Novel mechanism for the modification of Al_2O_3-based inclusions in ultra-low carbon Al-killed steel considering the effects of magnesium and calcium

Many researchers have explored the inclusion modification mechanism to improve non-metallic inclusion modifications in steelmaking. In this study, two types of industrial trials on inclusion modifications in liquid steel were conducted using ultra-low-carbon Al-killed steel with different Mg and Ca contents to verify the effects of Ca and Mg contents on the modification mechanism of Al_2O_3-based inclusions during secondary refining. The results showed that Al_2O_3-based inclusions can be modified into liquid calcium aluminate or a multi-component inclusion with the addition of a suitable amount of Ca. In addition, [Mg] in liquid steel can further reduce CaO in liquid calcium aluminate to drive its evolution into CaO–MgO–Al_2O_3 multi-component inclusions. Thermodynamic analysis confirmed that the reaction between [Mg] and CaO in liquid calcium aluminate occurs when the MgO content of liquid calcium aluminate is less than 3 wt% and the temperature is higher than 1843 K.

Structure Character of M-A Constituent in CGHAZ of New Ultra-Low Carbon Bainitic Steel under Laser Welding Conditions

800 MPa grade new ultra-low carbon bainitic （NULCB） steel is the recently developed new generation steel. The microstructure in the coarse-grained heat affected zone （CGHAZ） of NULCB steel under laser welding conditions was investigated by thermal simulation. The influence of the cooling time from 800℃ to 500℃.t8/5 （0.3-30 s）, on the microstructure of the CGHAZ was discussed. The experimental results indicate that the microstructnre of the CGHAZ is only the granular bainite which consists of bainitic ferrite （BF） lath and M-A constituent while t8/5 is 0.3-30 s. The M-A constituent consists of twinned martensite and residual austenite, and the change of the volume fraction of the residual austenite in the M-A constituent is very small when t8/5 is between 0.3 and 30 s. The morphology of the M-A constituent obviously changes with the variation of t8/5.As t8/5 increases, tile average width, gross and shape parameter of the M-A constituent increase, while the line density of the M-A constituent decreases.

Effect of an upward magnetic field on nanosized sulfide precipitation in ultra-low carbon steel

An induction levitation melting （ILM） refining process is performed to remove most microsized inclusions in ultra-low carbon steel （UCS）. Nanosized, spheroid shaped sulfide precipitates remain dispersed in the UCS. During the ILM process, the UCS is molten and is rotated under an upward magnetic field. With the addition of Ti additives, the spinning molten steel under the upward magnetic field ejects particles because of resultant centrifugal, floating, and magnetic forces. Magnetic force plays a key role in removing sub-micrometer-sized particles, composed of porous aluminum titanate enwrapping alumina nuclei. Consequently, sulfide precipitates with sizes less than 50 nan remain dispersed in the steel matrix. These findings open a path to the fabrication of clean steel or steel bearing only a nanosized strengthen- ing phase.

Deformation Behavior of Ultra-low Carbon Steel in Ferrite Region during Warm Processing

The hot deformation experiments of ultra-low carbon steel in ferrite range were carried out in a hot simulator in order to research hot deformation behaviors of ultra-low carbon steel in ferrite range at low temperature. The results show that the influences of deformation parameters on flow stress are different to those in austenitic deformation. The deformation characteristic parameters were calculated for ultra-low carbon steel in ferrite region. The flow stress equation for ultra-low carbon steel in ferritic deformation at low temperature was obtained.

Mechanical Method Determining Precipitation in an Ultra-Low Carbon Bainitic Steel

Stress relaxation was chosen as the best method for monitoring the precipitation process. Tests were carried out on an ultra-low carbon bainitic steel containing Mn, Nb and B over 800~950℃. Specimens were solu- tion treated at 1250℃ for a certain holding period. A prestain of 20% was applied at a strain rate of 0.1/s. The exper- imental results are displayed by a set of stress vs. 1g(time) curves different from the typical stress relaxation curves. There are two singularities forming a stress plateau on the stress vs.1g(time) curves when precipitates could be observed. Suppose the first one is the start of precipitation (Ps), and the second represcnts the fihish (Pf). As a result Precipitation-Time-Temperature relationship is described as C-shape curves based on two points. This mechanical method is suitable and precise for measuring precipitates in microalloyed steels during hot working.

Optimum process of RH-MFB refining for ultra-low carbon steel

A mathematical model was established and applied to simulate thedecarburization of RH-MFB process in Pansteel Company. Study of theeffects of w_[C]0, w_[O]0, Ar flowrate, evaluation rate the MFB lanceblowing parameters on the decarburization process was car- Ried out.The results showed that this model could give the quantitativeunderstanding of the process, especially the behavior of MFB Lanceblowing. This model has realized the optimum process of RH-MFBrefining for ultra-low carbon steels in Pansteel.

Mathematical Model of Decarburization of Ultra Low Carbon Steel during RH Treatment

According to the balance of carbon and oxygen, a decarburization model for the RH treatment has been developed. in which the influence of the mass transfer of carbon and oxygen in the liquid steel and the stirring energy (ε) in the vacuum vessel on decarburization rate has been considered. The conclusion that the volumetric coefficients of the mass transfer of carbon is proportional to ε(1.5) is drawn. Industrical experiment proves this model is reliable. The influence of some factors on decarburization rate has been obtained. which can provide directions for RH treatment The decarburization behavior of steel with RH-OB treatment is also studied. The OB-or-not curve, the optimized OB time and OB amount are discussed.

Constitutive Modeling and Dynamic Recrystallization Mechanisms of an Ultralow-carbon Microalloyed Steel During Hot Compression Tests

The hot deformation behavior of an ultralow-carbon microalloyed steel was investigated using an MMS-200 thermal simulation test machine in a temperature range of 1073-1373 K and strain rate range of 0.01-10 s-1.The results show that the flow stress decreases with increasing deformation temperature or decreasing strain rate.The strain-compensated constitutive model based on the Arrhenius equation for this steel was established using the true stress-strain data obtained from a hot compression test.Furthermore,a new constitutive model based on the Z-parameter was proposed for this steel.The predictive ability of two constitutive models was compared with statistical measures.The results indicate the new constitutive model based on the Z-parameter can more accurately predict the flow stress of an ultralow-carbon microalloyed steel during hot deformation.The dynamic recrystallization(DRX)nucleation mechanism at different deformation temperatures was observed and analyzed by transmission electron microscopy(TEM),and strain-induced grain boundary migration was observed at 1373 K/0.01 s^-1.

Analysis of thermodynamics and kinetics of titanium between top slag and liquid steel

： Titanium is an impurity element in some special steel grades. The existence of titanium decreases the grain size and lowers the yield strength ,resulting in low quality of these steels with regard to various properties. Thus, the titanium content should be reduced to the minimum. Based on the industrial production of ultra-low carbon A1-Si killed steel, this paper investigated the physical-chemical behaviors of titanium with and without desulfurization during RH refining. The influences of Ti content in hot metal, ladle slag composition, and ladle slag quantity, etc., on the Ti content in refined liquid steel were discussed. The results show that the partition ratio of titanium between ladle slag and liquid steel is inversely proportional to the AI content to the power of 4/3 ,and the empirical formula regressed from practical experience can be expressed as w（TiO2）/WTi=48/w[AI]4/3 Maximum partition ratio of titanium between top slag and liquid steel can be ensured W[Til WIAIIby an optimum slag composition including components of FeOx and A12 03 and an appropriate slag basicity. The contents of FetO and A1203 should be controlled above 6% and below 20% respectively and the slag basicity should be kept within 1.5 to 3.0. Moreover, desulfurization refining in the RH vacuum will decrease the partition ratio of titanium between ladle slag and liquid steel significantly. To keep the Ti content stably below 15 ×10 ^-4% in a 300 ton ladle ,the Ti content in hot metal must be lower than 500 × 10^-4% and the thickness of ladle slag carried over from BOF slag must be less than 50 ram.

A creep technique for monitoring the aging precipitation in Cu-Nb bainitic steels

A creep technique was applied on a Gleeble-1500 thermal simulator for monitoring the aging precipitation in ultra-low carbon steels containing various coppers. The aging hardening curve was obtained by the hardness testing. With the aid of an optical microscope and TEM, the microstructure and the aging precipitates were detected. The results indicate that when the precipitation occurs during the creep a plateau will appear on the creep curve; the left-hand and right-hand endings of the plateau correspond to the precipitation start （Ps） and finish （Pf） times, respectively. The Pf obtained from the creep curve coincides with the peak hardness time （tp） at the aging hardening curve. A precipitation-time-temperature （PTT） diagram of the steel can be obtained.

Population Evolution of Oxide Inclusions in Ti-stabilized Ultra-low Carbon Steels after Deoxidation

Population density function （PDF）, which can eliminate the arbitrariness caused by the choice of the num- ber and the size of bins compared to the well-used histograms, was introduced to analyze the amount of inclusions. The population evolution of oxide inclusions in forms of PDF in Ti-stabilized ultra-low carbon steels after deoxidation during industrial RH refining and continuous casting processes was analyzed using an automated SEM-EDS system. It was found that after deoxidation till the early stage of casting, the alumina inclusions exhibited a lognormal PDF distribution, and three factors including the existence of a large amount of alumina clusters, the generation of alumi- na from the reduction of Al-Ti-O inclusions and the reoxidation of molten steel were estimated as the reasons. The shape parameter σ was high after deoxidation and then decreased after Ti treatment, indicating that in a short period after deoxidation, the size of alumina inclusions was widely distributed. After Ti treatment, the distribution of inclu- sion size was more concentrated. The scale parameter m decreased with time during the whole refining process, indi- cating that the proportion of large inclusions decreased during refining. Contrarily, the Al-Ti-O inclusions presented a fractal PDF distribution except at the end of casting with fractal dimension D of 4.3, and the constant of propor- tionality C decreased with time during RH refining and increased during casting process. The reoxidation of steel by slag entrapped from ladle was considered as the reason for the lognormal PDF behavior of Al-Ti-O inclusions at the end of casting.

Effect of Ti(C,N)Precipitation on Texture Evolution and Fish-Scale Resistance of Ultra-Low Carbon Ti-Bearing Enamel Steel

The Ti（C,N）precipitation and texture evolution in ultra-low carbon Ti-bearing enamel steel were studied to discover their correlation.Two different cooling paths of simulative coiling were adopted to gain different morphologies of Ti（C,N）precipitate in hot strips.It is found that the Ti（C,N）precipitate in hot strip using Path 2（put into asbestos box and air cooled）are finer and much more in quantity than that in hot strip using Path 1（held at 730℃ for 30min and furnace cooled）.The morphology of Ti（C,N）precipitate in hot strip has great effect on recrystallization texture in the subsequent cold-rolled annealed sheet.γ-fiber texture of strong recrystallization is gained in coldrolled and annealed sheet came from Path 1.On the contrary,in the one came from Path 2,theγ-fiber texture is weak.This may be due to the pinning force of numerous fine Ti（C,N）precipitate which retard the growth of preferential nucleated{111}orientated grains.Annealed steel sheets in the test came from both paths have excellent fishscale resistance.

Effect of Cu on the boron segregation at grain boundaries and vacancy-type defects in ultra-low carbon micro-alloy steels

By thermal neutron irradiation particle tracking autoradiography(PTA)technique,the development of boron segregation at grain boundaries in ultra-low carbon micro-alloy steels was investigated during cooling from 1150°C to 850°C,and the effect of Cu on boron segregation at grain boundaries was discussed.By positron annihilation lifetime(PAL)technique,the changes of vacancy-type defects with temperatures and the effect of Cu on vacancy-type defects in the cooling process were discussed.Results show that,the concentration of boron at grain boundaries increases rapidly at the beginning of the cooling;after that,it begins to decrease;and then,it increases gradually again.The addition of Cu not only increases the concentration of boron at grain boundaries but also speeds up the development process of boron segregation at grain boundaries.During the continuous cooling process,the addition of Cu significantly affects the change of vacancy-type defects with temperatures in ultra-low carbon micro-alloy steels.

Effect of annealing time and phosphorus addition on bake hardening behavior of ultra-low carbon bake hardening steel

The relationship of the P and C grain boundary segregation and its effect on bake hardening behavior were investigated in ultra-low carbon bake hardening (ULC-BH)steel with and without P addition annealed at 810 ℃ for various time using electron probe micro-analyzer,electroh backscattered diffraction,and three-dimensional atomic probe techniques.Results revealed that P addition and annealing duration considerably affected the bake hardening behavior of experimental steel. The BH value of ULC-BH steel without P addition is lower than that with P addition within a short annealing time,and the difference in the BH value gradually decreases as the annealing duration is prolonged.P segregation is dominant in terms of a high P bulk content in steels with P addition at the expense of C segregation during annealing.By contrast,opposite effects are observed in low carbon bake hardening steel.The high residual solute C content in steel with P addition is due to P segregation at the grain boundary.Site competition is mainly responsible for the lower BH value in ULC-BH steel without P addition than that with P addition.As the annealing time is further extended,C segregation begins at grain boundary despite the delayed P segregation,leading to a gradual decrease in the solute concentration in the matrix of steels with P addition.C and P segregations reach the equilibrium as the annealing time increases to 60 min at 810 ℃ in the two steel samples.Theoretical calculations reveal that the residual solute C concentration in the matrix decreases to zero,and this finding is consistent with the change trend of the bake hardening value.Hence,the C segregation at grain boundary. adversely influences the bake hardening property of ULC-BH steel.

Weldability of 1000 MPa Grade Ultra-low Carbon Bainitic Steel

Maximum hardness test in weld heat-affected zone（HAZ）,oblique Y-groove cracking test and mechanical property test of welding joint of 1 000 MPa grade ultra-low carbon bainitic steel were carried out,so as to research the weldability of the steel.The results show that the steel has lower cold cracking sensitivity,and preheating temperature of 100 ℃ can help completely eliminate cold cracks,generating good process weldability.The increase of preheating temperature can reduce the hardening degree of heat-affected zone.The strength of welding joint decreases and hardness reduces when heat inputs increase,and excellent mechanical properties can be obtained when low welding heat inputs are used.Fine lath bainites of different orientations combined with a few granular bainites that effectively split the original coarse austenite grains are the foundation of good properties.

Explore the Strengthening Mechanisms of the Ultra-Low Carbon and Low Alloy Steel

Room temperature tensile tests were carried on the hot-rolled state ultra-low carbon and low alloy cabainite and martensite steels which were get by different finishing temperatures and different cooling methods.We used the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM),Electron Backscattered Diffraction (EBSD) and X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD) to identify the metallographic structure and analyse the precipitated phase.The inherent mechanism of high strength of ultra-low carbon and low alloy bainite and martensite steels was discussed,and the analysis indicated that the reinforcement of ultra-low carbon and low alloy bainite and martensite steels was mainly produced by the superposition of the dislocation strengthening,solution strengthening and grain refinement strengthening.

铁素体区轧制对超低碳钢和无间隙原子钢组织和力学性能的影响

本文研究了铁素体区轧制工艺条件对超低碳(ULC)钢和钛处理的无间隙原子(Ti-IF)钢组织和性能,特别是对深冲性能的影响,并分析了Ti-IF钢中的析出物。结果表明,润滑条件对Ti-IF钢的塑性应变比(r)值和深冲性能影响显著,但对ULC钢的r值影响很小。随铁素体区轧制温度的降低,Ti-IF钢的深冲性能得到提高,但ULC钢即使在铁素体区低温轧制其r值仍小于1,深冲性能较差。

预变形速率对超低碳钢烘烤硬化性能的影响

测量了超低碳(Ultra-Low Carbon)钢在2%、4%和6%预变形下,运用不同的预变形速率拉伸时其烘烤硬化(Bake Hardening)值和内耗,分析了退火态下的应力-应变曲线以及退火态和烘烤态下的内耗-温度谱:烘烤态下Snoek峰高与退火态下相比降低,对于相同的预变形,拉伸速率增加时,Snoek峰高逐渐升高,而SKK峰高逐渐下降,BH值逐渐下降,不同预变形速率屈服点延伸之间规律不明显。

本钢炼钢厂超低碳钢生产平台的建设

介绍了本钢炼钢工序在超低碳钢生产平台建设方面的经验,通过对产品成分、过程节奏、参数节点控制和产品质量的持续跟踪及改进,本钢超低碳钢在产量大幅提高的同时生产过程及产品质量均得到了较好的保证。

铜元素对超低碳钢阻尼性能的影响

研究了不同铜含量下超低碳钢在不同热处理条件下的阻尼性能及其精细结构。结果表明:固溶状态的铜对超低碳钢阻尼性能影响较小,铜以沉淀相形式存在显著提高了超低碳钢的阻尼性能。在实验范围内,含铜量升高,超低碳钢的阻尼性能提高。