Thermal Stability of Retained Austenite in TRIP Steel After Different Treatments

Thermal decomposition of retained austenite in TRIP steel was investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry（DSC）.The decomposition curve was abnormal,and the decomposition temperature and the activation energy were measured by the Kissinger method,which were all higher than those in quenched steel.The thermal decomposition data of samples soaked in liquid nitrogen after TRIP treatment were all similar to those without additional low temperature treatment.It indicated that there is a high thermal stability in retained austenite of the TRIP steel at low temperature,which was also proved by XRD analysis.

Effects of Sub-zero Celsius Treatment and Tempering on the Stability of Retained Austenite in Bearing Steel

In this work, the influence of sub-zero Celsius treatment and tempering on the mechanical and thermal stability of retained austenite in beating steel were assessed by tensile test and DSC. Compared with traditional quenched and tempered treatment, sub-zero Celsius treatment obviously decreases the volume fraction of retained austenite. Moreover, the mechanical stability of retained austenite was enhanced due to the accumulation of compressive stresses in retained austenite after sub-zero Celsius treatment and tempering. Meanwhile, the morphology of retained austenite changed from film-like to blocky with austenitization temperature increasing, and the mechanical stability of film-like retained austenite is higher than that of blocky one. The DSC results showed that the activation energy of retained austenite decomposition slightly increased through sub-zero Celsius treatment and tempering. This result may probably be ascribed to partitioning of carbon during tempering. However, the temperature at which retained austenite starts to decompose is unchanged.

Effects of strain states on stability of retained austenite in medium Mn steels

Based on uniaxial tensile and plane strain deformation tests, the effects of strain states on the stability of RA （retained austenite） in medium Mn steels, which were subjected to IA （intercritical annealing） and Q＆P （quenching and partitioning） processing, were investigated. The volume fractions of RA before and after deformation were measured at different equivalent strains. The transformation behaviors of RA were also investigated. The stability of RA differed across two different transformation stages at the plane strain state： the stability was much lower in the first stage than in the second stage. For the uniaxial ten sion strain state, the stability of RA corresponded only to a single transformation stage. The main reason was that there were two types of transformations from RA in the medium Mn steel for the plane strain state. One type was that the martensite originated in the strain-induced stacking faults （SISF）. The other type was the strain-induced directly twin martensite at a certain equivalent strain. However, for the uniax- ial tension state, only the strain-induced twin martensite was observed. Dislocation lines and dislocation tangles were also observed in specimens deformed at different strain states. In addition, complex micro- structures of stacking faults and lath-like phases were observed within a grain at the plane strain state.

Effect of Prior Cold Deformation on the Stability of Retained Austenite in GCr15 Bearing Steel

In this work, the effect of prior cold deformation on the stability of retained austenite in GCr15 bearing steel was investigated after quenching and tempering treatment. The thermal stability was evaluated by calculating thermal activation energy for decomposition of retained austenite using differential scanning calorimeter. The mechanical stability was investigated according to the strain-induced martensitic transformation behavior of retained austenite under the standard compression testing. It is found that the prior cold deformation not only accelerates the carbide dissolution during the austenitization process but also contributes to the carbon partitioning in the tempering stage due to the higher density of phase boundaries, which results in the improvement of the thermal stability of retained austenite. Due to the enhanced carbide dissolution, the higher carbon content in the prior austenite will intensify the isotropic strain of martensitic transformation. As a consequence, the film-like retained austenite is likely to form under a higher hydrostatic pressure and thus shows a higher mechanical stability. Additionally, it is noteworthy that the benefits of the prior cold deformation to the stability of retained austenite would be saturated when the cold deformation degree is larger than 40%.

Effect of Microstructure on Tensile Behavior and Mechanical Stability of Retained Austenite in a Cold-Rolled Al-Containing TRIP Steel

In the present study, a quenching treatment prior to two-stage heat treatment was conducted on a Fe-0.28C-1.55Mn-2.06Al transformation-induced plasticity steel to tailor the final microstructure. Compared with the microstructure of the ferrite, bainite and blocky retained austenite obtained by conventional two-stage heat treatment, the microstructure subjected to quenching plus two-stage heat treatment was composed of the ferrite, lath bainite and film-like retained austenite. The corresponding tensile behavior and mechanical stability of retained austenite were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The results show that the mechanical stability of blocky retained austenite grains is lower and most of them transform to martensite during the tensile deformation, which leads to higher ultimate tensile strength and instantaneous work hardening exponent. Film-like retained austenite has relatively higher stability, which could cause sustained work hardening and high ductility as well as product of strength and elongation.

In-situ analysis of retained austenite transformation in high-performance micro-alloyed TRIP steel

Microstructures and mechanical properties of Ti-V micro-alloyed TRIP（ transformation-induced plasticity） steel with different compositions were investigated by tensile test,scanning electron microscopy（ SEM）,transmission electron microscopy（ TEM）,X-ray diffraction（ XRD） and thermodynamic calculation（ TC）. The results indicated that the steel exhibited high ultimate tensile strength（ 1 079MPa）,sufficient ductility（ 28%） and the highest product of strength and ductility（ 30 212 MPa·%） heat treated after intercritical annealing at 800℃ for 3 min and bainitic annealing at 430 ℃ for 5 min. In addition,the change of volume fraction of retained austenite（ VF-RA） versus tensile strain was measured using in-situ analysis by X-ray stress apparatus and micro-electronic universal testing machine. It was concluded that a-value could be used to evaluate the stability of retained austenite（ S-RA） in the investigated Ti-V micro-alloyed TRIP steel. The smaller a-value indicated the higher stability of retained austenite（ S-RA） and the higher mechanical properties of Ti-V micro-alloyed TRIP steel.

MECHANICAL STABILIZATION OF DEFORMED AUSTENITEDURING CONTINUOUS COOLING TRANSFORMATION IN AC-Mn-Cr-Ni-Mo PLASTIC DIE STEEL

The influence of prior austenite deformed at different temperature on the subsequent continuous cooling bainitic transformation has been investigated in an C-Ma-Cr-Ni-Mo plastic die steel. The results show that the prior deformation in low temperature region of austenite retards significantly the bainitic transformation. For the same continuous cooling schedule, as austenite deformed at lower temperature, the quantity of the classical sheaf-like bainite becomes less. The present results show that severe deformation leads to mechanical stabilization of austenite and causes the difficulty of bainitic ferrite propagation into the austenite.

EFFECTS OF RETAINED AUSTENITE ON DUPLEX MICROSTRUCTURE OF MARTENSITE AND LOWER BAINITE

The morphology and amount of the retained austenite in the duplex microstructure of martensite and tower bainite of a tow,alloy cold die steel(it is called GD steel for short) with high strength and high toughness have been investigated.The thermal and mechanical stabilities of the retained austenite were analyzed.Furthermore the effects of retained austenite on the mechanical properties of the steel were studied.The results show that the morphology and amount of retained austenite vary with silicon content in the steel.Retained austenite with high stability was responsible for the simultaneous increase in strength and toughness of the steel.The duplex microstructure of martensite and abnormal lower bainite of the steel with the maximum silicon content exhibits a relatively good strength-toughness combination.

Influence of Cryogenic Treatment on Microstructure and Properties Improvement of Die Steel

Cryogenic treatment has been increasingly applied to enhance the hardness, antiwear ability and fatigue performance of die steel. On the basis of reading a large number of research papers and references across the world, the author makes a detailed analysis and brief summary of the influence of cryogenic treatment on microstructure after quenching process or quenching plus tempering process, on first and second carbides, on content of retained austenite, on surface hardness, on mechanical properties and antiwear ability of die steels. It’s proved that cryogenic treatment on die steel significantly improves its hardness, antiwear capacity and service life. It’s the cryogenic process to make die steel have higher hardness, better antiwear ability, better ductility and longer service life because cryogenic process actually has a good influence on die steel of its microstructure, retained austenite volume and amount and size of the second carbide.

Research and development of 780 MPa cold rolling TRIP-aided steel

As an industry-university cooperative project, an experimental research was conducted to develop a new cold-rolled transformation-induced plasticity （TRIP） steel with a tensile strength of 780 MPa and an elongation of 25% under the conditions that some processing parameters were preestablished according to the actual conditions of factory production lines. The optimal heat treatment conditions for obtaining excellent strength-ductility balance, specifically in intercritical annealing temperature and isothermal treatment temperature, were investigated by means of thermal simulation tests. Ultimately the desirable mechanical properties were attained successfully, and the microstructure and retained austenite stability were studied by optical microscopy （OM） and electron back-scattered diffraction （EBSD）. It has been discovered that the sizes of retained austenite grains are generally proportional to the sizes of carbon-clear space （ferrite and bainite） around them, and there is marked selectivity in their transition sequences under stress-strain.

热处理工艺对3种不同Cr系冷作模具钢热处理变形的影响

精冲模在服役过程中受较大的循环载荷导致的变形会增加其维修成本并缩短模具寿命。综合考量精密模具在热处理过程中产生的形变因素,相变引起的体积膨胀更受关注。设计出了一种新型“井”字型变形模块,研究了D2、DC53和7Cr5Mo2V 3种冷作模具钢在不同真空热处理工艺下相变引起的尺寸变化规律。结果表明:在1030℃淬火后,DC53钢的最大形变率约为0.65%;在210℃低温回火和520℃高温回火后,7Cr5Mo2V钢的最大形变率分别约为1.04%和1.81%。影响模具热处理变形的因素是残留奥氏体含量、二次碳化物析出的量和马氏体特征参数等。经210℃低温回火后,7Cr5Mo2V、D2和DC53钢的残留奥氏体体积分数分别为14.44%、13.21%和11.43%;520℃高温回火后,残留奥氏体体积分数均显著减少,分别为6.04%、3.39%和2.53%。

预变形对Q&P钢微观组织及烘烤硬化性能的影响

分析了Q&P钢在不同预变形(0%、3%、6%和9%)条件下的烘烤硬化行为。采用扫描电镜、X射线衍射仪(XRD)和电子背散射衍射(EBSD)等表征了试验钢在预变形和烘烤过程中的微观组织演变。结果表明:随着预变形量的增加,试验Q&P钢的烘烤硬化(BH)值先增加后减小,预变形量为6%时,BH值最大,为144 MPa。此外,在预变形较小时,晶粒尺寸是影响残留奥氏体稳定性的主要因素,马氏体转变优先发生在尺寸较大的残留奥氏体当中;随着预变形量的增加,大尺寸残留奥氏体消耗殆尽,在剩余残留奥氏体尺寸相差不大的情况下,其所在位置及其周围组织分布决定了残留奥氏体的稳定性。最后,烘烤过程中,会造成残留奥氏体数量的少量减少,这也会影响后续变形过程中相变诱导塑性效应的发生,不利于材料的整体塑性。

基于TRIP效应的复相钢的组织特征及强塑性机制

采用扫描电镜(SEM)、电子背散射衍射(EBSD)技术和透射电镜(TEM)对复相钢的微观形貌进行表征,并研究了其基于相变诱导塑性(TRIP)效应的强塑性机制。结果表明,将退火温度设定在单相奥氏体区和(γ+α)两相临界区,由于微观形貌特征的不同致使试验钢的力学性能有着显著的区别。退火温度(915℃)在单相奥氏体区时,微观组织由27%先共析铁素体、56%块状贝氏体以及分布于晶界处的17%残留奥氏体组成;组织中的先共析铁素体,其塑性优于再结晶铁素体,更有利于发挥协调变形作用,通过缓解应力对残留奥氏体的作用而有效发挥其TRIP效应;同时均匀分布于晶界处纵横比>2.0的块状残留奥氏体,在变形过程中由于受到相界面及块状硬质相贝氏体的阻碍,TRIP效应的贡献较大且可在整个应变阶段持续地发生。在晶粒尺寸、组织形貌、晶体学结构、V(C,N)析出和位错塞积,以及TRIP效应的共同作用下,915℃退火后复相钢的综合力学性能最优,屈服强度和抗拉强度分别为756和1135 MPa,强塑积可达到26.446 GPa·%,同时具有优良的伸长率和扩孔性能,分别为23.3%和56%。

TRIP钢中残余奥氏体及其稳定性的研究

采用扫描电镜、透射电镜、X射线衍射仪等对贝氏体等温转变后TRIP钢中的残余奥氏体及其稳定性进行了研究。结果表明,TRIP钢在贝氏体转变区400～440℃保温120～300 s,随着等温温度的升高和保温时间的延长,钢中残余奥氏体的含量不断增多,残余奥氏体碳含量呈降低趋势。TRIP钢中的残余奥氏体主要以薄膜状、粗大块状和细小粒状的形态存在。粗大块状的残余奥氏体稳定性最差,薄膜状次之,细小粒状最稳定。残余奥氏体的含量不足,或残余奥氏体的含量偏高造成碳含量的不足,都会导致TRIP钢综合成形性能的降低。此外,贝氏体等温处理时间过长,渗碳体的出现大大降低了残余奥氏体中的碳含量,从而降低了残余奥氏体的稳定性。

热轧TRIP钢残余奥氏体及其稳定性研究

采用X射线衍射(XRD)、透射电镜(TEM)和拉伸实验等方法,研究三种工艺制备的热轧TRIP钢残余奥氏体及其碳含量和稳定性。结果显示:贝氏体区停留时间对残余奥氏体量影响较大,当在贝氏体区模拟卷取时,残余奥氏体量最多;适当的增加弛豫时间,会增加最终组织中残余奥氏体的碳含量;残奥碳含量,还有残余奥氏体的形状和晶粒大小及周围相的影响共同决定了残余奥氏体稳定性。

Si对超高强钢残留奥氏体回火稳定性与力学性能的影响

采用XRD、TEM等实验方法研究了Si含量对超高强钢回火过程残留奥氏体稳定性及其力学性能的影响。结果表明,Si对抑制回火脆性和提高回火抗力具有有益作用;Si抑制残留奥氏体的分解,随Si含量提高,回火过程逐渐出现逆转奥氏体;Si对提高碳分配作用显著,可增强残留奥氏体的稳定性。马氏体板条内部,Si与C原子相互排斥;而奥氏体内Si与C相互吸引。发现1.8%Si钢250℃回火后出现ε-碳化物;400℃回火后ε-碳化物明显粗化,导致回火脆性。对0.4%Si钢而言,导致回火脆性的是回火后出现的大量针状或长条状碳化物,确定这类碳化物为非ε-碳化物。探讨了Si对回火过程残留奥氏体分解及逆转奥氏体形成的作用机理。

TRIP钢中残余奥氏体及其稳定性的研究

采用扫描电镜、透射电镜、X射线衍射仪等对贝氏体等温转变后TRIP钢中的残余奥氏体及其稳定性进行了研究。结果表明,TRIP钢在贝氏体转变区400℃～440℃下保温120～300 s,随着等温温度的升高和保温时间的延长,钢中残余奥氏体的含量不断增多、残余奥氏体碳含量大致呈降低趋势。TRIP钢中的残余奥氏体主要以薄膜状、粗大块状和细小粒状的形态存在。粗大块状的残余奥氏体稳定性最差,薄膜状次之,细小粒状最稳定。残余奥氏体的含量不足,或残余奥氏体的含量偏高造成碳含量的不足,都会导致TRIP钢综合成形性能的降低。此外,贝氏体等温处理时间过长,渗碳体的出现大大降低了残余奥氏体中的碳含量,从而降低了残余奥氏体的稳定性。

深冷处理对冷作模具钢SDC99组织及性能的影响

对经不同深冷处理工艺的Cr8型冷作模具钢SDC99进行了硬度、冲击韧性、摩擦磨损性能测试,并用SEM、XRD、TEM分析了其相组成及显微组织。结果表明,深冷处理使SDC99钢硬度提高,冲击韧性降低,耐磨性提高,1030℃淬火＋210℃×2 h回火＋（-196℃×24 h）深冷处理＋210℃×2 h回火可使SDC99钢获得最优的综合使用性能,其磨损体积较常规热处理工艺减少23.6%。SDC99钢性能提升的主要原因是深冷处理使亚稳态的块状残留奥氏体转变为马氏体及薄膜状残留奥氏体,深冷处理后残留奥氏体体积分数由常规热处理的17.2%下降至5.5%～10.5%,但并未完全转变。薄膜状残留奥氏体分布于孪晶马氏体及二次碳化物的边界处,松弛应力集中,防止微裂纹的产生,因而改善了材料的综合性能。

低硅无铝中碳TRIP钢中残留奥氏体的机械稳定性

在GLEEBLE3500热模拟试验机上对两种TRIP(TRansformation Induced Plasticity)钢分别进行不同贝氏体温度的热处理,通过拉伸试验和X射线衍射研究钢板的性能及残留奥氏体转变。结果表明:高的原始残留奥氏体量和残奥中碳含量,可使得钢获得良好的综合性能。另外,建立起残留奥氏体随真应变的转变模型,该模型能较好的预测实验结果。

微纳结构贝氏体钢中残留奥氏体的调控及其对稳定性的影响

微纳结构贝氏体钢由微纳结构贝氏体铁素体和残留奥氏体组成,具有超高强度和高塑性。如何细化块状残留奥氏体并提高薄膜状残留奥氏体含量,来实现精细组织和优良塑韧性,成为重要的科学与技术问题。本文综述了合金元素和热处理工艺等因素对贝氏体转变及其对残留奥氏体形成与形态的影响,分析了残留奥氏体在超高强韧贝氏体钢中的塑韧化机理,从而为开发超高强度高韧性的贝氏体钢提供理论与技术指导。