Ultra-high cycle fatigue behavior of high strength steel with carbide-free bainite/martensite complex microstructure

The ultra-high cycle fatigue behavior of a novel high strength steel with carbide-free bainite/martensite （CFB/M） complex microstructure was studied. The ultra-high cycle fatigue properties were measured by ultrasonic fatigue testing equipment at a frequency of 20 kHz. It is found that there is no horizontal part in the S-N curve and fatigue fracture occurs when the life of specimens exceeds 10^7 cycles. In addition, the origination of fatigue cracks tends to transfer from the surface to interior of specimens as the fatigue cycle exceeds 10^7, and the fatigue crack originations of many specimens are not induced by inclusions, but by some kind of ＂soft structure＂. It is shown that the studied high strength steel performs good ultra-high cycle fatigue properties. The ultra-high fatigue mechanism was discussed and it is suggested that specific CFB/M complex microstructure of the studied steel contributes to its superior properties.

Effect of Microstructure on Corrosion Fatigue Behavior of 1500 MPa Level Carbide-Free Bainite/Martensite Dual-Phase High Strength Steel

Influence of microstructure of the experimental steels on the corrosion fatigue behavior in 3.5% of NaCl aqueous solution was studied.Experimental results show that compared with the full martensite（FM）steel,the carbide-free bainite/martensite（CFB/M）steel has higher corrosion fatigue strength and corrosion fatigue crack threshold（ΔKthcf）,and lower corrosion crack propagation rate [（da/dN）cf].

Nanostructured Carbide-Free Bainite Formation in Low Carbon Steel

It is an important challenge to reduce the carbon content in nanostructured bainitic steels for commercialization purposes while still being able to gain the desired microstructural characteristics in nanoscale and not to deteriorate the strength–ductility combinations.That is the point at which an appropriate heat treatment procedure design would be an important parameter.This article aims to investigate how to obtain nanostructured bainite in steel with 0.26 wt%carbon content by applying multi-step austempering procedures.One-,two-and three-step austempering processes have been implemented,and proper heat treatment temperatures and approaches were selected based on dilatometry tests.Results indicated that it has become possible to achieve bainitic ferrites and austenite fi lms with overall thicknesses of 164,145 and 132 nm and 134,105 and 90 nm at the end of one-,two-and three-step austempering heat treatments,respectively.Meanwhile,microstructural characteristics resulted in enhanced mechanical properties with ultimate tensile strength(UTS)of 1435,1455 and 1428 MPa in combination with elongation levels of 15.4,13.6 and 11.4%after implementing those heat treatments.Finally,it has been shown that applying the multi-step austempering heat treatments resulted in enhanced yield strength and impact toughness values due to the microstructural characteristics and proper heat treatment procedure design.

Kinetics of austenite growth and bainite transformation during reheating and cooling treatments of high strength microalloyed steel produced by sub-rapid solidification

First,strip cast samples of high strength microalloyed steel with sub-rapid solidification characteristics were prepared by simulated strip casting technique.Next,the isothermal growth of austenite grain during the reheating treatment of strip casts was observed in situ through confocal laser scanning microscope(CLSM).The results indicated that the time exponent of grains growth suddenly rise when the isothermal temperature higher than 1000℃.And the activation energy for austenite grain growth were calculated to be 538.0 kJ/mol in the high temperature region(above 1000℃)and 693.2 kJ/mol in the low temperature region(below 1000℃),respectively.Then,the kinetics model of austenite isothermal growth was established,which can predict the austenite grain size during isothermal hold very well.Besides,high density of second phase particles with small size was found during the isothermal hold at the low temperature region,leading to the refinement of austenite grain.After isothermal hold at different temperature for 1800 s,the bainite transformation in microalloyed steel strip was also observed in situ during the continuous cooling process.And growth rates of bainite plates with different nucleation positions and different prior austenite grain size(PAGS)were calculated.It was indicated that the growth rate of the bainite plate is not only related to the nucleation position but also to the PAGS.

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.

Precise control of bainite micro-morphology and the effects on the mechanical properties of ultrahigh-strength complex-phase sheet steel

Bainite, the main microstructure of ultrahigh-strength complex-phase(CP) sheet steel, usually exhibits various micro-morphologies when subjected to different austempering treatments.In the current study, conventional austempering treatment at the bainite nose temperature resulted in two bainite types with distinct micro-morphologies: polygonal blocky bainite and acicular bainite, which resulted in large fluctuations in the mechanical properties of CP steel, particularly yield strength and hole expansion ratio.Therefore, the precise control of bainite micro-morphology was studied and applied to separate the two bainite types through austempering optimization.The two bainite types of different micro-morphologies had different effects on the mechanical properties of CP steel: the acicular bainite favored hole expansion and flangeability but deteriorated ductility, while the polygonal blocky bainite favored ductility but deteriorated hole expansion and flangeability.Accordingly, two types of ultrahigh-strength CP steels of different mechanical properties can be stably manufactured through the precise control of bainitic micro-morphology to satisfy the specific demands of vehicle components in terms of the mechanical properties of CP steels.

Test and application of 60 kg·m^(−1) bainite rails for heavy-haul railway

Purpose-In order to develop high-strength,high-toughness and high-wear-resistance rails suitable for the development and application of heavy-haul railways.Design/methodology/approach-Based on the trial production of 60 kg·m^(−1) bainite rails,the Zeiss inverted optical microscope,transmission electron microscope and static hydraulic universal tester were used to test the microstructure and property of rail base metal and welded joints.Meanwhile,a trial laying of rails,wing rails of frogs and switch rails for turnouts was performed to systematically analyze their strength,toughness and wear resistance.Findings-The results show that the base metal of 60 kg·m^(−1) bainite rail is of a uniform microstructure,with a carbide-free bainite matrix,a few of stable residual austenite and M/A islands,and it features high hardness,good wear resistance and good strength-toughness balance.The welded joint is of a uniform microstructure and has good properties.Originality/value-A bainite rail,laid in a curve section of heavy-haul railway is able to serve for 48 months with a gross traffic tonnage of nearly 600 million tons,whose service life is more than one time longer than that of pearlite rail;the service life of the wing rail of frog and the switch rail for turnout with 60 kg·m^(−1) bainite rails is 3-4 times longer than that with U75V rails,and no serious damage occurs.The bainite rails also have strong peeling and spalling resistance.

Bainite Transformation Under Continuous Cooling of Nb-Microalloyed Low Carbon Steel

Utilizing Gleeble-1500 thermomechanical simulator, the influences of hot deformation parameters on continuous cooling bainite transformation in Nb-microalloyed low carbon steel were investigated. The results indicate that bainite starting temperature decreases with raising cooling rate and increases with increasing deformation temperature. Deformation has an accelerative effect on the bainite transformation when the specimens are deformed at 950 ℃. When the deformation temperature increases, the effect of deformation on bainite starting temperature is weakened. The amount of bainite is influenced by strain, cooling rate, and deformation temperature. When the specimens are deformed below 900 ℃, equiaxed ferrites are promoted and the bainite transformation is suppressed.

In situ measured growth rates of bainite plates in an Fe-C-Mn-Si superbainitic steel

The growth rates of bainite plates in an Fe-C-Mn-Si superbainitie steel were investigated by in situ observation. The lengthening rates of ferrite bainite during both cooling and isothermal holding processes were observed and the growth rates of bainite plates nucleating at grain boundaries, within grains and on preformed bainite were measured. It is indicated that the lengthening rates of bainite plates during the cooling and isothermal processes were different, and that the growth rates of bainite plates nucleating at different types of sites also demon- strated diversity. The bainite plates initiating at [vain boundaries during cooling grew the fastest, while the plates nucleating on preformed bainite did the slowest. However, the growth rate of the bainite plates nucleating at grain boundaries during isothermal transformation de- creased the most, whereas the bainite plates initiating within grains grew the fastest. In addition, the growth rate of ferrite bainite in the study supported the diffusion transformation mechanism of bainite from the viewooint of ~rowth rate.

Effects of Deformation on Bainite Transformation During Continuous Cooling of Low Carbon Steels

Hot deformation experiments were carried out on Gleeble 1500 thermo-mechanical simulator. The bainite transformation after deformation was investigated by optical microstructure analysis. The results indicated that the deformation accelerated the bainite transformation when the deformation was carried out at high temperature and no or little ferrite was precipitated before bainite transformation; when the deformation was carried out at low temperature, the deformation hindered the bainite transformation because a lot of ferrite precipitated before bainite transformation.

Kinetics of bainite-to-austenite transformation during continuous reheating in low carbon microalloyed steel

A dilatometer was used to study the kinetics of bainite-to-austenite transformation in low carbon microalloyed steel with the initial microstructure of bainite during the continuous reheating process. The bainite-to-austenite trans- formation was observed to take place in two steps at low heating rate. The first step is the dissolution of bainite, and the second one is the remaining bainite-to-austenite transformation controlled by a dissolution process. The calculation result of the kinetics of austenite formation shows that the two steps occur by diffusion at low heating rate. However, at high heating rate the bainite-to-austenite transformation occurs in a single step, and the process is mainly dominated by shear. The growth rate of austenite reaches the maximum at about 835℃ at different heating rates and the growth rate of austenite as a function of temperature increases with the increase in heating rate.

Nucleation Mechanism for Bainite

Based on the experimental results that solute-depleted zone was observed in Cu-28Zn-4AI (mass fraction) at 523 K, AG is calculated as a positive according to the thermodynamic criteria for the spinodal decomposition of a ternary systems. So, the solute-depleted zone cannot be formed by spinodal decomposition. Dislocation density required by the formation of solute-depleted zone is estimated greater than 7.89×109 cm-2, according to the segregation of solute atoms around dislocations, which is not consistent with the practical situation for the alloy at 523 K. Associated with the internal friction experimental fact that internal friction peaks appear within the incubation for bainitic transformation in Cu-Zn-AI alloy, the equilibrium temperature, TO, is evaluated as 433 K for solute-depleted Cu-25Zn-3.4AI, which is lower than the experimental temperature 523 K. Thus, nucleation by shear mechanism is impossible in this circumstance. Therefore, it is concluded that, like bainite in steels and Ag-Cd, bainite in Cu-Zn-AI alloys nucleates by diffusional mechanism, just implied by the experimental existence of solute-depleted zone.

Effect of Chromium on CCT Diagrams of Novel Air-Cooled Bainite Steels Analyzed by Neural Network

The quantitative effects of chromium content on continuous cooling transformation （CCT） diagrams of novel air-cooled bainite steels were analyzed using artificial neural network models. The results showed that the chromium may retard the high and medium-temperature martensite transformation.

Development of grain boundary allotriomorphic ferrite/granular bainite duplex steel

A new hot-rolled low alloy high strength steel with grain boundaryallotriomorphic ferrite/granular bainite duplex microstructure has been developed through novelmicrostructure and alloying designs without any noble metal elements such as nickel and molybdenum.Its as-rolled microstructure and mechanical properties, fatigue crack propagation behavior comparedwith single granular bainitic steel as well as continuous cooling transformation, were investigatedin detail. The measured result of CCT (continuous cooling transformation) curve shows that suchduplex microstructure can be easily obtained within a wide air-cooling rate range. More importantly,this duplex microstructure has much better combination of toughness and strength than the singlegranular bainite microstructure. It is found that the grain boundary allotriomorphic ferrite in thisduplex microstructure can blunt the microcrack tip, cause fatigue crack propagation route branchingand curving, and thus it increases the resistance to fatigue crack propagation, improves steeltoughness. The mechanical properties of the above commercial duplex steel plates have achieved orexceeded 870 MPa ultimate tensile strength, 570 MPa yield strength, 18 percent elongation and 34 JCharpy V-notch impact energy at -40 deg C, showing good development potential.

Influence of Holding Time After Deformation on Bainite Transformation in Niobium Microalloyed Steel

Using Gleeble-1500 system, the influence of holding time on bainite transformation in deformed niobium microalloyed steel during continuous cooling was analyzed, and the carbides in upper bainite were also systematically researched. The results show that the occurrence of the static recrystallization decreases the amount of bainite with an increase in the holding time and the emergence of retained austenite （RA） with the longer holding time. Two types of carbides were observed in upper bainite with regard to their precipitation sites. They either existed between the bainite ferrite laths or co-existed with RA. The formation mechanism of two kinds of carbides was analyzed by combining TEM micrographs with the model.

EFFECT OF SILICON ON PRODUCING DUCTILE IRON WITH COMPLEX STRUCTURE OF BAINITE AND MARTENSITE

This paper deals with an important role of silicon in producing ductile iron with quenched complex structure of bainite and martensite. The samples are cast in permanent mold and quenched in solution of sodium silicate. The result of thc experiments shows that the austenizing temperature should rise with increasing silicon content, otherwise much undissolved ferrite is present in the matrix after quenching. However the undissolvec ferrite can be decreased greatly or even eliminated by adding appropriate amount of ooron. On this condition, the amount of bainite gets increasing and the amount of residual austenite decreasing with the silicon cortent increasing. An approach has also been made to the mechanism of the effect of silicon on the transformation of bainite in ductile iron. The T.T.T. curves measured show that the increase of sllicon content causes the curve to shift to the left. This is quite different from the fact in steel.

Effect of zirconium addition on the austenite grain coarsening behavior and mechanical properties of 900 MPa low carbon bainite steel

The ultra-fine bainitic microstructure of a 900 MPa low carbon bainitic Cu-Ni-Mo-B steel was obtained by a newly developed relaxation precipitation control （RPC） phase transformation processing. In a pan-cake like prior-austenite grain, the micro- structure consisted of lath bainite, a little of abnormal granular bainite, and acicular ferrite. The effect of zirconium carbonitrides on the austenite grain coarsening behavior was studied by transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The results show that, the lath is narrower with increasing cooling rate. The ratio of all kinds of bainitic microstructure is proper with the intermediate cooling rate; and Zr-containing precipitates distribute uniformly, which restrains austenite grain growing in heat-affected welding zone.

EFFECT OF THE CONTROLLED ROLLING CONTROLLED COOLING ON STRENGTH AND DUCTILITY OF THE BAINITE MICRO ALLOYED ENGINEERING STEEL

The continuous cooling transformation of hot deformation austenite austenite of test steel and the effect of different processing schedules of controlled rolling and controlled cooling on the strength and ductility have been studied. The theory and the experiment base are presented for controlled rolling and controlled cooling of the SBL micro alloyed engineering steel.

The influence of stress and strain on kinetics of bainite transformation

The influence of stress and strain on the kinetics and transformation plasticity of bainite transformation has been studied using a 26Cr2Ni4MoV steel by thermal simulation experimental method. It has been found that as applied stress increases the maximum volume fraction of bainite increases for applied stress lower than the yield stress but decreases for applied stress higher than the yield stress. This is believed to be related with the strengthening of parent phase due to pre-deformation. Experimental results indicate that applied stress accelerates bainite transformation. When applied stress is lower than the yield stress, the parameter of transformation plasticity increases with applied stress while it becomes a constant for stress larger than yield stress.

DEFORMATION AND MICROFRACTURE OF GRANULAR BAINITE

Relationship among deformation history,fracture process and stress distribution of granular bainite has been investigated.The main process of fracture of granular bainite is the forma- tion.growth and coalescence of the microvoids.Even though the microcracks have formed at the earlier stage of deformation,they are not fateful for fracture because in the successive deformation stage the microcracks change their orientation toward the tensile axis.The strain hardening rate of granular bainite has a minimal value during the deformation process. Before and after the strain of the minimal value,the material shows different stress distribu- tion and microfracture mechanism.