Friction and wear behavior and mechanism of low carbon microalloyed steel containing Nb

Dry sliding friction and wear test of Nb containing low carbon microalloyed steel was carried out at room temperature,and the effect of Nb on the wear behavior of the steel,as welll as the mechanism was studied.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometry(EDS) were employed to analyze the morphology and composition of the worn surface,and the structure evolution of the plastic deformation layer.The carbide content and type in the steel were analyzed by the electrolytic extraction device and X-ray diffraction(XRD).The experimental results demonstrate that the addition of 0.2% Nb can refine the grain and generate Nb C to improve the wear resistance of the steel.By enhancing the load and speed of wear experiment,the wear mechanism of the test steel with 0.2% Nb changes from slight oxidation wear to severe adhesion wear and oxidation wear.Compared with the load,the increase in the rotation speed exerts a greater influence on the wear of the test steel.

Cleanliness of Ti-bearing Al-killed ultra-low-carbon steel during different heating processes

During the production of Ti-bearing Al-killed ultra-low-carbon(ULC) steel, two different heating processes were used when the converter tapping temperature or the molten steel temperature in the Ruhrstahl–Heraeus(RH) process was low: heating by Al addition during the RH decarburization process and final deoxidation at the end of the RH decarburization process(process-Ⅰ), and increasing the oxygen content at the end of RH decarburization, heating and final deoxidation by one-time Al addition(process-Ⅱ). Temperature increases of 10°C by different processes were studied; the results showed that the two heating processes could achieve the same heating effect. The T.[O] content in the slab and the refining process was better controlled by process-Ⅰ than by process-Ⅱ. Statistical analysis of inclusions showed that the numbers of inclusions in the slab obtained by process-Ⅰ were substantially less than those in the slab obtained by process-Ⅱ. For process-Ⅰ, the Al_2O_3 inclusions produced by Al added to induce heating were substantially removed at the end of decarburization. The amounts of inclusions were substantially greater for process-Ⅱ than for process-Ⅰ at different refining stages because of the higher dissolved oxygen concentration in process-Ⅱ. Industrial test results showed that process-Ⅰ was more beneficial for improving the cleanliness of molten steel.

DEFORMATION ENHANCED FERRITE TRANSFORMATION IN PLAIN LOW CARBON STEEL

The microstructure evolution during deformation enhanced transformation of under cooled austenite of a plain low carbon steel has been investigated by means of hot compression simulation experiment under various conditions of strain rate,deforma- tion temperature and strain. The effect of austenite grain size on the strain enhanced ferrite transformation has been studied. The ferrite dynamic recrystallization involved in successive hot deformation has been explored.

INFLUENCE OF HOT DEFORMATION ON CONTINUOUSCOOLING BAINITIC TRANSFORMATION IN A LOWCARBON STEEL

The influence of hot deformation conditions on continuous cooling bainitic transformation has been investigated for a low carbon microalloyed steel. The CCT diagrams show that deformation in unrecrpstallized austcnite ation can accelerate transformation process. Bainitic transformation in intermediate transformation temperature region is prominent, and the proeutectoid polygonal ferrite transformation at evelated high temperature is suppressed. According to optical and TEM analyses, low carbon bainitic ferrite is characterized by granular and lathlike ferrite, based on the cooling rate and deformation conditions. For nondeformation, groaps of coarse parallel ferrite lath form from the prior austenite grain boundaries with the same crystallographic orientation. For heavy deformaton, cell structure within the austenite grains due to the high dislocation density formed, which provides more nucleation sites for bainite ferrite. So deformation can discontinue the growth of ferrite laths and decrease the length of ferrite laths.

Analysis of the formation conditions and characteristics of interphase and random vanadium precipitation in a low-carbon steel during isothermal heat treatment

The characteristics of nanosized precipitates in steels depend on the heat-treatment parameters. The effects of characteristics of vanadium precipitates formed during isothermal heat treatment on the hardness of the ferrite matrix in low-carbon vanadium-alloyed steel were investigated through analysis of transmission electron microscopy images and microhardness measurements. The results show that, during isothermal holding in the temperature range from 675 to 750℃, only interphase precipitation occurs, whereas only random precipitation occurs in the ferrite matrix during holding at 600℃. Furthermore, during isothermal heat treatment between 600 and 675℃, both random and interphase precipitates occurred in the ferrite. Nanoscale vanadium carbides with different atomic ratios of vanadium(V) and carbon(C) were the dominant precipitates in the random and interphase precipitates. The sizes of random precipitation carbides were smaller than those of interphase ones. Also, the sample isothermally heat treated at 650℃ for 900s exhibited a higher hardness with a narrower hardness distribution.

MODELING OF FERRITE GRAIN GROWTH OF LOW CARBON STEELS DURING HOT ROLLING

For most commercial steels the prediction of the final properties depends on accurately calculating the room temperature ferrite grain size. A grain growth model is proposed for low carbon steels Q235B during hot rolling. By using this model, the initial ferrite grain size after continuous cooling and ferrite grain growing in coiling procedure can be predicted. Finally, in-plant trials were performed in the hot strip mill of Ansteel. The calculated final ferrite grain sizes are in good agreement with the experimental ones. It is helpful both for simulation of microstructure evolution and prediction of mechanical properties.

Prediction of the Charpy V-notch impact energy of low carbon steel using a shallow neural network and deep learning

The impact energy prediction model of low carbon steel was investigated based on industrial data. A three-layer neural network, extreme learning machine, and deep neural network were compared with different activation functions, structure parameters, and training functions. Bayesian optimization was used to determine the optimal hyper-parameters of the deep neural network. The model with the best performance was applied to investigate the importance of process parameter variables on the impact energy of low carbon steel. The results show that the deep neural network obtains better prediction results than those of a shallow neural network because of the multiple hidden layers improving the learning ability of the model. Among the models, the Bayesian optimization deep neural network achieves the highest correlation coefficient of 0.9536, the lowest mean absolute relative error of 0.0843, and the lowest root mean square error of 17.34 J for predicting the impact energy of low carbon steel. Among the variables, the main factors affecting the impact energy of low carbon steel with a final thickness of7.5 mm are the thickness of the original slab, the thickness of intermediate slab, and the rough rolling exit temperature from the specific hot rolling production line.

Fretting Wear Behavior of Medium Carbon Steel Modified by Low Temperature Gas Multi-component Thermo-chemical Treatment

The introduction of surface engineering is expected to be an effective strategy against fretting damage. A large number of studies show that the low gas multi-component (such as carbon, nitrogen, sulphur and oxygen, etc) thermo-chemical treatment(LTGMTT) can overcome the brittleness of nitriding process, and upgrade the surface hardness and improve the wear resistance and fatigue properties of the work-pieces significantly. However, there are few reports on the anti-fretting properties of the LTGMTT modified layer up to now, which limits the applications of fretting. So this paper discusses the fretting wear behavior of modified layer on the surface of LZ50 (0.48%C) steel prepared by low temperature gas multi-component thermo-chemical treatment (LTGMTT) technology. The fretting wear tests of the modified layer flat specimens and its substrate (LZ50 steel) against 52100 steel balls with diameter of 40 mm are carried out under normal load of 150 N and displacement amplitudes varied from 2 μm to 40 μm. Characterization of the modified layer and dynamic analyses in combination with microscopic examinations were performed through the means of scanning electron microscope(SEM), optical microscope(OM), X-ray diffraction(XRD) and surface profilometer. The experimental results showed that the modified layer with a total thickness of 60 μm was consisted of three parts, i.e., loose layer, compound layer and diffusion layer. Compared with the substrate, the range of the mixed fretting regime(MFR) of the LTGMTT modified layer diminished, and the slip regime(SR) of the modified layer shifted to the direction of smaller displacement amplitude. The coefficient of friction(COF) of the modified layer was lower than that of the substrate in the initial stage. For the modified layer, the damage in partial slip regime(PSR) was very slight. The fretting wear mechanism of the modified layer both in MFR and SR was abrasive wear and delamination. The modified layer presented better wear resistance than the substrate in PSR and MFR; however, in SR, the wear resistance of the modified layer decreased with the increase of the displacement amplitudes. The experimental results can provide some experimental bases for promoting industrial application of LTGMTT modified layer in anti-fretting wear.

Oxide and Sulfide Dispersive Precipitation and Effects on Microstructure and Properties of Low Carbon Steels

Electron microscopic investigation on low carbon steel strips produced by the CSP process has been carried out.Large number of oxide dispersive precipitates have been observed in the ferrite matrix of the steel strips. Dimensionof them is about 10～20 nm. Electron diffraction study showed that the structure of these precipitates consists withcubic system spinel structure. Their lattice parameter is about 0.83 nm. The results implied that they should becomplex oxides of Fe, Al et al. Small sulfide particles with 100～300 nm in size have also been observed. Remarkablestrengthening and grain refinement effects can be obtained by the precipitations. The oxygen and sulfur in steelscould play beneficial role under certain conditions.

THICKENING DYNAMICS OF TIN PARTICLES IN HAZ OF LOW CARBON STEEL

AKinetic modelofthickening of TiNparticlesin heat- affected - zone( HAZ) of low car bonsteelhasbeen proposedinthispaper.Itisalsofoundthatthesolutionofsome TiNparti clesisrapid, andthethickening of TiNparticlesis mainlycontrolled by diffusion of Tiatomforwardinterfaceofinsoluble TiNparticles.

EFFECT OF MICROSTRUCTURE ON CORROSION FATIGUE BEHAVIOUR OF A LOW CARBON BAINITE STEEL

The behaviour towards corrosion fatigue of low carbon bainite steel with variousmicrostructures after tempered at different temperatures has been examined. The susceptibilityof the steel to corrosion fatigue may be improved by tempering at 300℃.

Effects of Quenching Process on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Low Carbon Nb-Ti Microalloyed Steel

The low carbon Nb-Ti microalloyed tested steel was prepared by the process of vacuum induction furnace smelting,forging and hot rolling.The new steel aims to meet the demand of high strength,high toughness and high plasticity for building facilities.The effects of quenching process on microstructure and mechanical properties of tested steel were investigated.The results showed that prior austenite grain size,phase type and precipitation behavior of(Nb,Ti)(C,N)play important roles in mechanical properties of the steel.Through modified appropriately,the model of austenite grain growth during heating and holding is d^(5.7778)=5.6478^(5.7778)+7.04×10^(22)t^(1.6136)exp(-427.15×10~3/(RT)).The grain growth activation energy is Q_g=427.15 kJ.During quenching,the microscopic structures are mainly martensite and lath bainite which contains lots of lath substructure and dislocations.The content of phases,fine and coarsening(Nb,Ti)(C,N)precipitated changes during different quenching temperatures and holding time.Finally compared with the hardness value,the best quenching process can be obtained that heating temperature and holding time are900℃and 50 mins,respectively.

Characterization and Properties of Nanostructured Surface Layer in a Low Carbon Steel Subjected to Surface Mechanical Attrition

A nanostructured surface layer was synthesized on a low carbon steel by using surface mechanical attrition (SMA) technique,The refined microstructure of the surface layer was characterized by means of different techniques, and the hardness variation along the depth was examined,Experimental results show that the microstructure is inhomogeneous along the depth ,In the region from top surface to about 40 μm depth,the grain size increases from about 100 nm to 1000 nm ,The grain refinement can be associated with the activity of dislocations After the SMA treatment, the hardness of the surface layer is enhanced significantly compared with that of the original sample ,which cam primarily be attributed to the grain refinement.

Decarburization rate of RH refining for ultra low carbon steel

The decarburization behaviors of ultra low carbon steel in a 210-t RH vacuum degasser were investigated under practical operating conditions.According to the apparent decarburization rate constant (KC) calculated by the carbon content in the samples taken from the hot melt in a ladle at an interval of 1-2 min,it is observed that the total decarburization reaction period in RH can be divided into the quick decarburization period and the stagnant decarburization period,which is quite different from the traditional one with three stages.In this study,the average apparent decarburization rate constant during the quick decarburization period is 0.306 min-1,and that of the stagnant period is 0.072 min-1.Increasing the initial carbon content and enhancing the exhausting capacity can increase the apparent decarburization rate constant in the quick decarburization period.The decarburization reaction comes into the stagnant decarburization period when the carbon content in molten steel is less than 14×10-6 after 10 min of decarburization.

Studies on Effects of Welding Parameters on the Mechanical Properties of Welded Low-Carbon Steel

In this work, the effect of heat input on the mechanical properties of low-carbon steel was studied using two welding processes: Oxy-Acetylene Welding (OAW) and Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW). Two different edge preparations on a specific size, 10-mm thick low-carbon steel, with the following welding parameters: dual welding voltage of 100 V and 220 V, various welding currents at 100, 120, and 150 Amperes and different mild steel electrode gauges of 10 and 12 were investigated. The tensile strength, hardness and impact strength of the welded joint were carried out and it was discovered that the tensile strength and hardness reduce with the increase in heat input into the weld. However, the impact strength of the weldment increases with the increase in heat input. Besides it was also discovered that V-grooved edge preparation has better mechanical properties as compared with straight edge preparation under the same conditions. Microstructural examinations conducted revealed that the cooling rate in different media has significant effect on the microstructure of the weldment. Pearlite and ferrite were observed in the microstructure, but the proportion of ferrite to pearlite varied under different conditions.

Solidification Structure of Low Carbon Steel Strips with Different Phosphorus Contents Produced by Strip Casting

在现在的纸，有不同的磷内容的低碳钢脱衣用扔过程的成双的转动脱衣被生产。团结结构被学习，它的特征详细被分析。脱衣与模子铸钢相比拥有了好微观结构，这被发现。与增加磷内容，更多的铁酸盐与更好的谷物被形成了。

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.

Abrasive Wear Characteristics of Carbon and Low Alloy Steels for Better Performance of Farm Implements

The low stress abrasion behaviours of heat treated mild, medium carbon and high C - low Cr steels, which are generally used in making farm implements, have been investigated. The simple heat treatment greatly improves the hardness, tensile strength and abrasion resistance of medium carbon and high C - low Cr steels. The results indicate that the material removal during abrasion is controlled by a number of factors, such as hardness, chemical composition, microstructure and heat treatment conditions. The conclusion is that the heat treated high C - low Cr steel and mild steel carburized by using coaltar pitch provide the best hardness and abrasion resistance and thus appear to be the most suitable materials for making agricultural tools.

Coordinated control of carbon and oxygen for ultra-low-carbon interstitial-free steel in a smelting process

Low residual-free-oxygen before final de-oxidation was beneficial to improving the cleanness of ultra-low-carbon steel. For ultra-low-carbon steel production, the coordinated control of carbon and oxygen is a precondition for achieving low residual oxygen during the Ruhrstahl Heraeus(RH) decarburization process. In this work, we studied the coordinated control of carbon and oxygen for ultra-low-carbon steel during the basic oxygen furnace(BOF) endpoint and RH process using data statistics, multiple linear regressions, and thermodynamics computations. The results showed that the aluminum yield decreased linearly with increasing residual oxygen in liquid steel. When the mass ratio of free oxygen and carbon([O]/[C]) in liquid steel before RH decarburization was maintained between 1.5 and 2.0 and the carbon range was from 0.030wt% to 0.040wt%, the residual oxygen after RH natural decarburization was low and easily controlled. To satisfy the requirement for RH decarburization, the carbon and free oxygen at the BOF endpoint should be controlled to be between 297 × 10-6 and 400 × 10-6 and between 574 × 10-6 and 775 × 10-6, respectively, with a temperature of 1695 to 1715°C and a furnace campaign of 1000 to 5000 heats.