Microstructure and mechanical properties of a cast TRIP-assisted multiphase stainless steel

Stainless steels are used in a wide range of complex environments due to their excellent corrosion resistance.Multiphase stainless steels can offer an excellent combination of strength,toughness and corrosion resistance due to the coexistence of different microstructures.The microstructure and mechanical properties of a novel cast multiphase stainless steel,composed of martensite,ferrite,and austenite,were investigated following appropriate heat treatment processes:solution treatment at 1,050℃ for 0.5 h followed by water quenching to room temperature,and aging treatment at 500℃ for 4 h followed by water quenching to room temperature.Results show reversed austenite is formed by diffusion of Ni element during aging process,and the enrichment of Ni atoms directly determines the mechanical stability of austenite.The austenite with a lower Ni content undergoes a martensitic transformation during plastic deformation.The tensile strength of the specimen exceeds 1,100 MPa and the elongation exceeds 24%after solid solution,and further increases to 1,247 MPa and 25%after aging treatment.This enhancement is due to the TRIP effect of austenite and the precipitation of the nanoscale G-phase pinning dislocations in ferrite and martensite.

Precipitation and stability of reversed austenite in 9Ni steel

A new method was used to analyze the factors affecting the precipitation of reversed austenite during tempering. The samples were kept at various tempering temperatures for 10 min and their length changes were recorded. Then, the precipitation of reversed austenite which led to the length reduction was shown by thermal expansion curves. The results show that the effects of process parameters on the precipitation of reversed austenite can be determined more accurately by this method than by X-ray diffraction. When the quenching and tempering process is adopted, both the lower quenching temperature and higher tempering temperature can promote the precipitation of reversed austenite during tempering; and when the quenching, lamellarizing, and tempering process is used, intercritical quenching is considered beneficial to the precipitation of reversed austenite in the subsequent tempering because of Ni segregation during holding at the intercritical temperature.

Effects of Si on the stability of retained austenite and temper embrittlement of ultrahigh strength steels

Effects of silicon （Si） content on the stability of retained austenite and temper embrittlement of ultrahigh strength steels were investigated using X-ray diffraction （XRD）,transmission electron microscopy （TEM）,and other experimental methods.The results show that Si can suppress temper embrittlement,improve temper resistance,and hinder the decomposition of retained austenite.Reversed austenite appears gradually with the increase of Si content during tempering.Si has a significant effect on enhancing carbon （C） partitioning and improving the stability of retained austenite.Si and C atoms are mutually exclusive in lath bainite,while they attract each other in austenite.ε-carbides are found in 1.8wt% Si steel tempered at 250℃,and they get coarsened obviously when tempered at 400℃,leading to temper embrittlement.Not ε-carbides but acicular or lath carbides lead to temper embrittlement in 0.4wt% Si steel,which can be inferred as cementites and composite compounds.Temper embrittlement is closely related to the decomposition of retained austenite and the formation of reversed austenite.

Multiphase-field simulation of austenite reversion in medium-Mn steels

Medium-Mn steels have attracted immense attention for automotive applications owing to their outstanding combination of high strength and superior ductility.This steel class is generally characterized by an ultrafine-grained duplex microstructure consisting of ferrite and a large amount of austenite.Such a unique microstructure is processed by intercritical annealing,where austenite reversion occurs in a fine martensitic matrix.In the present study,austenite reversion in a medium-Mn alloy was simulated by the multiphase-field approach using the commercial software MICRESS®coupled with the thermodynamic database TCFE8 and the kinetic database MOBFE2.In particular,a faceted anisotropy model was incorporated to replicate the lamellar morphology of reversed austenite.The simulated microstructural morphology and phase transformation kinetics(indicated by the amount of phase)concurred well with experimental observations by scanning electron microscopy and in situ synchrotron high-energy X-ray diffraction,respectively.

Tailoring the austenite characteristics via dual nanoparticles to synergistically optimize the strength-ductility in cold rolled medium Mn steel

In this work,we proposed a novel Cu/θdual nanoparticles strategy to tailor the austenite characteris-tics of a medium Mn steel via a tempering-annealing process to optimize the mechanical properties.We explored the effects of Cu-rich particles and cementite precipitated in the tempering process on the austenite reversion during the subsequent annealing process.Both experiments and numerical simula-tions verified that the austenite inherited from cementite had a finer size and a higher Mn enrichment compared with the austenite originating from the tempered martensite matrix.In addition,quantitative evaluations revealed that the pinning effect exerted by the Cu-rich particles could significantly hinder theα/γinterface migration and the recrystallized grain growth,thereby further refining the final mi-crostructure.With contributions from the effects of dual nanoprecipitates on the austenite reversion,the heterogeneous austenite grains inherited from varying nucleation sites ensured the sustained and gradual deformation-induced martensite and twinning formation.Therefore,the Cu-added steels subjected to a tempering-annealing process achieved synergetic enhancement of the tensile strength from 1055 MPa to 1250 MPa and elongation from 33%to 45%.This strategy may provide new guidance for the development and alloy design of high-performance medium Mn steels.

Correlations of Ni Contents, Formation of Reversed Austenite and Toughness for Ni-Containing Cryogenic Steels

It has been widely demonstrated that addition of Ni in low-carbon steels can effectively improve the cryogenic toughness, but the mechanism behind it has yet to be clarified. In the present work, the evolutions of microstructure and mechanical properties after quenching and tempering for Ni-containing cryogenic steels with different Ni contents （3.5-9 wt%） were investigated. The results showed that after quenching and tempering, the Ni-containing cryogenic steels were composed of tempered martensite and reversed austenite. The volume fraction of reversed austenite has increased from 0 up to 6.3% when the Ni content increases from 3.5% to 9%. The Charpy impact tests indicated that the low- temperature toughness was markedly improved with the increase in Ni content, which can be correlated with the increase in reversed austenite amount. The main contribution of reversed austenite to the toughness lies in： （1） the elimination of cementite precipitates improved the plastic deformation capacity of matrix, and （2） the crack propagation is hindered through plastic deformation.

Effect of Heat Treatment on Reversed Austenite in Cr15 Super Martensitic Stainless Steel

The effect of different heat treatments on the reversed austenite in Cr15 super martensitic stainless steel was investigated. The experimental results indicate that the microstructure of the steel is composed of tempered martensite and diffused reversed austenite after quenching at 1 050 ℃ and tempering from 550 to 750 ℃. The volume fraction and size of reversed austenite increase with increasing tempering temperature and both of them reach the maximum value at 700 ℃. The volume fraction and size of reversed austenite decrease when the temperature is above 700 ℃. The transmission electron microscope （TEM） results indicate that the orientation relationship between tempered martensite and reversed austenite belongs to Kurdjmov-Sach （K-S） relationship.

Compression Stability of Reversed Austenite in 9Ni Steel

The effect of compressive stress on the stability of reversed austenite in gNi steel was investigated by uni- axial and hydrostatic compression. It was found that the uniaxial compressive pressure promoted the Υ-α transformation, while the hydrostatic pressure suppressed the -Υ-α transformation. The pressure dependent transformation behavior can be explained according to thermodynamic analysis.

Effect of Heating Rate Before Tempering on Reversed Austenite in Fe-9Ni-C Alloy

The alloy was reheated to 580℃ for tempering at rates of 2 , 5 , 10 , 20 , and 40℃ / s , respectively , after quenching.The amount , distribution , and stability of reversed austenite were investigated by X-ray diffraction ( XRD ) and electron back scatter diffraction ( EBSD ) .The microstructure and cryogenic impact energy were studied by scanning electron microscope ( SEM ), transmission electron microscope ( TEM ) and Charpy V-notch ( CVN ) tests.The results showed that when the sample was heated at 10℃ / s , the volume fraction of reversed austenite exhibited maximum of 8% ; the reversed austenite was uniform along all kinds of boundaries ; the reversed austenite contained higher concentration of carbon which enabled it to be more stable.The cryogenic toughness of the alloy was greatly improved when heated at 10℃ / s , as the fracture surface observation showed that it mainly fractured in ductile rupture mode , which was consistent with the results of cryogenic impact energy.

Ni segregation and thermal stability of reversed austenite in a Fe–Ni alloy processed by QLT heat treatment

High-resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM) and X-ray diffraction(XRD) were used to investigate Ni segregation and thermal stability of reversed austenite(RA) in a Fe–Ni alloy processed by quench–lamellarize–temper(QLT) heat treatment. The results show that the 77 K impact energy of the alloy increases with RA content increasing. As an austenite-stabilizing element, Ni is found to segregate in RA, though Ni is not evenly distributed within RA. The amount of segregations increases near the boundary(twice as high as the balanced content)and decreases to some extent in the center of the RA regions. Ni concentration in matrix near the boundary is lower than that in matrix far from the boundary because of Ni atom transportation from a to c near the boundary. RA in this alloy has high heat and mechanical stability but is likely to lose its stability and transform to martensite when a mechanical load is applied at ultralow temperatures(77 K), which induces plasticity.

Effect of Deep Cryogenic Treatment on Formation of Reversed Austenite in Super Martensitic Stainless Steel

The effect of deep cryogenic treatment on the formation of reversed austenite （RA） in super martensitic stainless steel was investigated. RA was found to form in steels without （A） and with （B） deep cryogenic treatment. The volume fraction of RA initially increased and then decreased with increasing tempering temperature over 550-- 750 ℃ for the two steels, which were quenched at 1050 ℃. In addition, for both with and without deep cryogenic treatment, the RA content reached a maximum value at 650 ℃ although the RA content in steel B was greater than that in steel A over the entire range of tempering temperatures. Furthermore, the hardness （HRC） of steel B was greater than that of steel A at tempering temperatures of 550--750 ℃. From these results, the basic mechanism for the formation of RA in steels A and B was determined to be Ni diffusion. However, there were more Ni enriched points, a lower degree of enrichment, and a shorter diffusion path in steel B. It needed to be noted that the shapes of the RA consisted of blocks and stripes in both steels. These shapes resulted because the RA redissolved and trans- formed to martensite along the martensitic lath boundaries when the tempering temperature was 650--750 ℃, and a portion of RA in the martensitie lath divided the originally wider martensitic laths into a number of thinner ones. In- terestingly, the RA redissolved more rapidly in steel B and consequently resulted in a stronger refining effect.

Effect of martensitic transformation on nano/ultrafine-grained structure in 304 austenitic stainless steel

304 austenitic stainless steel was cold rolled in the range of 20%-80%reductions and then annealed at 700-900°C for 60 sto obtain nano/ultrafine-grained（NG/UFG）structure.Transmission electron microscopy,electron backscatter diffraction and X-ray diffraction were used to characterize the resulting microstructures.The results showed that with the increase of cold reduction,the content of martensite was increased.The steel performed work hardening during cold-working owing to the occurrence of strain induced martensite which nucleated in single shear bands.Further rolling broke up the lath-type martensite into dislocation-cell type martensite because of the formation of slip bands.Samples annealed at 800-960°C for 60 swere of NG/UFG structure with different percentage of nanocrystalline（60-100 nm）and ultrafine（100-500 nm）grains,submicron size（500-1000 nm）grains and micron size（〉1000 nm）grains.The value of the Gibbs free energy exhibited that the reversion mechanism of the reversion process was shear controlled by the annealing temperature.For a certain annealing time during the reversion process,austenite nucleated first on dislocation-cell type martensite and the grains grew up subsequently and eventually to be micrometer/submicrometer grains,while the nucleation of austenite on lath-type martensite occurred later resulting in nanocrystalline/ultrafine grains.The existence of the NG/UFG structure led to a higher strength and toughness during tensile test.

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.

Strength-Toughness Improvement of 15-5PH Stainless Steel by Double Aging Treatment

To obtain better strength-toughness balance of 15-5PH stainless steel,a double aging treatment is proposed to investigate the mechanical properties and microstructure evolution.In this study,Cu precipitates and reversed austenite played a determining role to improve strength-toughness combination.The microstructure was observed using electron backscattered diffraction,transmission electron microscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy.The volume fractions of Cu precipitates and reversed austenite were calculated with Thermo-Calc software and measured by X-ray diffraction.The results showed that the reversed austenite is formed at the martensitic lath boundaries and its volume fraction also increases with the increase of the aging temperature.At the same time,the size of the Cu precipitates gradually increases.Compared with the traditional single aging and double aging treatment,double aging treatment of 15-5PH stainless steel can increase the toughness while retaining the necessary strength.During double aging of 550℃×4 h+580℃×1 h,15-5PH stainless steel has the best strength and low-temperature(-40℃)toughness match.Its yield strength,ultimate tensile strength and the Charpy impact energy are 1.037 GPa,1.086 GPa and 179 J,respectively.

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 ℃.

Effect of Tempering Temperature on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Steel Containing Ni of 9%

Mechanical properties of quenching,intercritical quenching and tempering （QLT） treated steel containing Ni of 9% were evaluated from specimens subject to various tempering temperatures. The detailed microstructures of steel containing Ni of 9% at different tempering temperatures were observed by optical microscope （OM） and transmission electron microscope （TEM）. The volume fraction of austenite was estimated by XRD. The results show that high strength and cryogenic toughness of steel containing Ni of 9% are obtained when the tempering temperature are between 540 and 580 ℃. The microstructure keeps the dual phase lamellar structure after the intercritical quenching and there is cementite created in the Ni-rich constituents when tempering temperature is 540 ℃. When tempering temperatures are between 560 and 580 ℃,the reversed austenites （γ′） grow up and the dual phase lamellar structure is not clear. The γ′ becomes instable at 600 ℃. When tempered at temperature ranging from 500 to 520 ℃,the increase of dislocation density in the lamellar matrix makes both tensile strength and yield strength decrease. When tempered at 540 ℃ and higher temperature,the yield strength decreases continuously because the C and alloying elements in the matrix are absorbed by the cementite and the γ′,so the yield ratio is decreased by the γ′. There are two toughness mechanisms at different tempering temperatures. One is that the precipitation of cementite absorbs the carbon in the steel which plays a major role in improving cryogenic toughness at lower temperature. Another is that the γ′ and the purified matrix become major role at higher tempering temperature. When the tempering temperature is 600 ℃,the stability of γ′ is decreased quickly,even the transformation takes place at room temperature,which results in a sharp decrease of Charpy-V impact energy at 77 K. The tempering temperature range is enlarged by the special distribution of cementite and the lamellar structure.

Effect of Aging on Hardening Behavior of 15-5 PH Stainless Steel

Microstructure transformation and aging hardening behavior of 15-5 PH stainless steel were studied by optical microscopy （OM）, X-ray diffraction （XRD） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The results showed that the 15-5 PH stainless steel consists of NbC precipitates and lath matensite with a high dislocation density after solution treatment. With increasing aging temperature and aging time, the martensitic laths were resolved gradually. Meanwhile, the nanometric-sized Cu precipitates gradually coarsened and lost their coherency with＇the martensite matrix, which exhibited an elliptical shape finally. Fine Cu precipitates can lead to significant dispersion hardening effect, while the coarsened Cu precipitates have no contribution to strengthening. The reversed austenite was observed in the speci- mens aged at 550 ℃ and above; moreover, the amount of reversed austenite increased as aging temperature in- creased. The precipitation hardening behavior of 15-5 PH stainless steel may depend on the balance between the softening caused by the formation of reversed austenite and the hardening caused by the precipitation of copper.

Influence of Heat Treatment Temperature on Microstructure and Property of 00Cr13Ni5Mo2 Supermartensitic Stainless Steel

The microstructural evolution and mechanical property of 00Crl3NiSMo2 supermartensitic stainless steel （SMSS） subjected to different heat treatments were investigated. Room tensile tests, hardness tests, scanning elec- tron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X ray diffraction were conducted on the heat-treated steels. It is found that the microstructure of the heat-treated steel is composed of tempered lath martensite, retained austenite and ^-ferrite. The austenitizing temperature and tempering temperature have a significant effect on the microstrtlctur al changes, which leads to the complex variations of mechanical properties. The fine tempered lath martensite and more dispersed reversed austenite in the microstructure facilitate improving the comprehensive mechanical properties of the studied steel. The optimal heat treatment process of 00Crl3Ni5Mo2 SMSS is obtained by austenitizing at 1000 ℃ for 0.5 h＋air cooling followed by tempering at 630 ℃ for 2 h＋air cooling, where the excellent combination of ten- sile strength, elongation and hardness can be achieved.

Microstructure Evolution and Precipitation Behavior of 0Cr16Ni5Mo Martensitic Stainless Steel during Tempering Process

The microstructure, morphology of precipitates and retained austenite and the volume fraction of retained austenite in 0Crl6Ni5Mo stainless steel during the tempering process were analyzed using optical microscope （OM）, transmission electron microscope （TEM）, X-ray diffraction （XRD） and scanning transmission electron microscope （STEM）. The results show that the microstructure of the tempered steel is mainly composed of tempered martensite, retained austenite, and delta ferrite. In the case of samples tempered from 500 to 700℃, the precipitates are mainly M23C6, which precipitate along the lath martensite boundaries. The precipitate content increases with the tempering temperature. During the tempering process, the content of retained austenite initially increases and then decreases, the maximum content of retained austenite being 29 vol.% upon tempering at 600℃. TEM analysis of the tested steel reveals two morphology types of retained austenite. One is thin film-like retained austenite that exists along the martensite lath boundary. The other is blocky austenite located on packet at the boundary and the original austenite grain boundary. To further understand the stability of reversed austenite, the Ni content in reversed austenite was measured using STEM. Results show a significant difference in nickel concentrations between reversed austenite and martensite.

Cu-assisted austenite reversion and enhanced TRIP effect in maraging stainless steels

Control of the formation and stability of reverted austenite is critical in achieving a favorable combination of strength,ductility,and toughness in high-strength steels.In this work,the effects of Cu precipitation on the austenite reversion and mechanical properties of maraging stainless steels were investigated by atom probe tomography,transmission electron microscopy,and mechanical tests.Our results indicate that Cu accelerates the austenite reversion kinetics in two manners:first,Cu,as an austenite stabilizer,increases the equilibrium austenite fraction and hence enhances the chemical driving force for the austenite formation,and second,Cu-rich nanoprecipitates promote the austenite reversion by serving as heterogeneous nucleation sites and providing Ni-enriched chemical conditions through interfacial segregation.In addition,the Cu precipitation hardening compensates the strength drop induced by the formation of soft reverted austenite.During tensile deformation,the metastable reverted austenite transforms to martensite,which substantially improves the ductility and toughness through a transformation-induced plasticity(TRIP)effect.The Cu-added maraging stainless steel exhibits a superior combination of a yield strength of~1.3 GPa,an elongation of~15%,and an impact toughness of~58 J.