Effect of Strain Ratio on Fatigue Model of Ultra-fine Grained Pure Titanium

The ultra-fine grained(UFG)pure titanium was prepared by equal channel angular pressing(ECAP)and rotary swaging(RS).The strain controlled low cycle fatigue(LCF)test was carried out at room temperature.The fatigue life prediction model and mean stress relaxation model under asymmetrical stress load were discussed.The results show that the strain ratio has a significant effect on the low cycle fatigue performance of the UFG pure titanium,and the traditional Manson-coffin model can not accurately predict the fatigue life under asymmetric stress load.Therefore,the SWT mean stress correction model and three-parameter power curve model are proposed,and the test results are verified.The final research shows that the threeparameter power surface model has better representation.By studying the mean stress relaxation phenomenon under the condition of R≠-1,it is revealed that the stress ratio and the strain amplitude are the factors that significantly afiect the mean stress relaxation rate,and the mean stress relaxation model with the two variables is calculated to describe the mean stress relaxation phenomenon of the UFG pure titanium under different strain ratios.The fracture morphology of the samples was observed by SEM,and it was concluded that the final fracture zone of the fatigue fracture of the UFG pure titanium was a mixture of ductile fracture and quasi cleavage fracture.The toughness of the material increases with the increase of strain ratio at the same strain amplitude.

Isothermal Growth Kinetics of Ultra-fine Austenite Grains in a Nb-V-Ti Microalloyed Steel

Ultra-fine austenite grains with size of i-3 μm were prepared in a Nb-V-Ti steel through repetitive treatment of rapid heating and quenching. A model for the growth kinetics of these ultra-fine austenite grains was successfully created through successive 2 processes, and the activation energy Q for growth was estimated to be about 693.2 kJ/mol, which directly shows the inhibition effect of microalloy elements on the growth of ultra-fine austenite grains.

Microstructures of ultra-fine grained FeCoV alloys processed by ECAP plus cold rolling and their evolutions during tempering

A new processing method,equal channel angular pressing(ECAP)plus cold rolling(CR),was applied to producing ultra-fine grained FeCoV alloy.The microstructures of ultra-fine grained FeCoV alloy after ECAP,ECAP plus CR,and the effect of tempering treatment on the microstructure of FeCoV alloy produced by ECAP plus CR were investigated.The results show that an elongated substructure with a width of about 0.3μm is obtained after four-pass ECAP using Route A.Cold rolling after ECAP cannot change the morphologies of elongated substructure,and it results in higher fraction of high-angle boundaries and higher dislocation density compared with the identical ECAP without rolling.Subsequent tempering for 30 min at 853 K brings about many nano-phases precipitating at subgrain boundaries and insides the grains,and the size of precipitated phase is measured to be about 10 nm.Nano-phases grow up with increasing tempering temperature and equiaxed structure forms at 883 K.

Effect of upsetting force on microstructure of welds in resistance spot welding of 400 MPa ultra-fine grain steel

The ultra-fine grain （UFG） steel is welded by using resistance spot welding technique with or without requirement of upsetting force. Metallographic inspection shows that the grain size of weld nugget is larger than that of the base metal and the microstructure is altered significantly. In addition, contracting defects such as air holes can be found in the nugget center. The experiments show that the defects can be effectively avoided by the technique of adding upsetting force during the nugget cooling and crystallizing processes. In tensile shear tests, the welding joint starts to crack from the inner edge of the corona bond. The results of micro-hardness tests show that the newly born martensite structure dramatically improves the hardness of the joint. Under the interactions between residual stresses and regenerated fine grains, the micro-hardness of the heat-affected zone （ HAZ ） is lower than that of the nugget, but evidently higher than that of the base metal.

Effect of welding heat input on HAZ character in ultra-fine grain steel welding

In this essay, we studied how heat input affected the microstructure, hardness, grain size and heat-affected zone(HAZ) dimension of WCX355 ultra-fine grain steel which was welded respectively by the ultra narrow-gap welding (UNGW) process and the overlaying process with CO 2 as protective atmosphere and laser welding process. The experimental results show when the heat input changed from 1.65 kJ/cm to 5.93 kJ/cm, the width of its HAZ ranged from 0.6 mm to 2.1 mm.The average grain size grew up from 2～5 μm of base metal to 20～70 μm and found no obvious soften phenomenon in overheated zone. The width of normalized zone was generally wide as 2/3 as that of the whole HAZ, and the grain size in this zone is smaller than that in base metal. Under the circumstance of equal heat input, the HAZ width of UNGW is narrower than that of the laser welding.

Microstructural Evolution and Thermal Stability of Ultra-fine Grained Al-4Mg Alloy by Equal Channel Angular Pressing

Experiments were conducted to evaluate the grain refinement and thermal stability of ultra-fine grained Al-4Mgalloy introduced by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) at 473 K. The results show that the intensities of X-ray(111/222) and (200/400) peaks for the alloy processed by ECAP decrease significantly and the peak widths of halfheight become broadening compared with the corresponding value in the annealed alloy. The microstructure of 2passes ECAPed alloy consists of both elongated and equiaxed subgrains. The residual strain in the alloy increaseswith increasing passes numbers, that appears as increasing dislocation density and lattice constant of matrix. Anequiaxed ultra-fine grained structure of～0.2μm is obtained in the present alloy after 8 passes. The ultra-fine grainsare stable below 523 K, because the alloy retains extremely fine grain size of～1μm after static annealing at 523 Kfor 1 h.

Improving the Fatigue Performance of the Welded Joints of Ultra-Fine Grain Steel by Ultrasonic Peening

Contrast tests were carried out to study the fatigue performance of the butt joints treated by ultrasonic peening, aiming at the improvement of ultrasonic peening treatment(UPT) on welded joints of a new material. The material is a new generation of fine grain and high purity SS400 steel that has the same ingredients as the traditional low carbon steel. The specimens are in two different states:welded and ultrasonic peening conditions. The corresponding fatigue testing data were analyzed according to the regulation of the statistical method for fatigue life of the welded joints established by International Institute of Welding(IIW). Welding residual stress was considered in two different ways: the constant stress ratio R=0.5 and the Ohta method. The nominal stress-number (σ-N)curves were corrected because of the different plate thickness compared to the standard and because there was no mismatch or angular deformation. The results indicated that: 1) Compared with the welded specimens, when the stress range was 200 MPa, the fatigue life of the SS400 steel specimens treated by ultrasonic peening is prolonged by over 58 times, and the fatigue strength FAT corresponding to 106 cycles is increased by about 66%; 2) As for the SS400 butt joint (single side welding double sides molding), after being treated by UPT, the nominal S-N curve (m=10) of FAT 100 MPa(R=0.5) should be used for fatigue design. The standard S-N curves of FAT 100 MPa(R=0.5, m=10) could be used for fatigue design of the SS400 steel butt joints treated by ultrasonic peening.

Investigation on fracture behavior of the welded joint HAZ of ultra-fine grain steel SS400

The critical crack dimensions of both base-metal specimen and HAZ specimen are measured via wide-plate tensile tests. Based on the “fitness for purpose” principle, the fracture behavior of the ultra-fine grain steel SS400 welded joint HAZ is assessed. The test results indicate that overmatching is benefit for the whole capability’s improvement of ultra-fine grain steel SS400. The test results are confirmed by using finite element method (FEM).

Surface Cracking Behaviors of Ultra-Fine Grained Tungsten Under Edge Plasma Loading in the HT-7 Tokamak

Tests of the candidate plasma facing materials（PFMs） used in experimental fusion devices are essential due to the direct influence of in-situ plasma loading.A type of ultrafine grained（UFG） tungsten sintered by resistance sintering under ultra-high pressure（RSUHP） method has been exposed in the edge plasma of the HT-7 tokamak to investigate its performance under plasma loading.Under cychc edge plasma loading,the UFG tungsten develops both macro and micro cracks.The macro cracks are attributed to the low temperature brittleness of the tungsten material itself,while the micro cracks are generated from local intense power flux deposition.

Gradient Ultra-fine Grained Surface Layer in 6063 Aluminum Alloy Obtained by Means of Rotational Accelerated Shot Peening

Gradient ultra-fine grained surface layer in 6063 aluminum alloy was obtained by means of a novel surface self-nanocrystallization technique,namely rotational accelerated shot peening(RASP)treatment.The average grain sizes along the vertical section vary from hundreds of nanometers in the top surface to micrometers in the matrix.By using orthogonal experimental design to compare roughness values and hardness values,we synthesized the processing parameters to obtain sample of smaller roughness values and higher hardness.

In situ observation of austenite grain growth behavior in the simulated coarse-grained heat-affected zone of Ti-microalloyed steels

The austenite grain growth behavior in a simulated coarse-grained heat-affected zone during thermal cycling was investigated via in situ observation. Austenite grains nucleated at ferrite grain boundaries and then grew in different directions through movement of grain boundaries into the ferrite phase. Subsequently, the adjacent austenite grains impinged against each other during the α→γtransformation. After the α→γ transformation, austenite grains coarsened via the coalescence of small grains and via boundary migration between grains. The growth process of austenite grains was a continuous process during heating, isothermal holding, and cooling in simulated thermal cycling. Abundant finely dispersed nanoscale TiN particles in a steel specimen containing 0.012wt% Ti effectively retarded the grain boundary migration, which resulted in refined austenite grains. When the Ti concentration in the steel was increased, the number of TiN particles de- creased and their size coarsened. The big particles were not effective in pinning the austenite grain boundary movement and resulted in coarse austenite grains.

Microstructures and Toughness of Weld Metal of Ultrafine Grained Ferritic Steel by Laser Welding

3 mm thick 400 MPa grade ultrafine grained ferritic steel plates were bead-on-plate welded by CO2 laser with heat input of 120-480 J/mm. The microstructures of the weld metal mainly consist of bainite, which form is lower bainite plates or polygonal ferrite containing quantities of dispersed cementite particles, mixed with a few of low carbon martensite laths or ferrite, depending on the heat input. The hardness and the tensile strength of the weld metal are higher than those of the base metal, and monotonously increase as the heat input decreases. No softened zone exists in heat affected zone (HAZ). Compared with the base metal, although the grains of laser weld are much larger, the toughness of the weld metal is higher within a large range of heat input. Furthermore, as the heat input increases, the toughness of the weld metal rises to a maximum value, at which point the percentage of lower bainite is the highest, and then drops.

Grain refinement in the coarse-grained region of the heat-affected zone in low-carbon high-strength microalloyed steels

The microstructural features and grain refinement in the coarse-grained region of the heat-affected zone in low-carbon high-strength microalloyed steels were investigated using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and electron backscattering dif- fraction. The coarse-grained region of the heat-affected zone consists of predominantly bainite and a small proportion of acicular ferrite. Bainite packets are separated by high angle boundaries. Acicular ferrite laths or plates in the coarse-grained region of the heat-affected zone formed prior to bainite packets partition austenite grains into many smaller and separate areas, resulting in fine-grained mixed microstruc- tures. Electron backscattefing diffraction analysis indicates that the average crystallographic grain size of the coarse-grained region of the heat-affected zone reaches 6-9 μm, much smaller than that of anstanite grains.

Microstructures of an Ultrafine Grained SS400 Steel in an Industrial Scale

在在工业生产的 thermomechanical 控制过程(TMCP ) 以后的 SS400 钢的微观结构被光显微镜观察，扫描电子显微镜(SEM ) 和传播电子显微镜(TEM ) 。结果显示铁酸盐谷物的尺寸是 4 约 5 妈妈，并且铁酸盐的体积部分在 70% 附近。极其细小的铁酸盐谷物的类型被分析，加强的机制被讨论。极其细小的铁酸盐谷物来自三的 Theresults 表演处理，即变丑导致了铁酸盐转变(DIFT ) ，铁酸盐的动态再结晶和加速的冷却过程。材料的力量的增加主要由于精制的谷物。

Atomistic study on the microscopic mechanism of grain boundary embrittlement induced by small dense helium bubbles in iron

The helium bubbles induced by 14 MeV neutron irradiation can cause intergranular fractures in reduced activation ferritic martensitic steel,which is a candidate structural material for fusion reactors.In order to elucidate the susceptibility of different grain boundaries(GBs)to helium-induced embrittlement,the tensile fracture processes of 10 types of GBs with and without helium bubbles in body-centered cubic(bcc)iron at the relevant service temperature of 600 K were investigated via molecular dynamics methods.The results indicate that in the absence of helium bubbles,the GBs studied here can be classified into two distinct categories:brittle GBs and ductile GBs.The atomic scale analysis shows that the plastic deformation of ductile GB at high temperatures originates from complex plastic deformation mechanisms,including the Bain/Burgers path phase transition and deformation twinning,in which the Bain path phase transition is the most dominant plastic deformation mechanism.However,the presence of helium bubbles severely inhibits the plastic deformation channels of the GBs,resulting in a significant decrease in elongation at fractures.For bubble-decorated GBs,the ultimate tensile strength increases with the increase in the misorientation angle.Interestingly,the coherent twin boundary∑3{112}was found to maintain relatively high fracture strength and maximum failure strain under the influence of helium bubbles.

Effect of deformation parameters on the austenite dynamic recrystallization behavior of a eutectoid pearlite rail steel

Understandings of the effect of hot deformation parameters close to the practical production line on grain refinement are crucial for enhancing both the strength and toughness of future rail steels.In this work,the austenite dynamic recrystallization(DRX)behaviors of a eutectoid pearlite rail steel were studied using a thermo-mechanical simulator with hot deformation parameters frequently employed in rail production lines.The single-pass hot deformation results reveal that the prior austenite grain sizes(PAGSs)for samples with different deformation reductions decrease initially with an increase in deformation temperature.However,once the deformation temperature is beyond a certain threshold,the PAGSs start to increase.It can be attributed to the rise in DRX volume fraction and the increase of DRX grain with deformation temperature,respectively.Three-pass hot deformation results show that the accumulated strain generated in the first and second deformation passes can increase the extent of DRX.In the case of complete DRX,PAGS is predominantly determined by the deformation temperature of the final pass.It suggests a strategic approach during industrial production where part of the deformation reduction in low temperature range can be shifted to the medium temperature range to release rolling mill loads.

INVESTIGATION ON FRACTURE BEHAVIOR FOR WELDED JOINT OF NEW GENERATION FINE GRAINED STEEL SS400

The fracture behavior for welded joint of new generation fine grained steel SS400 was investigated and assessed on the basis of fitness for purpose philosophy. The actual critical defect sizes for the SS400 base metal and its weld HAZ (heat affected zone) defined by the gross yielding criterium have been determined directly by means of wide plate tests. It has been shown that although the HAZ grain growth occurs due to the welding heat, the resistance to fracture is not deteriorated. The deformation behavior of wide plate specimen was also studied by finite, element (FE) analysis. The deformation of weld HAZ is protected by the high strength weld metal, so it is easier to get the general yielding for the welded joint specimen.

Prediction of HAZ grain size in welding of ultra fine grained steel with different parameters

The temperature field and thermal cycling curve in the heat-affected zone during welding 400 MPa ultra fine grained steel by plasma arc were simulated using finite element method. The principle of grain growth kinetics was used to predict the grain size in the heat-affected zone under different welding parameters. The simulation results show that the growing tendency of HAZ grain could be controlled by adjusting the welding parameters, but the growth of HAZ grain could not be eliminated at all. The HAZ grain size became small with increasing of the cooling rate and added with increasing of welding current, arc voltage and welding speed.

Study on improving properties of welded joints of 400 MPa ultra fine grained steel by mechanical surface hardening

The welded joints of 400 MPa ultra fine grained steel in manual arc welding were treated by mechanical surface hardening. Microstructure and mechanical properties of the treated joints were compared with those of the untreated joints, based on which, primary study on the process and principle of mechanical surface hardening was carried out. The results shows that： Grain size of HAZ increases greatly and mechanical properties of welded joint decrease obviously compared with those of base martial, but grain size in the surface layer of HAZ can be refined （the grain size is about 100 nm or so） and mechanical properties of welded joints can be improved greatly by mechanical surface hardening.