Effect of Mn addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of GX40CrNiSi25-12 austenitic heat resistant steel

Three types of steels were designed on the basis of GX40CrNiSi25-12 austenitic heat resistant steel by adding different Mn contents(2wt.%,6wt.%,and 12wt.%).Thermodynamic calculation,microstructure characterization and mechanical property tests were conducted to investigate the effect of Mn addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the austenitic heat resistant steel.Results show that the matrix structure in all the three types of steels at room temperature is completely austenite.Carbides NbC and M_(23)C_(6)precipitate at grain boundaries of austenite matrix.With the increase of Mn content,the number of carbides increases and their distribution becomes more uniform.With the Mn content increases from 1.99%to 12.06%,the ultimate tensile strength,yield strength and elongation increase by 14.6%,8.0%and 46.3%,respectively.The improvement of the mechanical properties of austenitic steels can be explained by utilizing classic theories of alloy strengthening,including solid solution strengthening,precipitation strengthening,and grain refinement.The increase in alloy strength can be attributed to solid solution strengthening and precipitation strengthening caused by the addition of Mn.The improvement of the plasticity of austenitic steels can be explained from two aspects:grain refinement and homogenization of precipitated phases.

IMPROVEMENT OF TYPE IV CRACKING RESISTANCE OF 9Cr HEAT RESISTING STEEL WELDMENT BY BORON ADDITION

Creep lives of high Cr ferritic heat resisting steel weldments decrease due to Type Ⅳ fracture, which occurs as a result of formation and growth of creep voids and cracks on grain boundaries in fine-grained heat affected zone (HAZ). Because boron is considered to suppress the coarsening of grain boundary precipitates and growth of creep voids, we have investigated the effect of boron addition on the creep properties of 9Cr steel weldments. Four kinds of 9Cr3WSCoVNb steels with boron content varying from 4.7×10-5 to 1.8×10-4 and with nitrogen as low as 2.0×10-5 were prepared. The steel plates were welded by gas tungsten arc welding and crept at 923K. It was found that the microstructures of HAZ were quite different from those of conventional high Cr steels such as P91 and P92, namely the fine-grained HAZ did not exist in the present steel weldments. Boron addition also has the effect to suppress coarsening of grain boundary carbides in HAZ during creep. As a result of these phenomena, the welded joints of present steels showed no Type Ⅳ fractures and much better creep lives than those of conventional steels.

Spall Strength of Resistance Spot Weld for QP Steel

The spall tests under the plane tensile pulses for resistance spot weld （RSW） of QP980 steel are performed by using a gun system. The velocity histories of free surfaces of the RSWare measured with the laser velocity interferometer system for any reflector. The recovered specimens are investigated with an Olympus GX71 metallographic microscope and a scanning electron microscope （SEM）. The measured velocity histories are explained and used to evaluate the tension stresses in the RSW applying the characteristic theory and the assumption of Gathers. The spall strength （1977 2784MPa） of the RSW for 0,P980 steel is determined based on the measured and simulated velocity histories. The spall mechanism of the RSW is brittle fracture in view of the SEM investigation of the recovered specimen. The micrographs of the as-received QP980 steel, the initial and recovered RSW of this steel for the spall test are compared to reveal the microstructure evolution during the welding and spall process. It is indicated that during the welding thermal cycle, the local martensitic phase transformation is dependent on the location within the fusion zone and the heat affected zone. It is presented that the transformation at high strain rate may be cancelled by other phenomenon while the evolution of weld defects is obvious during the spall process. It may be the stress triaxiality and strain rate effect of the RSW strength or the dynamic load-carrying capacity of the RSW structure that the spall strength of the RSW for QP980 steel is much higher than the uniaxial compression yield strength （1200 MPa） of the rnartensite phase in 0,P980 steel. Due to the weld defects in the center of the I^SW, the spall strength of the RSW should be less than the conventional spall strength or the dynamic load-carrying capacity of condensed structure.

Influence of a Protective Coating Slurry on Enhancing the Descaling Ability and Oxidation Resistance of 9% Nickel Steel

A kind of ceramic slurry was prepared and sprayed onto the surface of 9Ni steel at room temperature. The coating layer will not only reduce the depth of the formed Ni-enriched entanglement at high temperature but also have an excellent ability to resist oxidation of the 9Ni steel. Compared to bare specimen, the depths of the entanglement of the coated 9Ni specimen could be successfully reduced by 74.1% and the oxidation loss be decreased by 62.3% by heating at 1 250 ℃ for 60 min. In addition, the coated specimen indicates no trace of oxide pegs. It proves that the coating has outstanding improvement to internal oxidation resistance. Some characterization methods such as metalloscopy, XRD, XPS, SEM and EDX have been used to reveal a possible protective mechanism. The result shows that the coating layer reacts with the iron oxide to form Mg Fe2O4 on the surface of the coated specimen, which could provide a smaller diffusion coefficient rate of Fe ion. The coating with a low cost and easy implementation is promisingly applicable in the slab-reheating process of the 9Ni steel.

Oxidation Resistance of the Aluminide Coating Formed on Carbon Steels

Low and medium carbon steels were aluminized by the pack aluminizing technique using halideactivated pure-Al and Fe-Al packs. The effect of mixture composition, aluminizing temperatureand time and C content of the steel substrate on the structure and thickness of the aluminidelayer, and on the oxidation resistance was investigated. The optimum oxidation resistance canbe achieved with a low carbon steel substrate when the intermetallic phases Fe3Al and FeAlform the surface of the aluminide layer. In this case, the Al concentration at the surface of thealuminide coating is at least ≥15 wt pct. Formation of high Al concentration phases (FeAl3 andFe2Al5) during aluminizing should be avoided as they tend to embrittle the aluminide layer andreduce its oxidation resistance.

Effect of Interface Form on Creep Failure and Life of Dissimilar Metal Welds Involving Nickel-Based Weld Metal and Ferritic Base Metal

For dissimilar metal welds(DMWs)involving nickel-based weld metal(WM)and ferritic heat resistant steel base metal(BM)in power plants,there must be an interface between WM and BM,and this interface suffers mechanical and microstructure mismatches and is often the rupture location of premature failure.In this study,a new form of WM/BM interface form,namely double Y-type interface was designed for the DMWs.Creep behaviors and life of DMWs containing double Y-type interface and conventional I-type interface were compared by finite element analysis and creep tests,and creep failure mechanisms were investigated by stress-strain analysis and microstructure characterization.By applying double Y-type interface instead of conventional I-type interface,failure location of DMW could be shifted from the WM/ferritic heat-affected zone(HAZ)interface into the ferritic HAZ or even the ferritic BM,and the failure mode change improved the creep life of DMW.The interface premature failure of I-type interface DMW was related to the coupling effect of microstructure degradation,stress and strain concentrations,and oxide notch on the WM/HAZ interface.The creep failure of double Y-type interface DMW was the result of Type IV fracture due to the creep voids and micro-cracks on fine-grain boundaries in HAZ,which was a result of the matrix softening of HAZ and lack of precipitate pinning at fine-grain boundaries.The double Y-type interface form separated the stress and strain concentrations in DMW from the WM/HAZ interface,preventing the trigger effect of oxide notch on interface failure and inhibiting the interfacial microstructure cracking.It is a novel scheme to prolong creep life and enhance reliability of DMW,by means of optimizing the interface form,decoupling the damage factors from WM/HAZ interface,and then changing the failure mechanism and shifting the failure location.

Microstructural Evolution of 2.25Cr-1.6W-V-Nb Heat Resistant Steel during Creep

2.25Cr-1.6W-V-Nb developed in Japan, is a low alloy heat resistant steel with good comprehensive properties. Influence of long term creep at elevated temperature on the structure of 2.25Cr-1.6W-V-Nb steel was studied in this paper, and the micromechanism of creep strength degradation was elucidated, too. Both TEM observation and thermodynamic calculation reveal that during creep the transformation occurs from M7C3 and M23C6 to M6C, which can be cavity nucleation sites. Besides, creep at 600癈 also leads to the decrease of dislocation density, the coarsening and coalescence of M23C6, the nucleation of cavities and development of cracks. The strength decrease of 2.25Cr-1.6W-V-Nb steel after long term creep is related to the decrease of dislocation hardening, precipitation hardening, solution hardening, the nucleation of cavities and development of cracks.

Numerical simulation of the seismic behavior of self-centering steel beam-column connections with bottom flange friction devices

A new type of steel moment resisting frame with bottom flange friction devices （BFFDs） has been developed to provide self-centering capacity and energy dissipation, and to reduce permanent deformations under earthquakes. This paper presents a numerical simulation of self-centering beam-column connections with BFFDs, in which the gap opening/closing at the beam-column interfaces is simulated by using pairs of zero-length elements with compression-only material properties, and the energy dissipation due to friction is simulated by using truss elements with specified hysteretic behavior. In particular, the effect of the friction bolt bearing against the slotted plate in the BFFDs was modeled, so that the increase in lateral force and the loss of friction force due to the bolt bearing could be taken into account. Parallel elastic-perfectly plastic gap （ElasticPPGap） materials in the Open System for Earthquake Engineering Simulation （OpenSees） were used with predefined gaps to specify the sequence that each bolt went into the bearing and the corresponding increase in bending stiffness. The MinMax material in OpenSees is used to specify the minimum and maximum values of strains of the ElasticPPGap materials. To consider the loss of friction force due to bok bearing, a number of parallel hysteretic materials were used, and the failure of these materials in sequence simulated the gradual loss of friction force. Analysis results obtained by using the proposed numerical model are discussed and compared with the test results under cyclic loadings and the seismic loading, respectively.

Extrapolation Model of High Temperature Creep for 12Cr1MoV Steel

The creep curves of heat resistant steel 12Cr1MoV was investigated. by constant stress creep tests. The creep curves of constant stress creep are quite different from that of constant load creep. The original θ- Concept Project procedure can be validated to successfully describe the constant stress creep curves but not constant load creep. A modified θprocedure was developed. This approach can successfully described both constant stress creep and constant load creep curves. The new approach leads to a great improvement in accuracy of long term prediction of extrapolation due to validation of a great number of existing constant load creep data.

Effectiveness of two conventional methods for seismic retrofit of steel and RC moment resisting frames based on damage control criteria

This study investigates the efficiency of two types of rehabilitation methods based on economic justification that can lead to logical decision making between the retrofitting schemes. Among various rehabilitation methods, concentric chevron bracing（CCB） and cylindrical friction damper（CFD） were selected. The performance assessment procedure of the frames is divided into two distinct phases. First, the limit state probabilities of the structures before and after rehabilitation are investigated. In the second phase, the seismic risk of structures in terms of life safety and financial losses（decision variables） using the recently published FEMA P58 methodology is evaluated. The results show that the proposed retrofitting methods improve the serviceability and life safety performance levels of steel and RC structures at different rates when subjected to earthquake loads. Moreover, these procedures reveal that financial losses are greatly decreased, and were more tangible by the application of CFD rather than using CCB. Although using both retrofitting methods reduced damage state probabilities, incorporation of a site-specific seismic hazard curve to evaluate mean annual occurrence frequency at the collapse prevention limit state caused unexpected results to be obtained. Contrary to CFD, the collapse probability of the structures retrofitted with CCB increased when compared with the primary structures.

Optimal seismic retrofit model for steel moment resisting frames with brittle connections

Based on performance-based seismic engineering, this paper proposes an optimal seismic retrofit model for steel moment resisting frames（SMRFs） to generate a retrofit scheme at minimal cost. To satisfy the acceptance criteria for the Basic Safety Objective（BSO） specified in FEMA 356, the minimum number of upgraded connections and their locations in an SMRF with brittle connections are determined by evolutionary computation. The performance of the proposed optimal retrofitting model is evaluated on the basis of the energy dissipation capacities, peak roof drift ratios, and maximum interstory drift ratios of structures before and after retrofitting. In addition, a retrofit efficiency index, which is defined as the ratio of the increment in seismic performance to the required retrofitting cost, is proposed to examine the efficiencies of the retrofit schemes derived from the model. The optimal seismic retrofit model is applied to the SAC benchmark examples for threestory and nine-story SMRFs with brittle connections. Using the retrofit efficiency index proposed in this study, the optimal retrofit schemes obtained from the model are found to be efficient for both examples in terms of energy dissipation capacity, roof drift ratio, and maximum inter-story drift ratio.

High-temperature oxidation behavior of heat resistant stainless steel 1.4828

The kinetic curves of the high-temperature oxidation of austenitic heat resistant stainless steel 1. 4828 at 1 050 ℃ were measured using a weighing method. It is shown that the oxidation curves at 1 050 ℃ followed the parabolic line law, and after 250 h of oxidation, the mass gain was about 80 g/m2. The surface morphology and structure of the oxide layers were studied by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. A complicated oxide layer obtained at 1 050 ℃ was mainly composed, from inner to outer, of （FeSi） 3 04, Cr2 03, Fe2 03, and spinel oxides FeCr204 and NiMn204.

Effect of aging temperature on the microstructures and mechanical properties of ZG12Cr9Mo1Co1NiVNbNB ferritic heat-resistant steel

The effect of aging on the mechanical properties and microstructures of a new ZG12Cr9 MolColNiVNbNB ferritic heat resistant steel was investigated in this work to satisfy the high steam parameters of the ultra-supercritical power plant.The results show that the main precipitates during aging are Fe（Cr,Mo）23C6,V（Nb）C,and（Fe2Mo） Laves in the steel.The amounts of the precipitated phases increase during aging,and correspondingly,the morphologies of phases are similar to be round.Fe（Cr,Mo）23C6 appears along boundaries and grows with increasing temperature.In addition,it is revealed that the martensitic laths are coarsened and eventually happen to be polygonization.The hardness and strength decrease gradually,whereas the plasticity of the steel increases.What＇s more,the hardness of this steel after creep is similar to that of other 9%-12%Cr ferritic steels.Thus,ZG12Cr9 MolColNiVNbNB can be used in the project.

Effect of Rolling Process on Comprehensive Properties of Corrosion Resistant Steel for Bottom Plate of Cargo Oil Tanks

A new kind of corrosion resistant steelfor cargo oiltanks（COT）was developed.The influences of finalrolling temperature,cooling rate,and finalcooling temperature on microstructure were investigated.The proper rolling process parameters were obtained through multi-pass thermalsimulation test.The finalrolling temperature is about 820 ℃,the finalcooling temperature is about 600 ℃,and the cooling rate should be controlled between 10 ℃/s and 20 ℃/s.Based on the above analysis of the results,three groups of rolling samples by thermo mechanicalcontrolprocess are prepared.The tensile strength,yield strength,and toughness of the corrosion resistant steelare measured,which meet the requirements of DH36 steel,it can instruct the actualrolling production.The corrosion behaviour is also researched by weight loss and electrochemicalimpedance spectroscopic method,and it is found that the steelhas good corrosion resistance performance,the best one is No.3 steel,the corrosion rate of which is about 1/4 of the accepted criterion.

Development and application of nitrogen-alloyed austenitic stainless steels in Baosteel

In recent years,nitrogen-alloyed stainless steels have been a research hotspot in the field of stainless steel product and technology. Nitrogen-alloyed austenitic stainless steels developed by Baosteel and their applications are introduced. These steels are nitrogen-controlled products 304 N and 316 LN,nitrogen containing economical products BN series and high-nitrogen stainless steel（ HNS） series. The results show that the presence of nitrogen can significantly improve the strength and corrosion resistance of steel produced. By nitrogen alloying,economical austenitic stainless steels w ith considerably less nickel than 304 can be obtained; the corrosion resistances of these steels are almost the same as 304. Furthermore,by a scientific approach of nitrogen alloying,high-nitrogen steel of0. 8% nitrogen content is fabricated under the non-pressurized conditions,and the pitting potential of this steel is ＆gt;1. 0 V. At present,nitrogen-alloyed steels developed by Baosteel are w idely utilized in the manufacture of cryogenic storage containers,transportation containers,and many household w ares.

SPALLING MECHANISM OF NITRIDED LAYER OF AUSTENITIC STEEL 4Cr14Ni14W2Mo

The tendency of spalling of the nitrided layer of the hot rolled austenitic steel 4Cr14Ni14W2Mo exhibits close relation to the nitrided surface orientation relative to the rol- led steel rod.It is found that the dislocations in the imperfectly recrystalized steel align as parallel dislocation walls in macroscopic extent,and the thickness of the“white sublayer”in the nitrided layer is much larger at the surface which is parallel to the dislocation walls.On such surface the spalling of the nitrided layer happens often.

Quality control for bloom casting of YQ450NQR1 steel

To reduce surface depression of a bloom, the primary cooling intensity was decreased, and the water distribution of mold wide and narrow faces was optimized. The length of secondary cooling zones and the specific water flow were increased, and the water flow distribution among the secondary cooling zones was adjusted to eliminate central defects, such as center looseness, central segregation, and center line cracks. The operation showed that the proportion of surface depression decreased from 37.22% to 2.87%, whereas the proportion of center looseness for 〈1.0 increased from 79.71% to 90.70%, the proportion of central segregation for 〈0.5 increased from 1.45% to 44.19%, and the proportion of center line cracks that are free increased from 39.13% to 62.79%. The qualified blooms are delivered to produce 310 Z-beam, whose yield strength is greater than 450 MPa.

High Temperature Plastic Deformation Behavior and Brittle Mechanism of S450EW Steel

High-temperature tensile tests were conducted for high corrosion resistant weathering steel S450EW.The morphologies of fracture microstructures,dislocations and precipitates were investigated by field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.The high-temperature plastic deformation behavior and brittle mechanism of S450EW steel were also studied.The experimental results show that the ductility troughs appear at 700-850℃ and 650-900℃ when the strain rates are 3×10^(-3)and 1.5×10^(-2)s^(-1),respectively.With the increase of strain rates,the ductility trough moves to the lower temperature side.The hot ductility is best when the cooling rate is 5℃/s before deformation at 750℃and the area reduction rate reaches 60.56%.Fine second phase particles and inclusions precipitated before and during deformation provide effective core positions for microcracks or microvoids formation during deformation process.It is also easy to cause stress concentration which results in microcracks or microvoids between grains during deformation and ultimately causes damage along the grain boundaries.The precipitated particles inhibit austenite dynamic recrystallization and therefore enhance intergranular fracture along austenite grain boundaries.The deformation induced proeutectoid ferrite films distribute along the austenite grain boundaries hinder the dynamic recrystallization.The deformation concentrated on network ferrite films produces damage of grain boundaries.

LONG-TERM CREEP AND RUPTURE PROPERTIES OF HEATRESISTING STEELS AND ALLOYS

The present status of NRIM Creep Data Sheet Project and the recent activities of long-term creep and rupture studies on heat resisting steels are described. The project has been continued to produce long-term data such as 100 000h-creep rupture strength for 47 kinds of principal heat resisting steels and alloys, including welded joints. The long-term creep deformation behavior and microstructural evolution during creep have been shown to be complicated.

Characterization of precipitates in 9%Cr heat resistant steel

Precipitation strengthening as well as solution strengthening is key mechanism for heat resistant steels.It is very important to characterize the precipitates in 9%Cr ferrite heat resistant steels,especially to show the nanometer-sized particles.By transmission electronic microscope attached with an energy dispersive spectrometer as well as optical microscope,scanning electronic microscope,the microstructure and chemical composition of precipitates in a 9%Cr heat resistant steel after different heat treatments were investigated.It was found that the microstructure of normalized sample was martensite with fine NbC and Fe_3C.The microstructure of tempered sample is tempered martensite,and there mainly were two types of precipitates,M_(23)C_6 with the size range of 50 - 300 nm and MX with the size of 10 - 100 nm.Superfine M_(23)C_6 precipitated preferably on prior austenitic grain boundaries and martensitic lath boundaries,while nanometer-sized MX precipitates were distributed randomly. After short-term creep,Laves phase formed along grain boundaries of the 9%Cr steel,and M_(23) C_6 and MX precipitates were found to become coarser.More information about precipitates in the 9%Cr steel had been exhibited by atomic force microscopy.Thereby,distribution,size and shape of the precipitates as well as their compositions and structures were revealed.