Effect of V and V-N Microalloying on Deformation-Induced Ferrite Transformation in Low Carbon Steels

Deformation-induced ferrite transformation （DIFT） has been proved to be an effective approach to refine ferrite grains. This paper shows that the ferrite grains can further be refined through combination of DIFT and V or V-N microalloying. Vanadium dissolved in γ matrix restrains DIFT. During deformation, vanadium carbonitrides rapidly precipitate due to strain-induced precipitation, which causes decrease in vanadium dissolved in matrix and indirectly accelerates DIFT. Under heavy deformation, deformation induced ferrite （DIF） grains in V microalloyed steel were finer than those in V free steel. The more V added to steel, the finer DIF grains obtained. Moreover, the addition of N to V microalloyed steels can remarkably accelerate precipitation of V, and then promote DIFT. However, DIF grains in V-N microalloyed steel easily coarsen.

Relaxation of Deformed Austenite and Refinement of Bainite in a Nb-Containing Microalloyed Steel

By means of stress relaxation and strain-induced precipitation in deformed austenite, bainite with micron sheaves size was obtained in Nb-containing steel. Microstructures of deformed samples isothermally relaxed for various time followed by cooling in water were examined. Stress relaxation test and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were employed to detect precipitation of microalloy elements, such as Nb, Ti, during isothermal holding after deformation. All the samples were constituted by lath-like bainite along with acicular ferrite, but the size of bainitic sheaves and the amount of acicular ferrite were changed with relaxation time. To achieve optimum refinement, relaxation should be confined in the stage when the precipitates have sufficiently grown and started to coarsen. The sample having not undergone relaxation does not exhibit obvious refinement despite of its higher dislocation density. These results indicate that relaxation promotes bainite to refine, which is because deformed austenitic grains are divided by dislocation walls formed during relaxation and acicular ferrite formed before bainitic transformation.

Change in dislocation configuration of deformed Fe-Ni-Nb-Ti-C-B alloy during stress relaxation

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was applied to investigate theevolution of dislocation configuration and strain induced precipitation behavior during relaxationprocess after deformation in Fe-Ni-Nb-Ti-C-B alloy. Experimental results indicate that thedislocation density is very high and distribute randornly before relaxation. As the relaxation timeincreasing, dislocation cells will form gradually by polygonization. The strain inducedprecipitation retards the progress. In the final relaxation stage, most dislocations get rid ofpinning of precipitates and the cells have developed into subgrains with large size.

Strain Influence on the Precipitation Kinetic Nb-V Microalloyed HSLA Steel

The strain induced effect on the precipitation kinetics of a high strength low alloy (HSLA) steel microalloyed with Nb-V was investigated.The stress relaxation method was employed to determine the dependence of the precipitation-time-temperature curves (PTT) on previous strain.Relaxation tests were performed over a temperature range of 850 to 1150 oC at a constant strain rate of 0.1 s-1 at three deformation levels,namely 5,15 and 25 pct.Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) was used to study the progress of precipitation on samples obtained by interrupted relaxation test at different times.Results display the acceleration kinetics at increasing strain.Theoretical models are discussed and compared with the present experimental results.

THERMAL STABILITY OF NON-EQUILIBRIUS MICROSTRUCTURE IN MICROALLOYED STEEL DURING REHEATING

Cooled in water after isothermal relaxation of deformed austenite for different times, an Nb-bearing microalloyed steel always exhibits synthetic microstructures, in which bainitic ferrite ,dominates. Dislocation configurations and distributions of strain induced precipitates inside bainitic ferrite of samples relaxed for different times were distinct. When compared with the austenite model steel, which maintained fcc structure even at room temperature, the strain induced precipitates were not found in the sample without relaxation whereas these were distributed outside dislocations in sample relaxed for 1000s. Most of the strain induced precipitates distribute along dislocations and pin dislocations in sample relaxed for appropriate time. After bainitic transformation, the dislocations formed in deformed austenite remain to be pinned by the precipitates. When these samples were reheated to and held at 650 or 700℃, the non-equilibrloas microstructures tended to evolve into equilibrioas ones. The sample relaxed for 60s displayed the highest thermo-stability, whereas microstructure evolution was the quickest in the sample relaxed for 1000s even though it was the softest prior to reheating. Dislocations inside laths got rid of pinning of precipitates, and their polygonization became the precursor to the evolution of microstructures during reheated and held, followed by gradual disappearance of lath boundaries caused by dislocation climbing. Finally, recrystallization occurred and polygonal ferrite appeared. By hardness measurement, it was found that softening is not a single process occurring during reheated, in which hardness fluctuates with time. There were two peaks in the hardness-time curve of each sample having undergone relaxation, while single peak occured in the curve of the sample not being relaxed. These results indicated that the thermo-stability of microstructures was determined by their history of formation to a considerable degree.

Microstructure evolution during reheating of a Nb-bearing steel Ⅱ. Dislocation-precipitate interaction

Cooled in water after the isothermal relaxation of deformed austenite for different times, a Nb-bearing microalloyed steel always exhibits the synthetic microstructure in which bainitic ferrite dominates. Strain-induced precipitates do not occur in an unrelaxed sample while they distribute outside dislocations in the sample relaxed for long time. Most of the strain induced precipitates distribute along dislocations in the sample relaxed for proper time. After bainitic transformation, the dislocations formed in the deformed austenite remain to be pinned by the precipitates so that the thermostability of the bainitic ferrite is improved. Coarsening of the precipitates accompanied by their distribution density change has caused the first hardness peak of bainite during reheating. The second hardness peak is attributed to the precipitates, which nucleate in bainite. Dislocations inside the laths getting rid of the pinning of precipitates and their polygonization play the precursor to the evolution of microstructures during reheating.

Effects of lanthanum on hot deformation behaviour of Mn-Cr-Mo bainitic rail steel

Effects of lanthanum（La） as micro-alloying element on the hot deformation behaviour of the high strength Mn-Cr-Mo bainitic rail steel were investigated under a range of deformation conditions. The results indicate that La increases the flow stress by 10-30 MPa through strengthening nanoscale strain induced precipitation（SIP） θ-（Fe,La）3 C during hot deformation. The hot deformation activation energy increases by 10-40 kJ/mol due to the ＂Zener effect＂ of SIP and the dynamic recrystallization（DRX） is retarded due to the competitive behaviour between SIP and DRX. Bainite plates in the DRX domain can be refined by adding La, resulting in the improvement of hot workability. The DRX domain with peak power dissipation efficiency of 52% is determined to be the optimal processing region for Mn-Cr-Mo-La bainitic rail steel.