Simulation of the Behaviour Laws in the Thermal Affected Zones of the 13Cr-4Ni Martensitic Stainless Steel

During the welding, many phenomena occur. The materials deform under the action of residual stresses. This tendency is due to the high gradients of temperature during the process. These deformations are really difficult for many professionals operating in the area. In the goal to predict these variations, one has established the behaviour laws which will be applied to evaluate residual stresses and strains. This research is focused on the study of the Thermal Affected Zone (TAZ) during the welding of the 13Cr-4Ni martensitic stainless steel. The TAZ does not know any change of state (solid/liquid). It only knows the metallurgical phase change (austenite/martensite). There are three types of behaviour laws in this study: thermal, mechanical and metallurgical behaviour laws. The thermal behaviour law serves to evaluate the temperature field which induces the mechanical strains. The mechanical behaviour law serves to evaluate spherical stress (pressure) and deviatoric stress which compose the residual stress. It also helps to measure the total strain. The metallurgical behaviour law serves for the evaluation of the metallurgical phase proportions. To validate the modelling developed in this study, one has made the simulations to compare the results obtained with the analytical and experimental data.

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.

IMPROVEMENT OF MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF MARTENSITIC STAINLESS STEEL BY PLASMA NITRIDING AT LOW TEMPERATURE

A series of experiments were carried out to study the influence of low temperature plasma nitriding on the mechanical properties of AISI 420 martensitic stainless steel. Plasma nitriding experiments were carried out for 15 h at 350℃ by means of DC- pulsed plasma in 25%N2＋ 75%H2 atmosphere. The microstructure, phase composition, and residual stresses profiles of the nitrided layers were determined by optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The microhardness profiles of the nitridied surfaces were also studied. The fatigue life, sliding wear, and erosion wear loss of the untreated specimens and plasma nitriding specimens were determined on the basis of a rotating bending fatigue tester, a ball-on-disc wear tester, and a solid particle erosion tester. The results show that the 350℃ nitrided surface is dominated by c-Fe3N and ON, which is supersaturated nitrogen solid solution. They have high hardness and chemical stabilities. So the low temperature plasma nitriding not only increases the surface hardness values but also improves the wear and erosion resistance. In addition, the fatigue limit of AISI 420 steel can also be improved by plasma nitriding at 350℃ because plasma nitriding produces residual compressive stress inside the modified layer.

Corrosion behavior of super 13Cr stainless steel in a H_(2)S and CO_(2) environment

The corrosion behavior of 95 ksi grade super 13Cr stainless steel in an environment consisting of H_(2)S and CO_(2)was investigated.The results reveal that for both loading methods(constant load and four-point bending),local corrosion occurred on the surface of the samples tested at ambient temperature but was absent from the samples tested at high temperatures.The local corrosion was caused by the formation of pits at nonmetal inclusions;the pits were formed under the action of stress in an acidic environment,which was due to an acid solution.Subsequently,the corrosion extended along the direction of stress.The sensitivity of stress corrosion cracking increased because of the local corrosion.

Controlled Laser Transformation Hardening of Martensitic Stainless Steel by Pulsed Nd:YAG Laser

Laser transformation hardening （LTH） was applied to the surface of the AISI 420 martensitic stainless steel by a pulsed Nd：YAG laser to obtain optimum hardness. The influences of process parameters （laser pulse energy, duration time, and travel speed） on the depth and hardness of laser treated area were investigated. Image analysis of SEM microstructure of AISI 420 showed that plate-like carbide have almost fully and （30-40）% of globular carbide particles dissolved into the matrix after laser transformation hardening by pulsed laser and the microstructure was refined to obtain controlled tempered martensite microstructure with 450 VHN hardness.

Variation and optimization of acid-dissolved aluminum content in stainless steel

As a key step in secondary refining, the deoxidation process in clean stainless steel production is widely researched by many scholars. In this study, vacuum oxygen decarburization（VOD） deoxidation refining in a 40-t electric arc furnace ＋ VOD ＋ ingot casting process was analyzed and optimized on the basis of Al deoxidation of stainless steel and thermodynamic equilibrium reactions between the slag and steel. Under good stirring conditions in VOD, the deoxidation reaction reaches equilibrium rapidly, and the oxygen activity in the bulk steel is controlled by the slag composition and Al content. A basicity of 3–5 and an Al content greater than 0.015wt% in the melt resulted in an oxygen content less than 0.0006wt%. In addition, the dissolved oxygen content decreased slightly when the Al content in the steel was greater than 0.02wt%. Because of the equilibrium of the Si–O reaction between the slag and steel, the activity of SiO2 will increase while the Si content increases; thus, the Si content should be lowered to enable the formation of a high-basicity slag. A high-basicity, low-Al2O3 slag and an increased Si content will reduce the Al consumption caused by SiO2 reduction.

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.

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.

Effect of heat treatment on the behavior ofδ-ferrite in B410D martensitic stainless steel

The morphology and the evolution of δ-ferrite existing in B410D slabs, hot-rolled plates, annealed plates and quenched plates were studied through metallographic observation. Results show that δ-ferrite forms during the solidification process and that it easily grows and increases in quantity during high temperature annealing. Band-shaped δ-ferrite in hotrolled plates is difficult to be eliminated by conventional heat treatment and hard to recrystallize.

Study on microstructure and mechanical properties of martensitic stainless steel 6Cr15MoV

Martensitic stainless steel containing 12%-18%Cr have high hardness due to high carbon content. These steels are common utilized in quenching and tempering processes for knife and cutlery steel.The properties obtained in these materials are significantly influenced by matrix composition after heat treatment,especially as Cr and C content.Comprehensive considered the hardness and corrosion resistance,a new type martensitic stainless steel 6Cr15MoV has been developed.This study emphatic researches the effect of heat treatment processes on microstructure and mechanical properties of 6Cr15MoV martensitic stainless steel.Thermo-Calc software has been carried out to thermodynamic calculation;optical microscope(OM),scanning electronic microscope(SEM) and transmission electron microscope(TEM) have been carried out to microstructure observation;hardness and impact toughness test have been carried out to evaluate the mechanical properties.Results show that the equilibrium carbide in 6Cr15MoV steel is M_(23),C_6 carbide,and finely distributed of M_(23)C_6 carbides can be observed on annealed microstructure of 6Cr15MoV stainless steel.6Cr15MoV martensitic stainless steel has a wider quenching temperature range,the hardness value of steel 6Cr15MoV can reach to 60.8 -61.6 HRC when quenched at 1060 - 1100℃.Finely distributed carbides will exist in quenched microstructure,and effectively inhabit the growth of austenite grain.With the increasing of quenching temperature,the volume fraction of undissolved carbides will decrease.The excellent comprehensive mechanical properties can be obtained by quenched at 1060-1100℃with tempered at 100-150℃,and it is mainly due to the high carbon martensite and fine grain size.At these temperature ranges,the hardness will retain about 59.2-61.6 HRC and the Charpy U-notch impact toughness will retain about 17.3-20 J.The morphology of impact fracture surface of tested steel is small dimples with a small amount of cleavage planes.The area of cleavage planes increases with the increasing of tempering temperature.

Tribological Approach and Surface Quality Analysis of Stainless Steel for Cutlery Applications after Surface Grinding

In precision machining processes such as grinding,for example,analysis of machined surface is important one of most parameters to evaluate process performance.Equally important is to perform tribological analysis to understand chip formation and abrasive wheel wear,thus enabling manufacturing of components free of thermal damages.In grinding,due to high hardness of abrasive grains that remove material from workpiece in chip form and very low values of radial depth of cut,combination of low roughness values and tight dimensional tolerances is attained.Accordingly,the parameters involved in this process are determinant in surface quality that is primarily evaluated in terms of surface roughness and workpiece functionality.In this work,surface roughness(Rt parameter)and scanning electron microscope(SEM)images of ground surfaces of the AISI 420 martensitic stainless steel samples were evaluated.Tests were carried out in surface grinding with a white aluminum oxide wheel and an environmentally-friendly semisynthetic water-soluble coolant.Two values of radial depth of cut(10μm and 25μm)were tested.The results showed that the highest roughness values,deeper grooves on the machined surfaces as well as poorer surface quality were obtained after grinding under the severest cutting conditions.

Effect of electroslag remelting on carbides in 8Cr13MoV martensitic stainless steel

The effect of electroslag remelting（ESR） on carbides in 8Cr13MoV martensitic stainless steel was experimentally studied. Phases precipitated from liquid steel during solidification were calculated using the Thermo-Calc software. The carbon segregation was analyzed by original position analysis（OPA）, and the carbides were analyzed by optical microscopy（OM）, scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy（EDS） and X-ray diffraction（XRD）. The results indicated that more uniform carbon distribution and less segregation were obtained in the case of samples subjected to the ESR process. After ESR, the amount of netty carbides decreased significantly, and the chromium and vanadium contents in the grain-boundary carbides was reduced. The total area and average size of carbides were obviously smaller after the ESR process. In the sample subjected to ESR, the morphology of carbides changed from lamellar and angular to globular or lump, whereas the types of carbides did not change; both M23C6 and M7C3 were present before and after the ESR process.

Effects of chloride ion concentration and pH values on the corrosion behavio of Cr12Ni3Co12Mo4W ultra-high-strength martensitic stainless steel

The effects of Cl ion concentration and pH values on the corrosion behavior of Cr12Ni3Co12Mo4W ultra-high-strength martensitic stainless steel（UHSMSS） were investigated by a series of electrochemical tests combined with observations by stereology microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. A critical Cl- ion concentration was found to exist（approximately 0.1wt%）, above which pitting occurred. The pitting potential decreased with increasing Cl- ion concentration. A UHSMSS specimen tempered at 600°C exhibited a better pitting corrosion resistance than the one tempered at 400°C. The corrosion current density and passive current density of the UHSMSS tempered at 600°C decreased with increasing pH values of the corrosion solution. The pits developed a shallower dish geometry with increasing polarization potential. A lacy cover on the pits of the UHSMSS tempered at 400°C accelerated pitting, whereas corrosion products deposited in the pits of the UHSMSS tempered at 600°C hindered pitting.

Strength-toughness improvement of 13Cr4NiMo martensitic stainless steel with thermal cyclic heat treatment

To improve the strength-toughness of 13Cr4NiMo martensitic stainless steel(13-4MSS),a thermal cyclic heat treatment(TCHT)combined with the advantage of tempering was proposed.The microstructures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy,X-ray diffraction and electron backscattered diffraction,and the mechanical behaviors in terms of tensile properties and impact toughness were analyzed in correlation with microstructural evolution.It was found that grains and the martensitic matrix were refined by TCHT through the cyclic quenching transformation and austenite recrystallization,which was conducive to more nucleation quantity of reversed austenite during tempering.Two-sphericalcap nucleation model was used to explain the effect of refined grains of TCHT on the nucleation of reversed austenite.Grain refinement by TCHT improved the brittle fracture stress to reduce the ductile-brittle transition temperature and thus improved the cryogenic impact toughness of 13-4MSS.Reversed austenite distributed at the martensitic lath boundary enhances the crack arrest performance and increases the britle fracture stress.It is concluded that reasonable TCHT plus tempering process significantly improves the strength-toughness of 13-4MSS,reflecting the comprehensive effect of grain refinement and reversed austenite.

Effect of nitrogen on microstructure and microsegregation of martensitic stainless steel 4Cr13 produced by electroslag remelting

Two ingots of 4Cr13 martensitic stainless steel with different nitrogen contents,0.023 and 0.121 mass%,were produced by vacuum induction furnace and electroslag remelting.The microstructure and the microsegregation of the electroslag remelting ingot were analyzed by optical microscopy,scanning electron microscopy and electron microprobe analysis.Thermo-Calc software was used to calculate the nitrogen solubility changes during solidification of high nitrogen martensitic stainless steel and the equilibrium and non-equilibrium phase diagrams of 4Cr13 steel with different nitrogen contents.The solubility of nitrogen in 4Cr13 steel reached the lowest value of 0.118%before the start of the peritectic reaction.The microstructure of 4Cr13 steel was martensite,retained austenite and primary carbide M_(7)C_(3).Higher nitrogen content increased the content of retained austenite in martensitic stainless steel,inhibited the precipitation of primary carbides and refined the dendrites.Higher nitrogen content could effectively inhibit the microsegregation of C element in martensitic stainless steel;however,it had little effect on Cr,V,Nb and Ti.The peritectic reaction was first carried out in high nitrogen steel during solidification,which advanced the transformation of austenite and inhibited the microsegregation of C element.

Simultaneously Enhancing Strength, Ductility and Corrosion Resistance of a Martensitic Stainless Steel via Substituting Carbon by Nitrogen

Two martensitic stainless steels of 2Cr12Ni6 type hardened and tempered at 773 K have been studied:the first with 0.2%carbon content and the second with partial replacement of carbon by nitrogen(C0.1N0.1)in the first steel.It is found that the partial substitution of carbon with nitrogen contributed to an increase in ductility and strength of the steel,presumably due to the formation of more dispersive carbonitrides.Meanwhile,the addition of nitrogen suppressed the precipitation of carbonitrides,so that the solid solution strengthening effect of C0.1N0.1 did not decrease significantly after tempering treatment.In addition,the partial replacement of carbon by nitrogen contributed to improved ability against pitting corrosion(PC)in chloride-containing medium(3.5%NaCl at 303 K).The higher resistance to PC of tempered nitrogen-containing steel is apparently due to the lower content of massive carbonitrides,especially the reduced aggregation at grain boundaries.This leads to a lower acidity and aggressiveness of the test solution near the sample surface due to the accumulation of NH4^(+) ammonium ions in it.As a result of nitrogen addition,exception for Cr_(23)C_(6) and VC,Cr_(2)N and(Cr,V)N type precipitates have also been found in C0.1N0.1 steel and this is consistent with the thermodynamic calculation results.In conclusion,substituting carbon by nitrogen in traditional martensitic stainless steel could realize the simultaneous improvement of multiple properties of martensitic stainless steels.This result provides a promising composition optimization route to develop novel martensitic stainless steels.

Formation and evolution of primary carbides in high-carbon martensitic stainless steel

The micro structure of 10Cr15MoVCo electroslag remelting(ESR)ingot was observed using an optical microscope and a scanning electron microscope.There are differences in the number,size,and distribution of primary carbides in different positions of ESR ingot.The results show that the two-dimensional morphology of primary carbides is blocky,fibrous,and spherulitic.The three-dimensional morphology of primary carbides is blocky,spherulitic,fibrous,and short rods.X-ray diffraction results show that primary carbides are M_(7)C_(3) carbides.Electron backscattered diffraction results indicate that large-sized primary carbides consist of blocky,fibrous,and spherulitic carbides with different orientations.High-tem-perature diffusion annealing experiments show that as the temperature increases,the continuity between primary carbides decreases,and the precipitated secondary carbides disappear.The area fraction of primary carbides is reduced,but the morphology of primary carbide is unchanged.The effect of high-temperature diffusion annealing on the dissolution of M_(7)C_(3) primary carbon compounds in ESR ingot was limited.

Effect of Heat Treatment on Microstructure and Property of Cr13 Super Martensitic Stainless Steel

The microstructures and mechanical properties of Cr13 super martensitic stainless steel after different heat treatments were studied. The results show that the structures of the steel after quenching are of lath martensite mixed with a small amount of retained austenite. With the raising quenching temperature, the original austenite grain size increases and the lath martensite gradually becomes thicker. The structures of the tempered steel are mixtures of tempered martensite and reversed austenite dispersed in the martensite matrix. The amount of reversed austenite is from 7.54% to 22. 49%. After different heat treatments, the tensile strength, the elongation and the HRC hardness of the steel are in the range of 813 1 070 MPa, 10.1%--21.2% and 21.33--32.37, respectively. The steel displays the best comprehensive mechanical properties after the sample is quenched at 1 050 ℃ followed by tempering at 650 ℃.

Effects of Heat Treatment and Nitrogen on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of 1Cr12NiMo Martensitic Stainless Steel

A series of heat treatments using the orthogonal experiment method were performed to study the microstruc- ture and mechanical properties of 1Cr12NiMo martensitic stainless steel containing various nitrogen content addition. The results indicate that the optimal heat treatment is annealing at 830 ℃ for 1 h, austenitizing at 985 ℃ for 1 h followed by oil quenching, and tempering at 630 ℃ for 4 h followed by air cooling, Nitrogen addition to 1Cr12NiMo steel can effectively hinder the austenite grain growth, refine the martensite lath, and increase the strength and hardness. The impact toughness of this steel only shows a minor decrease as the nitrogen content increases.

Effects of rare earth modifying inclusions on the pitting corrosion of 13Cr4Ni martensitic stainless steel

In this study,the pitting corrosion behavior of 13Cr4Ni martensitic stainless steel(BASE)and that modified with rare earth(REM)in 0.1 mol/L Na Cl solution were characterized.Techniques such as automatic secondary electron microscope(ASPEX PSEM detector),scanning electron microscope(SEM),transmission electron microscope(TEM),scanning Kelvin probe force microscope(SKP),potentiodynamic and potentiostatic polarizations were employed.The results obtained indicate that BASE steel contains Al_(2)O_(3)/Mn S,Al_(2)O_(3) and Mn S inclusions,while REM steels contain(La,Ce,Cr,Fe)-O and(La,Ce,Cr,Fe)-O-S inclusions.Compared with BASE steel,REM steel is more susceptible to induce the metastable pitting nucleation and repassivation,whereas it restrains the transition from metastable pitting to stable pitting.Adding 0.021%rare earth element to BASE steel can reduce the number and area of inclusions,while that of 0.058%can increase the number and enlarged the size of inclusions,which is also the reason that pitting corrosion resistance of 58 REM steel is slightly lower than that of 21 REM steel.In the process of pitting corrosion induced by Al_(2)O_(3)/Mn S inclusions,Mn S is preferentially anodic dissolved,and also the matrix contacted with Al_(2)O_(3) is subsequently anodic dissolved.For REM steels,anodic dissolution preferentially occurs at the boundary between inclusions and matrix,while(La,Ce,Cr,Fe)-O inclusions chemically dissolve in local acidic environment or are separated from steel matrix.The chemically dissolved substance(La^(3+) and Ce^(3+))of(La,Ce,Cr,Fe)-O inclusions are concentrated in pitting pits,which inhibits its continuous growth.