Effects of Austenite Stabilization on the Onset of Martensite Transformation in T91 Steel

The influences of thermal stabilization of austenitic on the onset temperature for a martensite transformation in T91 ferritic heat-resistant steel were studied by high-resolution differential dilatometer. The phase transformation kinetic information was obtained by adopting lever rule from the recorded dilatometric curves. The results show that an inverse stabilization, featured by the damage of ＂the atmosphere of carbon atoms＂ and the increase of the starting temperature for martensite transformation takes place when the T91 ferritic steel is isothermally treated above the Ms point, and it becomes strong with increasing the holding time. While the continued temperature for martensite transformation decreases gradually when isothermally holding at a temperature below Ms point. The observed inverse stabilization behavior could be attributed to the relatively high temperature of Ms point in the explored T91 ferritic heat-resistant steel.

Predicting the martensite transformation start-temperature of low alloy steel based on fuzzy identification

A method of fuzzy identification based on T-S fuzzy model was proposed for predicting temperature Ms from chemical composition, austenitizing temperature and time for low alloy steel. The degree of membership of each sample was calculated with fuzzy clustering algorithm. Kalman filtering was used to identify the consequent parameters. Compared with the results obtained by empirical models based on the same data, the results by the fuzzy method showed good precision. The accuracy of the fuzzy model is almost 6 times higher than that of the best empirical model. The influence of alloying elements, austenitizing temperature and time on Ms was analyzed quantitatively by using the fuzzy model. It is shown that there exists a nonlinear relationship between the contents of alloying elements in steels and their Ms, and the effects of austenitizing temperature and time on Ms temperature cannot be neglected.

Design of a low-alloy high-strength and high-toughness martensitic steel

To develop a high strength low alloy （HSLA） steel with high strength and high toughness, a series of martensitic steels were studied through alloying with various elements and thermodynamic simulation. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the designed steel were investigated by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, tensile testing and Charpy impact test. The results show that cementite exists between 500℃ and 700℃, M7C3 exits below 720℃, and they are much lower than the austenitizing temperature of the designed steel. Furthermore, the Ti（C,N） precipitate exists until 1280℃, which refines the microstructure and increases the strength and toughness. The optimal alloying components are 0.19% C, 1.19% Si, 2.83% Mn, 1.24% Ni, and 0.049% Ti; the tensile strength and the V notch impact toughness of the designed steel are more than 1500 MPa and 100 J, respectively.

Compatibility of T91 steel with liquid Pb-Bi eutectic alloy at 450℃

Pb-Bi eutectic alloy has been receiving increasing attention as a heavy liquid metal coolant in accelerator driven systems and Generation IV fission reactors. Compatibility of structural materials with liquid PbBi eutectic alloy at high temperature is one of the issues concerned. In the present study, corrosion tests of T91 steel in stagnant Pb-Bi eutectic alloy in saturated oxygen condition at 450 oC were carried out. After experiments, the thickness and compositional profile of the oxide layer on the specimen were analyzed using SEM and EDX. Analysis results show that the thickness of the oxide layer increases as the exposure time increases from 500 h to 1,000 h. The thickness of the oxide layer remains almost unchanged at 15 to 16 mm from 1,000 to 1,500 h. Formation of a thick and protective oxide layer at 450 oC prevents the penetration of liquid Pb-Bi eutectic alloy into the matrix of the T91 steel.

Influence of nitrogen-alloying on the tempering properties of the martensitic stainless steel 00Cr13Ni4Mo

The mechanical and corrosive properties of 00Cr13Ni4Mo （S13 -4N） were tested and compared with those of 00Cr13Ni6Mo （S13 -6）. The effects of nitrogen on the properties of the steels were analyzed. The results of the tensile and corrosion tests show the strength,the ductility,and the pitting corrosion resistance of S13 -4N are higher, lower and poorer than those of S13 -6 respectively, when tempered at a temperature below 550 ℃and vice versa when the tempering temperature is higher than 550℃. The results of the X-ray diffraction （XRD） and the electron backscattered diffraction （EBSD） analyses reveal that inversed austenite appears at 550℃ and the amount of it peaks at 600 ℃ with the best ductility. And the total amount of the inversed austenite in S13 -6 is more than that in S13 -4N in different forms. Nitrogen performs better in terms of stabilizing inversed austenite while nickel is more favorable for forming inversed austenite, the amount and stability of which affect the ductility remarkably. The reason for the embrittlement of S13 -4N at 450℃ can be the result of carbide and nitride precipitating at grain boundaries.

Electronic Structures and Alloying Behaviors of Ferrite Phases in High Co-Ni Secondary Hardened Martensitic Steels

The electronic structure of ferrite (tempered martensite phase) in high Co-Ni secondary hardened martensitic steel has been investigated. The local density of states (LOOS) of alloying elements in the steel displays the relationship between solid solubility and the shape of the LDOS. The bond order integral (BOI) between atoms in the steel shows that the directional bonding of the p orbital of Si or C leads to the brittleness of the steel. At last, ΣBOI between atoms demonstrate that C, Co, Mn, Cr, Mo, Si strengthen the alloyed steel through solid-solution effects.

Effects of Applied Stresses on Martensite Transformation in AISI4340 Steel

This study aims at the experimental analysis of the transformation induced plasticity （TRIP） phenomenon. Experiments are conducted in which martensite is allowed to grow under the influence of a series of externally applied stresses. The magnitude of the applied stresses is less than 67% of the yield strength of austenite σγ （Ts）. Since there is no obvious difference between the transformation plasticity under tension and the compression for the lower applied stresses, only compressive stresses are applied. The results confirm that the transformation plasticity is proportional to the applied stress if the latter does not exceed 67 % of σγ （Ts）. The TRiP-strain, the kinetics, and their dependence on the applied stresses are studied. The comparison between calculated results and experimental results shows that the model accurately describes the phenomenon.

Development of Low and Middle Carbon Martensite Spring Steel with High Strength and Toughness for Automobile

The conventional middle and high carbon spring steels have some drawbacks in properties, production and application. In order to meet the demands of rapid development of automobile, a new low and middle carbon spring steel 35Si2CrMnVB, C0.34, Sil.66, MnO.80, CrO.67, V0.13, B0.001, P0.011, S0.014 wt.%, has been developed. Comparison between the new spring steel 35Si2CrMnVB and the conventional spring steel 60Si2MnA, C0.61, Si 1.75, MnO.76, P0.021, S0.018 wt.%, shows that the new spring steel has not only high strength, good ductility, good comprehensive mechanical properties, but also low decarbonization tendency, sufficient hardenability and high elastic sag resistance, etc.. The microstructure change in quenched steel caused by the decreasing of carbon contents is detected through metallographic observation, the new low and middle carbon spring steel 35Si2CrMnVB after quenching is composed of almost lath martensite with high dislocation density and only a little martensite with twin structure. It is testified that to develop low carbon spring steel with more excellent properties for automobile is feasible.

Effect of strain-induced martensitic phase transformation on the formability of nitrogen-alloyed metastable austenitic stainless steels

Strain-induced martensitic phase transformation and its influence on the forrnability of newly developed nitrogen-alloyed metastable austenitic stainless steels were systematically investigated. Yield strength for the as- received steels bearing low nickel content was around 300 MPa and their elongation ratios varied from 55.2% to 61.7%. Erichsen numbers of these samples differed from 13.82 to 14.57 mm. Although its Cu content was lower than that of other samples, steel D2 exhibited better plasticity and formability, which was attributed to ~/--,c~＇ martensitic phase transformation. EBSD, XRD, and magnetism tests showed that increases in deformation ratio gradually increased the α＇ martensite phase of a sample ,thereby contributing to its strain and inducing the optimal transformation-induced plasticity effect. An Meeo/5o temperature of around 20 ℃, which is close to the deformation temperature,provided the austenite with adequate stability and gradually transformed it into martensite, thereby endowing lean ASS with better formability.

Cavitation erosion behavior of WC coatings on CrNiMo stainless steel by laser alloying

The WC powder was precoated on the surface of CrNiMo stainless steel and then made into an alloying layer by using the laser alloying technique. Phases in the layers were investigated by X-ray diffraction （XRD） analysis and surface morphologies after cavitation erosion were observed with the help of scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The cavitation erosion behavior of the CrNiMo stainless steel and WC laser alloying layer in distilled water was tested with the help of ultrasonic vibration cavitation erosion equipment. The results showed that the thickness of the laser alloying layer was about 0.13 mm. The layer had a dense microstructure, metallurgically bonded to the substrate, and no crack had been found. The cavitation erosion mass loss rate of the laser alloying layer was only 2/5 that of the CrNiMo stainless steel. The layer had better cavitation resistance properties because of its metallurgical combination and the strengthening effects of the precipitate phases.

Welding of SA213-T91 and SA213-T23 heat-resistant steels applied in ultra supercritical thermal power units

The marteasite SA213-191 and bainite SA213-T23 high-temperature resistant steels were applied to the heating surface of the ultra supercritical thermal power unit boiler. The weld metal microstructures and welded joint performance between the two kinds of dissimilar steels were analyzed. The main reasons of the welding defects such as hot crack, cold crack, brittleness and decrease in toughness were discussed during the welding of the dissimilar heat-resistant steels of SA213- 191 and SA213-T23 in boiler manufacturing and processing operation. The welding materials were chosen and welding procedure was made according to the base metals.

Fuzzy Modeling of Prediction M_s Temperature for Martensitic Stainless Steel

A method of fuzzy modeling based on fuzzy clustering and Kalman filtering was proposed for predicting M s temperature from chemical composition for martensitic stainless steel. The membership degree of each sample was calculated by the fuzzy clustering algorithm. Kalman filtering was used to identify the consequent parameters. Only Grade 95 steel are available for training and validation, and the fuzzy model is valid for the following element concentration ranges (wt%): 0.01<C<0.7; 0<Si<1.0; 0.10<Mn<1.25; 11.5<Cr< 17.5; 0<Ni<2.5; 0<Mo<1.0. Compared with that of several empirical models reported, the accuracy of the fuzzy model was almost 5 times higher than that of the best empirical model. Furthermore, the compositional dependences of Ms were successfully determined and compared with those of the empirical formulae. It was found that the specific element dependences were a function of the overall composition, something could not easily be found using conventional statistics.

An Investigation of Creep Resistance in Grade 91 Steel through Computational Thermodynamics

This study was conducted to understand the relationship between various critical temperatures and the stability of the secondary phases inside the heat-affected-zone(HAZ)of welded Grade 91(Gr.91)steel parts.Type IV cracking has been observed in the HAZ,and it is widely accepted that the stabilities of the secondary phases in Gr.91 steel are critical to the creep resistance,which is related to the crack failure of this steel.In this work,the stabilities of the secondary phases,including those of the M23C6,MX,and Z phases,were simulated by computational thermodynamics.Equilibrium cooling and Scheil simulations were carried out in order to understand the phase stability in welded Gr.91 steel.The effect of four critical temperatures—that is,Acl(the threshold temperature at which austenite begins to form),Ac3(the threshold temperature at which ferrite is fully transformed into austenite),and the M23C6 and Z phase threshold temperatures—on the thickness of the HAZ and phase stability in the HAZ is discussed.Overall,the simulations presented in this paper explain the mechanisms that can affect the creep resistance of Gr.91 steel,and can offer a possible solution to the problem of how to increase creep resistance at elevated temperatures by optimizing the steel composition,welding,and heat treatment process parameters.The simulation results from this work provide guidance for future alloy development to improve creep resistance in order to prevent type IV cracking.

Effects of CeO_2 coating on oxidation behavior of T91 steel in water vapor

Oxidation behaviors of blank and CeO2 coated T91 steel were investigated at 600 ℃ in water vapor for up to 150 h. Gold marker was used to define the mass transport direction. The oxide scales were studied with X-ray diffractometry （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and electron probe microanalyzer （EPMA）. The oxidation resistance of the steel is improved by CeO2 coating, though the improvement is not remarkable. Ce-rich oxide band is located at the interface of the inner equiaxed layer and the outer columnar layer after oxidation, which is not consistent with the original surface. The results show that outward iron transport is blocked by the Ce-rich band. A new oxide nucleating and growing site （reaction front） is induced at the inner surface of the Ce rich band.

Microstructure evolution of T91 steel after heavy ion irradiation at 550℃

Fe-Cr ferritic/martensitic(F/M)steels have been proposed as one of the candidate materials for the Generation IV nuclear technologies.In this study,a widely-used ferritic/martensitic steel,T91 steel,was irradiated by 196-MeV Kr^(+)ions at 550℃.To reveal the irradiation mechanism,the microstructure evolution of irradiated T91 steel was studied in details by transmission electron microscope(TEM).With increasing dose,the defects gradually changed from black dots to dislocation loops,and further to form dislocation walls near grain boundaries due to the production of a large number of dislocations.When many dislocation loops of primary a0/2<111>type with high migration interacted with other defects or carbon atoms,it led to the production of dislocation segments and other dislocation loops of a0<100>type.Lots of defects accumulated near grain boundaries in the irradiated area,especially in the high-dose area.The grain boundaries of martensite laths acted as important sinks of irradiation defects in T91.Elevated temperature facilitated the migration of defects,leading to the accumulation of defects near the grain boundaries of martensite laths.

Microstructure and Fracture Morphology in the Welding Zone of T91 Heat-resisting Steel Used in Power Station

Microstructure performance in the welding zone of T91 heat-resistant steel under the condition of TIG welding was researched by means of metallography, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Experimental results indicated that microstructure of T91 weld metal was austenite + a little amount of S ferrite when using TGS-9cb filler wire. Substructure inside the austenite grain was crypto-crystal lath martensite, on which some Cr23C6 blocky carbides were distributed. The maximum hardness (HRC44) in the welding zone is near the fusion zone. There existed no obvious softening zone in the heat-affected zone (HAZ). For T91 steel tube of $63 mmx5 mm, when increasing welding heat input (E) from 4.8 kJ/cm to 12 5 kJ/cm, fracture morphology in the fusion zone and the HAZ changed from dimple fracture into quasi-cleavage fracture (QC). Controlling the welding heat input of about 9.8 kJ/cm is suitable in the welding of T91 heat-resistant steel.

TEM Characterization of Helium Bubbles in T91 and MNHS Steels Implanted with 200 keV He Ions at Different Temperatures

Modified novel high silicon steel （MNHS, a newly developed reduced-activation martensitic alloy） and commercial alloy Tgl are implanted with 200 keV He2＋ ions to a dose of 5 × 1020 ions/m2 at 300, 450 and 560~C. Transmission electron microscopy （TEM） is used to characterize the size and morphology of He bubbles. With the increase of the implantation temperature, TEM observations indicate that bubbles increase in size and the proportion of ＇brick shaped＇ cuboid bubbles increases while the proportion of polyhedral bubbles decreases in both the steel samples. For the samples implanted at the same temperature, the average size of He bubbles in MNHS is smaller than that in T91. This might be due to the abundance of boundaries and precipitates in MNHS, which provide additional sites for the trapping of He atoms, thus reduce the susceptibility of MNHS to He embrittlement.

Acoustic emission study of the plastic deformation of quenched and partitioned 35CrMnSiA steel

Acoustic emission （AE） monitored tensile tests were performed on 35CrMnSiA steel subjected to different heat treatments. The results showed that quenching and partitioning （Q-P） heat treatments enhanced the combined mechanical properties of high strength and high ductility for commercial 35CrMnSiA steel, as compared with traditional heat treatments such as quenching and tempering （Q-T） and austempering （AT）. AE signals with high amplitude and high energy were produced during the tensile deformation of 35CrMnSiA steel with retained austenite （RA） in the microstructure （obtained via Q-P and AT heat treatments） due to an austenite-to-martensite phase transformation. Moreover, additional AE signals would not appear again and the mechanical properties would degenerate to a lower level once RA degenerated by tempering for the Q-P treated steel.

Hardening after annealing in nanostructured 316L stainless steel

In this work,coarse-grained 316 L stainless steels were cold rolled with a thickness reduction of^83%(CR 83%).After annealing,the behaviors of the nanostructured stainless steel samples were systematically investigated in the temperatures range of 200C–650C.It was found that with increasing annealing temperature the volume fraction of theα0-martensite first increased to reach a maximum value at 400C,then the volume fraction decreased with further increases of the annealing temperature.The yield strength was increased from 1400 MPa to 1720 MPa after annealing;this strong hardening effect in cold rolled 316 L stainless steel was mainly attributed to the increase of the volume fraction ofα0-martensite.

Research and development of hot-rolled ultra-high strength steel at Baosteel

The effects of the composition and cooling process on the microstructures and properties of hot-rolled ultra-high strength low alloy （HSLA） steel, complex phase steel and martensite steel were studied in the laboratory. And S700MC and MP1200 ultra-high strength steels were trial produced at the 1 880 mm hot-rolling line of Baosteel. Compared with conventional hot-rolled high strength products,the idea that water is alloy was applied in the newly developed hot-rolled ultra-high strength steel. By the use of the economical composition design and controlled cooling after hot-rolling effectively,ultra-high strength steel of different steel grades can be obtained.