide range of deformation temperatures and strain rates. It is found that the work hardening rate of the experimental material depends on deformation parameters and deformation passes, which is ascribed to the impacts of static and dynamic softening behaviors. A new model is established to describe the flow characteristics at various deformation passes. Compared to the classical Arrhenius model and modified Zerilli and Armstrong model, the newly proposed model shows higher prediction accuracy with a confidence level of 0.98565. Furthermore, the connection between power dissipation efficiency(PDE) and deformation parameters is revealed by analyzing the microstructures. The PDE cannot be utilized to reflect the efficiency of energy dissipation for microstructure evolution during the entire deformation process, but only to assess the efficiency of energy dissipation for microstructure evolution in a specific deformation parameter state.As a result, an integrated processing map is proposed to better study the hot workability of the LAHS steel, which considers the effects of instability factor(IF), PDE, and distribution and size of grains. The optimized processing parameters for the multi-pass deformation process are the deformation parameters of 1223–1318 K and 0.01–0.08 s^(-1). Complete dynamic recrystallization occurs within the optimized processing parameters with an average grain size of 18.36–42.3 μm. This study will guide the optimization of the forging process of heavy components.

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.

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.

Progress in weldability research of duplex stainless steels

Duplex stainless steels(DSSs)show better corrosion resistance with higher strength than traditional austenite stainless steels in many aggressive environments,and can be welded properly with almost every welding processes,if proper heat input is provided.Progresses of research works on weldability of DSSs in recent years are reviewed in this paper.Balance control of ferrite/austenite phases is most important for DSSs welding.The phases balance can be controlled with filler materials,nitrogen addition in shielding gas,heat input,post weld heat treatment,and alternating magnetic field.Too high cooling rate results in not only extra ferrite,but also chromium nitride precipitation.While too low cooling rate or heating repeatedly results in precipitation of secondary austenite and intermetallic compounds.In both situations,mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of the DSS joints deteriorate.Recommended upper and lower limits of heat input and maximum interpass temperature should be observed.

Achieving a high-strength dissimilar joint of T91 heat-resistant steel to 316L stainless steel via friction stir welding

The reliable welding of T91 heat-resistant steel to 316L stainless steel is a considerable issue for ensuring the safety in service of ultrasupercritical power generation unit and nuclear fusion reactor,but the high-quality dissimilar joint of these two steels was difficult to be obtained by traditional fusion welding methods.Here we improved the structure-property synergy in a dissimilar joint of T91 steel to 316L steel via friction stir welding.A defect-free joint with a large bonding interface was produced using a small-sized tool under a relatively high welding speed.The bonding interface was involved in a mixing zone with both mechanical mixing and metallurgical bonding.No obvious material softening was detected in the joint except a negligible hardness decline of only HV~10 in the heat-affected zone of the T91 steel side due to the formation of ferrite phase.The welded joint exhibited an excellent ultimate tensile strength as high as that of the 316L parent metal and a greatly enhanced yield strength on account of the dependable bonding and material renovation in the weld zone.This work recommends a promising technique for producing high-strength weldments of dissimilar nuclear steels.

Experimental Study on Corrosion of Stainless Steel in Low Temperature Multi effect Seawater Desalination

Starting from the corrosion mechanism,this paper analyzes the characteristics of various types of stainless steel and selects the best performance composite plate composite plate stainless steel.Analyze and select the most suitable corrosion detection method based on specific practical multi working conditions,discuss the interference factors that affect metal corrosion during experimental simulation,and the advantages of newly developed sheet metal.The new development of composite board panels,with the substrate and composite materials applying their respective capabilities for MED,will bring breakthrough progress to the scientific research and engineering applica-tion of composite boards.

Carbide dissolution and austenite grain growth behavior of a new ultrahigh-strength stainless steel

The isothermal grain growth behavior for a new ultrahigh-strength stainless steel (UHSSS) is investigated in temperature range from 900 to 1150 ℃ and holding time range from 0 to 20 min. In the temperature range from 1000 to 1050 ℃, a bimodal grain size distribution was induced by different austenite grain growth rates which resulted from the weakened pin-ning effect by the partial dissolution of M6C particles along austenite grain boundaries. Further raising heating temperatures, M6C particles almost dissolved and the bimodal grain size distribution phenomenon became weakened, indicating that the austenite grain coarsening temperature of the new UHSSS was close to 1050 ℃. According to the present experimental results, a pragmatic mathematical model based on the Arrhenius equations was developed to predict the austenite grain growth process, which elaborated the influence of heating temperature, holding time and initial grain size on the austenite grain growth. Predictions for the new UHSSS presented a good agreement with experimental results.

Investigation of stress corrosion cracking behavior and mechanism analysis of a 1900 MPa-grade ultra-high-strength stainless steel

The stress corrosion cracking(SCC)behavior of a 1900 MPa-grade ultra-high-strength stainless steel in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution was investigated by X-ray diffractometer,scanning electron microscopy,electron back-scattered diffraction,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,and potentiodynamic polarization curves.The results showed that USS122G stel has good SCC resistance,and the critical stress intensiy factor(K_(iscc))of USS122G steel was about 68.906 MPa m^(1/2) and Kiscc/K_(ic)=0.76(K_(ic) is plane strain fracture toughness).The existence of film-like austenite along the lath martensite boundary and the protective effect of thecc passivation flm were the main factors for its high Kiscc.Among them,the main components of the passivation film on the surface of USS122G steel were Cr_(2)O_(3),Cr(OH)_(3),FeOOH,and Ni(OH)_(2).The fracture morphology of SCC zone was intergranular and transgranular.Through the slow and fast scanning rate polarization curve test results,it can be concluded that SCC mechanism of USS122G steel in 3.5 wt.%NaCl solution at the open-circuit potential was a mixed mechanism involving hydrogen embritlement and anodic dissolution.

Effect of traveling-wave magnetic field on dendrite growth of high-strength steel slab: Industrial trials and numerical simulation

The dendrite growth behavior of high-strength steel during slab continuous casting with a traveling-wave magnetic field was studied in this paper. The morphology of the solidification structure and composition distribution were analyzed. Results showed that the columnar crystals could deflect and break when the traveling-wave magnetic field had low current intensity. With the increase in current intensity, the secondary dendrite arm spacing and solute permeability decreased, and the columnar crystal transformed into an equiaxed crystal. The electromagnetic force caused by the traveling-wave magnetic field changed the temperature gradient and velocity magnitude and promoted the breaking and fusing of dendrites. Dendrite compactness and composition uniformity were arranged in descending order as follows:columnar-toequiaxed transition (high current intensity), columnar crystal zone (low current intensity), columnar-to-equiaxed transition (low current intensity), and equiaxed crystal zone (high current intensity). Verified numerical simulation results combined with the boundary layer theory of solidification front and dendrite breaking–fusing model revealed the dendrite deflection mechanism and growth process. When thermal stress is not considered, and no narrow segment can be found in the dendrite, the velocity magnitude on the solidification front of liquid steel can reach up to 0.041 m/s before the dendrites break.

Effect of surface damage induced by cavitation erosion on pitting and passive behaviors of 304L stainless steel

The corrosion behavior of 304L stainless steel(SS)in 3.5wt%NaCl solution after different cavitation erosion(CE)times was mainly evaluated using electrochemical noise and potentiostatic polarization techniques.It was found that the antagonism effect resulting in the passivation and depassivation of 304L SS had significant distinctions at different CE periods.The passive behavior was predominant during the incubation period of CE where the metastable pitting initiated at the surface of 304L SS.Over the rising period of CE,the 304L SS experienced a transition from passivation to depassivation,leading to the massive growth of metastable pitting and stable pitting.The depassivation of304L SS was found to be dominant at the stable period of CE where serious localized corrosion occurred.

Sputtered Stainless Steel on Silicon Photoanode for Stable Seawater Splitting in Photoelectrochemical Flow Cell

Photoelectrochemical(PEC)seawater splitting is a promising method for the direct utilization of solar energy and abundant seawater resources for hydrogen production.Photoelectrodes are susceptible to various ions in seawater and complicated competitive reactions,resulting in the failure of photoelectrodes.This paper proposes the design and fabrication of diff erent sputtered stainless steel(SS)fi lms deposited on silicon photoanodes,completely isolating the electrolytes and semiconductor substrate.Upon coupling with the PEC flow cell,the back-illuminated photoanode coated with 316 SS cocatalyst achieves stable operation for 70 h in natural seawater with a highly alkaline KOH(30 wt.%,7.64 mol/L)electrolyte due to the remarkable protection eff ect of the substrate from stainless steel,while the PEC seawater splitting system achieves a record hydrogen production rate of 600μmol/(h·cm^(2)).An appropriate Ni/Fe ratio in the SS ensures remarkable oxygen evolution activity,while chromic oxide ensures the effective anticorrosion effect by adjusting the microenvironment of the photoanodes.Moreover,fabricating PEC flow cells with photoanodes coated with SS cocatalysts are a viable strategy for PEC seawater splitting.

Study on the corrosion behavior of 316H stainless steel in molten NaCl–KCl–MgCl_(2) salts with and without purification

The corrosion behavior of 316H stainless steel(SS)in the impure and purified Na Cl–KCl–Mg Cl_(2) salt was investigated at700°C.Results indicate that the main deleterious impurity induced corrosion in the impure salt was the absorbed moisture,present in the form of Mg Cl_(2)·6H_(2)O.316H SS occurred severe intergranular corrosion with a corrosion depth of 130μm for1000 h in the impure Na Cl–KCl–Mg Cl_(2) salt.In contrast,the purification treatment of molten chloride salt by the dissolved Mg metal can remove the absorbed moisture,and the corresponding reactions were also discussed.As a result,the corrosiveness of Na Cl–KCl–Mg Cl_(2) salt is reduced significantly.316H SS occurred slight uniform corrosion with a depth of less than 5μm for 3000 h in the purified Na Cl–KCl–Mg Cl_(2) salt.

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.

High throughput screening of localised and general corrosion in type 2205 duplex stainless steel at ambient temperature

Bipolar electrochemistry is used to produce a linear potential gradient across a bipolar electrode(BPE),providing direct access to the anodic and cathodic reactions under a wide range of applied potentials.The occurrence of pitting corrosion,crevice corrosion,and general corrosion on type 2205 duplex stainless steel(DSS 2205)BPE has been observed at room temperature.The critical pit depth of 10-20μm with a55%-75% probability of pits developing into stable pits at potential from+0.9 to+1.2 V vs.OCP(open circuit potential)are measured.All pit nucleation sites are either within ferritic grains or at the interface between austenite and ferrite.The critical conditions for pitting and crevice corrosion are discussed with Epit(critical pitting potential)and Ecre(critical crevice potential)decreasing from 0.87 and 0.80 V vs.OCP after150 s of exposure to 0.84 and 0.76 V vs.OCP after 900 s of exposure,respectively.Pit growth kinetics under different applied bipolar potentials and exposure times have been obtained.The ferrite is shown to be more susceptible to general dissolution.

Deformation Mechanism of Bimodal Structured 2205 Duplex Stainless Steel in Two Yield Stages

A kind of micro/nanostructured 2205 duplex stainless steel(DSS)with uniform distribution of nanocrystals was prepared via aluminothermic reaction method.The analysis of stress-strain curve showed that the fracture strength and elongation of the specimen were 946 MPa and 24.7%,respectively.At present,the research on microstructure of bimodal 2205 DSS at room temperature(RT)mainly depended on scanning electron microscope(SEM)observation after loading experiments.The test result indicates that there are two different yield stages in stress-strain curve of specimen during tensile process.The microstructure of duplex bimodal structured stainless steel consists of two pairs of soft hard regions and phases.By studying deformation mechanism of bimodal structured stainless steel,the interaction between soft phase and hard phase are discussed.The principle of composition design and microstructure control of typical duplex stainless steel is obtained,which provides an important research basis for designing of advanced duplex stainless steel.

Investigation on influence of alloying on phase transitions of duplex stainless steel based on thermochemical calculation

This paper investigated on influence of different alloying elements added into duplex stainless steel (DSS) on phase transitions using thermochemical methods in comparison with experiment.The results showed that the most possible species in the ferrite phase,austenite phase,σphase,Hcp phase,χphase,and carbide were Cr:Va-type,Fe:Va-type,Ni:Cr:Mo-type,Cr_(2)N-type,Fe_(24)Mo_(10)Cr_(24)-type,and Cr:Mo:C-type,respectively.Furthermore,the Ni,N,Cr,and Mo alloying had significant influences on the transition of each DSS phase.The Ni and N additions obviously raised the temperature at ferrite-1/austenite-1 balance while the Cr and Mo decreased the dual-phase balance temperature.In addition,the Ni addition can promote the precipitating ofσphase at relatively high temperature while the precipitating of Hcp phase at relatively low temperature.The Hcp phase andχphase can be obviously increased by the N addition.The introduction of Cr and Mo notably enhances the precipitation ofσphase.However,the promotion ofχphase precipitation is facilitated by the presence of Mo,while the Cr element acts as an inhibitor forχphase precipitation.Furthermore,the ferrite/austenite ratio tested by experiment was higher than that calculated by thermochemical methods,thus pre-designed solution temperature should be lower about 30-100℃than that calculated by thermochemical methods.