Effect of tempering temperature on the mechanical properties and microstructure of an copper-bearing low carbon bainitic steel

The effect of tempering temperature on the microstructure and mechanical properties of ultra-high strength, copperbearing, low-carbon bainitic steel has been investigated in the experiment. The results showed that the microstructure was mainly the laths of bainite in the as-quenched steel. The bainitic laths were restored and combined after the steel tempered at various tempera- tures. There were rnartensite/austenite （M/A） islands and numerous dislocations within and between the bainitic laths, while very t-me precipitates of ε-Cu were also observed within the laths. With increasing the tempered temperature from 400 to 600℃, the yield strength （YS） increased from 877 to 957 MPa, whereas the ultimate tensile strength （UTS） decreased from 1020 to 985 MPa. The Charpy V-notch （CVN） varied from 68.5 to 42 J, and the value was minimal for the steel tempered at 500℃. 2008 University of Science and Technology Beijing. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of Cracking Resistance of Copper-Bearing Age Hardening Steel Weldment

The weldability of a low-carbon copper-bearing age hardening steel was evaluated using cracking suscepti- bility calculation, HAZ maximum hardness measurement, and Y-groove cracking evaluation test. The results show that the hardenability characteristics and cold cracking susceptibility of the steel are very low. The results also indicate that a crack-free weldment can be obtained during the welding of this type of steel even at an ambient temperature as low as -5 ℃ as well as in an absolute humidity lower than 4 000 Pa without any preheat treatment. A slight preheat treatment can prevent the joint from cracking when welding is carried out at lower ambient temperature or higher absolute humidity.

Prospects for green steelmaking technology with low carbon emissions in China

The steel industry is a major source of CO_(2) emissions,and thus,the mitigation of carbon emissions is the most pressing challenge in this sector.In this paper,international environmental governance in the steel industry is reviewed,and the current state of development of low-carbon technologies is discussed.Additionally,low-carbon pathways for the steel industry at the current time are proposed,emphasizing prevention and treatment strategies.Furthermore,the prospects of low-carbon technologies are explored from the perspective of transitioning the energy structure to a“carbon-electricity-hydrogen”relationship.Overall,steel enterprises should adopt hydrogen-rich metallurgical technologies that are compatible with current needs and process flows in the short term,based on the carbon substitution with hydrogen(prevention)and the CCU(CO_(2) capture and utilization)concepts(treatment).Additionally,the capture and utilization of CO_(2) for steelmaking,which can assist in achieving short-term emission reduction targets but is not a long-term solution,is discussed.In conclusion,in the long term,the carbon metallurgical process should be gradually supplanted by a hydrogen-electric synergistic approach,thus transforming the energy structure of existing steelmaking processes and attaining near-zero carbon emission steelmaking technology.

Weldability of Copper-bearing Aging Steel

The weldability of copper-bearing aging steel is evaluated using calculated cracking susceptibility index Pcm,oblique Y-groove cracking test,heat-affected zone （HAZ） maximum hardness measurement,submerged arc welding （SAW） test and gas metal arc welding （GMAW） test.The results show that this copper-bearing aging steel has low hardenability and cold cracking susceptibility.SAW test of 40 mm thick plate with WS03 wire matched by CHF101 flux reveals that the welded joints obtain high strength and good impact toughness at low temperature.The HAZ has no hardening but there exists a slightly softening phenomenon.Thus,line energy should be limited or controlled strictly to avoid softening behavior in HAZ during SAW.GMAW tests of 12mm and 24mm thick plates using WER70NH wire show that the tensile strength of joints reaches 720MPa,higher than the stipulated strength requirement of base metal.The average impact energy at-40℃ in the welded joints is more than 140J exceeding minimum stipulated requirement by a wide margin.There are no hardening and softening behaviors in the heat-affected zones of GMAW.All weld metals exhibit acicular ferrite （AF） plus small amount of proeutectoid ferrite （PF） structure,of which the former can significantly improve impact toughness of weld metal.The predominant microstructure in coarse grain HAZ is bainite.

Metal magnetic memory signals from surface of low-carbon steel and low-carbon alloyed steel

In order to investigate the regularity of metal magnetic signals of ferromagnetic materials under the effect of applied load, the static tensile test of Q235 steel and 18CrNiWA steel plate specimens were conducted and metal magnetic memory signals of specimens were measured during the test process. The influencing factors of metal magnetic memory signals and the relationship between axial applied load and signals were analyzed. The fracture and microstructure of the specimens were observed. The results show that the magnetic signals corresponding to the measured points change linearly approximately with increasing axial load. The microstructure of Q235 steel is ferrite and perlite, whereas that of 18CrNiWA steel is bainite and low-carbon martensite. The fracture of these two kinds of specimens is ductile rupture; carbon content of specimen materials and dislocation glide give much contribution to the characteristics of magnetic curves.

Effect of lower bainite/martensite/retained austenite triplex microstructure on the mechanical properties of a low-carbon steel with quenching and partitioning process

We present a study concerning Fe-0. 176C-1.31Si-1.58Mn-0.26Al-0.3Cr （wt%） steel subjected to a quenching and partitioning （Q＆P） process. The results of scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and tensile tests demon- strate that the microstructures primarily consist of lath martensite, retained austenite, lower bainite （LB）, and a small amount of tempered martensite; moreover, few twin austenite grains were observed. In the microstrucmre, three types of retained austenite with different sizes and morphologies were observed： blocky retained austenite （-300 nm in width）, film-like retained austenite （80-120 nm in width）, and ul- tra-fine film-like retained austenite （30-40 nm in width）. Because of the effect of the retained austenite/martensite/LB triplex microstructure, the specimens prepared using different quenching temperatures exhibit high ultimate tensile strength and yield strength. Furthermore, the strength effect of LB can partially counteract the decreasing strength effect of martensite. The formation of LB substantially reduces the amount of retained austenite. Analyses of the retained austenite and the amount of blocky retained austenite indicated that the carbon content is critical to the total elongation of Q＆P steel.

Effect of Fast Cooling Rate on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Low-Carbon High-Strength Steel Annealed in the Intercritical Region

The effect of fast cooling rate on the microstructure and mechanical properties of low-carbon high-strength steel annealed in the intercritical region was investigated using a Gleeble 1500 thermomechanical simulator and a continuous annealing thermomeehanical simulator. The results showed that the microstructure consisted of ferrite and bainite as the main phases with a small amount of retained austenite and martensite islands at cooling rate of 5 and 50 ℃/s, respectively. Fast cooling after continuous annealing affected all constituents of the microstructure. The mechanical properties were improved considerably. Ultimate tensile strength （U-TS） increased and total elongation （TEL） decreased with increasing cooling rate in all specimens. The specimen 1 at a cooling rate of 5 ℃/s exhibited the maximum TEL and UTSxTEL （20% and 27 200 MPa%, respectively） because of the competition between weakening by presence of the retained austenite plus the carbon indigence by carbide precipitation, and strengthening by martensitic islands and precipitation. The maximum UTS and YS （1 450 and 951 MPa, respectively） were obtained for specimen 2 at a cooling rate of 50 ℃/s. This is attributed to the effect of dispersion strengthening of finer martensite islands and the effect of precipitation strengthening of carbide precipitates.

Effect of acicular ferrite on banded structures in low-carbon microalloyed steel

The effect of acicular ferrite （AF） on banded structures in low-carbon microalloyed steel with Mn segregation during both iso- thermal transformation and continuous cooling processes was studied by dilatometry and microscopic observation. With respect to the iso- thermal transformation process, the specimen isothermed at 550℃ consisted of AF in Mn-poor bands and martensite in Mn-rich bands, whereas the specimen isothermed at 450℃ exhibited two different morphologies of AF that appeared as bands. At a continuous cooling rate in the range of 4 to 50℃/s, a mixture of AF and martensite formed in both segregated bands, and the volume fraction of martensite in Mn-rich bands was always higher than that in Mn-poor bands. An increased cooling rate resulted in a decrease in the difference of martensite volume fraction between Mn-rich and Mn-poor bands and thereby leaded to less distinct microstrucmral banding. The results show that Mn segregation and cooling rate strongly affect the formation of AF-containing banded structures. The formation mechanism of microstructural banding was also discussed.

Effect of plastic strain and forming temperature on magnetic properties of low-carbon steel

Claw poles are a key component of automobile generators.The output power performance of the generator is very dependent on the magnetic properties of its claw poles.Plastic deformation is known to significantly change the magnetic behavior of ferromagnetic materials in claw poles.In this paper,changes in the magnetic properties of low-carbon steel,used for claw pole components due to their plastic deformation,were investigated for different strains and temperatures.Ring-shaped material samples were prepared by machining and their magnetic properties were measured.The surface roughness was first evaluated and a machining process with an arithmetic average of roughness Ra 1.6μm was selected as enabling the lowest measurement error.Hysteresis loops at different applied magnetic fields of the material were obtained for different plastic strains and forming temperatures.The magnetic parameters of magnetic flux density,coercivity,and remanence were obtained and compared with magnetic flux density as the primary focus.Results showed that machining,cold forming,and hot forming all led to lower magnetic flux density,larger coercivity,and smaller remanence.Magnetic flux density showed a sharp decrease at the start of plastic deformation,but as the strain increased,the decreasing trend gradually reached a constant value.The decrease was much larger for cold forming than for hot forming.For example,at 500 A/m,the degradation of magnetic flux density with a reduction percentage of 5%at room temperature was about 50%,while that of hot forming at 1200°C was about 10%.Results of this research may provide a reference for the future process design of hot-forged claw poles.

Microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of a low-carbon quenching and partitioning steel after partial and full austenitization

In this work, low-carbon steel specimens were subjected to the quenching and partitioning process after being partially or fully austenitized to investigate their microstructural evolution and mechanical properties. According to the results of scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy observations, X-ray diffraction analysis, and tensile tests, upper bainite or tempered martensite appears successively in the microstructure with increasing austenitization temperature or increasing partitioning time. In the partially austenitized specimens, the retained austenite grains are carbon-enriched twice during the heat treatment, which can significantly stabilize the phases at room temperature. Furthermore, after partial austenitization, the specimen exhibits excellent elongation, with a maximum elongation of 37.1%. By contrast, after full austenitization, the specimens exhibit good ultimate tensile strength and high yield strength. In the case of a specimen with a yield strength of 969 MPa, the maximum value of the ultimate tensile strength reaches 1222 MPa. During the partitioning process, carbon partitioning and carbon homogenization within austenite affect interface migration. In addition, the volume fraction and grain size of retained austenite observed in the final microstructure will also be affected.

Analysis of Coating Microstructure of Hot-Dip Aluminum of Deformed Low-Carbon Steel Containing Rare Earth

The coating microstructure of hot-dip aluminum (HDA) of deformed low-carbon steel containing RE was analyzed by metallography microscopy, TEM and XRD, and the forming mechanism was also discussed. The results show that, the Fe_2Al_5 phase, on whose subcrystal boundaries, Al particles with the size of 7～30 μm existing on parallel linear are, grows a strong orientation. And the spread activation energy of Al is 155.22 kJ·mol -1. In addition, the effects of deformation on coating microstructure of hot-dip aluminum and the function of RE were preliminarily analyzed.

Microstructural evolution during ultra-rapid annealing of severely deformed low-carbon steel: strain, temperature, and heating rate effects

An interaction between ferrite recrystallization and austenite transformation in low-carbon steel occurs when recrystallization is delayed until the intercritical temperature range by employing high heating rate. The kinetics of recrystallization and transformation is affected by high heating rate and such an interaction. In this study, different levels of strain are applied to low-carbon steel using a severe plastic deformation method. Then, ultra-rapid annealing is performed at different heating rates of 200–1100°C/s and peak temperatures of near critical temperature. Five regimes are proposed to investigate the effects of heating rate, strain, and temperature on the interaction between recrystallization and transformation. The microstructural evolution of severely deformed low-carbon steel after ultra-rapid annealing is investigated based on the proposed regimes. Regarding the intensity and start temperature of the interaction, different microstructures consisting of ferrite and pearlite/martensite are formed. It is found that when the interaction is strong, the microstructure is refined because of the high kinetics of transformation and recrystallization. Moreover, strain shifts an interaction zone to a relatively higher heating rate. Therefore, severely deformed steel should be heated at relatively higher heating rates for it to undergo a strong interaction.

Mechanical and corrosion properties of low-carbon steel prepared by friction stir processing

Low-carbon steel plates were successfully subjected to normal friction stir processing(NFSP) in air and submerged friction stir processing(SFSP) under water, and the microstructure, mechanical properties, and corrosion behavior of the NFSP and SFSP samples were investigated. Phase transformation and dynamic recrystallization resulted in fine-grained ferrite and martensite in the processed zone. The SFSP samples had smaller ferrites(5.1 μm), finer martensite laths(557 nm), and more uniform distribution of martensite compared to the NFSP samples. Compared to the base material(BM), the microhardness of the NFSP and SFSP samples increased by 19.8% and 27.1%, respectively because of the combined strengthening effects of grain refinement, phase transformation, and dislocation. The ultimate tensile strengths(UTSs) of the NFSP and SFSP samples increased by 27.1% and 38.7%, respectively. Grain refinement and martensite transformation also improved the electrochemical corrosion properties of the low-carbon steel. Overall, the SFSP samples had better mechanical properties and electrochemical corrosion resistance than the NFSP samples.

Research on Welding Test of Grey Cast Iron and Low-Carbon Steel

Grey cast iron’s welding itself is a complex proble m.So proper welding materials must be selected,complex welding techniques such as preheating before weldingslow cooling after welding etc,should be taken. However the carbon component in low-carbon steel is comparatively low,the carbo n of welded joint will diffuse to the low-carbon steel when it is welded with gr ey cast iron,which will cause the component of carbon greatly increased at the low-carbon steel side in HAZ,high carbon martensite and cracks will occur.If p reheating before weldingslow cooling after welding and other welding procedure are taken,the grey cast iron side can probably be qualified.But the carbon wi ll diffuse to HAZ of the low-carbon steel side more easily.Therefore after stud ying the weldabilities of grey cast iron and low-carbon steel,the author develo ped a new type of cast iron electrode considering the demands of factories’prac tices,and the welding technology test of grey cast iron and low-carbon steel ar e carried out. In this paper,a new type of grey cast iron electrode is developed based on the practices in factories,its ingredients and properties are introduced.The w elding tests of grey cast iron and low-carbon steel are practiced.The joint str ucture of the dissimilar metal and the appearance of weld are observed.The hard ness distribution of the welded joint is tested.The results show that the elect rode can meet the welding requirements of the grey cast iron and low-carbon stee l.There are no cracksgas pores and other defects of metallurgy in welded join t,the appearance of welded joint are good.

Analysis of surface microcracks in low-carbon steel produced via twin-roll strip casting

In this study,morphological and microstructural analyses were conducted on net-shaped microcracks appearing on the surface of low-carbon steel manufactured via twin-roll strip casting. The fractograph and microscale distribution of elements in the cracked region were also analyzed. Results revealed that the cracked surfaces were characterized by slight pits,along with inclusions composed of manganese and silicon oxide distributed along both the sides of the cracks. Fractograph analysis revealed that the crack and smooth dendrite surfaces were oxidized. These phenomena indicate that microcracks on the cast strip surface form at the hightemperature stage of the solidification process during twin-roll casting and rolling. Microcracks were present in each region with pits in the cast strip and extended along the dendrite interface because of the combined effects of phasechange stress,thermal stress,mechanical stress,and fractional crystallization during the solidification process.

Study on Carburizing Kinetics of Low-carbon Steel at High-temperature and Short-term

In this paper, the carburizing kinetics of low-carbon steel at high-temperature and short-term in liquid cast-iron were studied by metallographic microscope, chemical analysis and so on, and the microstructure of carburized layer was also analyzed. The results show that the carburizing rate of low-carbon steel at high-temperature and short-term is so fast, and the microstructure of carburized layer possess higher carbon content, and cementite, pearlite and ferrite exist in carburized layer structure simultaneously. Besides, the kinetic equations of permeating layer forming have been presented, and the carburizing mechanism was preliminary discussed also.

Layer Structure Analysis of Low-Carbon Steel Containing Rare Earth by High-Temperature Carburizing of Liquid Cast-Iron

The layer structure of low-carbon steel containing RE by high-temperature (T>1200 ℃) carburizing of liquid cast-iron was studied and the diffusion activation energy of carbon was calculated by metallographic microscpe, chemical analysis etc. The result shows that the technology of carburizing in liquid cast-iron can expedite caburization distinctly and changes the carburizing layer structure. The carburizing rate is 60～80 times of that of the traditional technology, and there is about 43% decrease in the activation energy compared with gas-carburization. In outer structure layer, cementite is formed simultaneously both on the crystal boundary reticularly and inside the crystal grains stripedly. In inner carburizing layer, there is undissolved blocky ferrite in reticular cementite. Besides, rare earth element can expedite carburization process.

Hydrogen Permeation and Diffusion in Low-carbon Steels and 16Mn Steel

In the present work. the hydrogen permeation and diffusion in two low-carbon steels. # 10 and #20. and 16Mn stee1 over the temperature range of 80 to 330℃ were investigated using gaseous permeation technique. The temperature dependence of hydrogen permeability. diffusivity and solubility for the three steels was obtained in the form of the Arrhenius equations. It was shown that the hydrogen permeability of the 16Mn steel is somewhat lower than that of the two low-carbon steels.whereas the hydrogen diffusivity is lowered in the order of #10, #20 and 16Mn but the activation energy of diffusion is much the same for the three steels. The difference in the diffusivity was attributed to the increase of ferrite-cementite interface areas with the refinement of pearlitic structure in the steels

Effect of Heat Treatments on Corrosion of Welded Low-Carbon Steel in Acid and Salt Environments

Effect of heat treatment on the corrosion of welded low-carbon steel in 0.3 M and 0.5 M of hydrochloric acid and sodium chloride environments at ambient temperature (25oC) has been investigated. Arc welded low-carbon steel sample of known composition were subjected to the corrosion reagents for 21 days (504 hours). pH and weight loss values were taken at interval of 3 days. Thereafter, weight loss method was used to measure therate of corrosion attack on the heat treated samples at ambient temperature. Results obtained showed that at low concentration, the annealed sample exhibits better corrosion characteristic as compared to the normalized and quenched samples. However, at higher concentration the normalized sample exercised better service performance over the annealed and quenched samples. Thequenched sample was found to have relatively low corrosion performance over the annealed and normalized samples at both low and high concentrations of the media.

Current Situation and Development of Refractories for Clean Steel Production

The low cost and high efficient clean steels metallur- gy has been focused much attention in China. Among the factors affecting the cleanliness and consequent quali- ty of steel products, refractories are one of the key fac- tors. Meanwhile the restriction of resource, energy and environment is getting stronger, thus the improvement of refractories becontes much more important. In this paper, refractories selection principle Jbr clean steel production according to their thermodynamic features was ex- plained; refractories for tundLsh and flow control in con- tinuous casting, which play important roles in prohibi- ring secondary contamination of molten steel, were intro- duced. Moreover, new development of low-carbon and carbon-free refractory materials was also described.