Influence of cooling rate on microstructure evolution and pitting corrosion resistance in the simulated heat-affected zone of 2304 duplex stainless steels

Pitting corrosion resistance of 2304 duplex stainless steel heat-affected zone with different cooling rates has been studied by potentiostatic critical pitting temperature (CPT) in 1.0 M NaCl. The results showed that, as cooling rate decreased from 100 to 10 °C/s in the temperature range of 1350–800 °C, the austenite fraction increased from 27.8% to 35.7%, and the CPT value increased from 14 to 19 °C. The morphologies after the CPT tests showed pitting occurred preferentially in the ferrite phase for all specimens. Moreover, relationship between pitting corrosion resistance and microstructure evolution was further discussed.     

Study of the correlation between pitting corrosion and the component ratio of the dual phase in duplex stainless steel welds

Three duplex stainless steel weldments were produced by changing the chromium element to study the correlation between the pitting corrosion characteristics and the component ratio of the dual phase. The pit morphologies showed that metastable pits were generated at a lower pitting resistance equivalent number (PREN) phase. The secondary austenite phases seemed to serve as a path for the corrosive environment regardless of the ferrite number (FN). There is some discrepancy between the measured values (pitting potential (E_p) through polarization test) and expected values (sequence ranked by PREN of weaker phase) in 1 mol l⁻¹ NaCl solution at 60 °C.     

Influence of welding thermal cycles on microstructure and pitting corrosion resistance of 2304 duplex stainless steels

Different welding thermal cycles from single-pass to triple-pass were performed on two kinds of 2304 duplex stainless steel through Gleebe thermal–mechanical simulator. The corresponding microstructure was observed, while the pitting corrosion resistance was investigated in 1.0 M NaCl by potentiostatic critical pitting temperature (CPT). The results showed that single-pass welding deteriorated microstructure and pitting corrosion resistance significantly. As the welding pass increased, the ferrite content decreased and CPT increased. However, CPT was still lower than that of the base metal. Nitride precipitated at the boundary between ferrite and austenite phase for low-alloyed 2304 after the single-pass welding thermal cycle.     

The dynamic transformation of deformed austenite at temperatures above the Ae3

Recent observations regarding the dynamic transformation of deformed austenite at temperatures above the Ae₃ are reviewed. Experimental results obtained on four different steels over the temperature range from 743 to 917 °C and at strains up to ε = 5 are described. It is shown that there is a critical strain for the formation of superequilibrium ferrite and that the volume fraction of transformed ferrite increases with the strain. The structures observed are Widmanstätten in form and appear to have nucleated displacively. The effect of deformation on the Gibbs energy of austenite is estimated by assuming that the austenite continues to work-harden after initiation of the transformation and that its flow stress and dislocation density can be derived from the experimental flow curve by making suitable assumptions about two-phase flow. By further taking into account the inhomogeneity of the dislocation density, Gibbs energy contributions (driving forces) are derived that are sufficient to promote transformation as much as 100 °C above the Ae₃. The C diffusion times required for the dynamic formation of the cementite particles observed are estimated. These range from ～25 to 100 μs and are therefore consistent with the times available during rolling. The Gibbs energy calculations suggest that growth of the Widmanstätten ferrite is followed by C diffusion at the lower carbon contents, while it is accompanied by C diffusion at the higher carbon levels.     

Effect of annealing temperature on microstructural modification and tensile properties in 0.35 C–3.5 Mn–5.8 Al lightweight steel

The microstructural modifications occurring during annealing treatment of an Fe–0.35 C–3.5 Mn–5.8 Al ferrite-based lightweight steel and its effects on the tensile properties were investigated with respect to (α + γ) duplex microstructures. Steels annealed above the dissolution finishing temperature of κ-carbides (795 °C) were basically composed of ferrite band and austenite band in a layered structure. As the annealing temperature was increased the tensile strength increased, while the yield strength and elongation decreased. This could be explained by a decrease in the mechanical as well as thermal stability of austenite with increasing size and austenite volume fraction. In the 980 °C annealed steel in particular, whose mechanical stability due to austenite was lowest, cracks were readily formed at ferrite/austenite (or martensite) interfaces with little deformation, thereby leading to the least tensile elongation. In order to obtain the best combination of strength and ductility the formation of austenite having an appropriate mechanical stability was essentially needed, and could be achieved when 22–24 vol.% fine austenite was homogeneously distributed in the ferrite matrix, as in the 830 °C or 880 °C annealed steels.     

Influence of long-term low-temperature aging on the microhardness and corrosion properties of duplex stainless steel

An investigation was made of the influence of long-term aging (up to 7000 h) at low temperatures (300 and 400 °C) on the corrosion and mechanical properties of a 2205 duplex stainless steel. The selective corrosion behavior of austenite and ferrite phases was found to reverse in response to aging treatment at 400 °C. The degree of Cr depletion (I_r/I_a) increased considerably with the increase in aging time at 400 °C and no self-healing process was observed even after aging for 7000 h. A good correlation was observed between the electrochemical results and the microhardness of ferrite phase.     

The role of crystal misorientations during solid-state nucleation of ferrite in austenite

The role of grain and phase boundary misorientations during nucleation of ferrite in austenite has been investigated. Electron back-scatter diffraction (EBSD) was performed on a high-purity iron alloy with 20 wt.% Cr and 12 wt.% Ni with austenite and ferrite stable at room temperature in order to identify the crystallographic misorientation between austenite grains and between ferrite and austenite grains. It is observed that the specific orientation relationships between ferrite and austenite play a dominant role during solid-state nucleation of ferrite. Ferrite grains nucleate on grain faces independently of the misorientation between austenite grains, although random high-angle grain boundaries have a slightly higher efficiency. Different types of nucleation mechanisms are found to be active during ferrite formation at grain faces. A slight deformation of the austenite matrix was found to triple the number of ferrite nuclei during isothermal annealing.     

Corrosion and hydrogen absorption of commercially pure zirconium in acid fluoride solutions

The corrosion and hydrogen absorption of commercially pure zirconium have been investigated in acidulated phosphate fluoride (APF) solutions. Upon immersion in 2.0% APF solution of pH 5.0 at 25 °C, a granular corrosion product (Na₃ZrF₇) deposits over the entire side surface of the specimen, thereby inhibiting further corrosion. In 0.2% APF solution, marked corrosion is observed from the early stage of immersion; no deposition of the corrosion product is observed by scanning electron microscopy. A substantial amount of hydrogen absorption is confirmed in both APF solutions by hydrogen thermal desorption analysis. The amount of absorbed hydrogen of the specimen immersed in the 2.0% APF solution is smaller than that in the 0.2% APF solution in the early stage of immersion. The hydrogen absorption behavior is not always consistent with the corrosion behavior. Hydrogen thermal desorption occurs in the temperature range of 300–700 °C for the specimen without the corrosion product. Under the same immersion conditions, the amount of absorbed hydrogen in commercially pure zirconium is smaller than that in commercially pure titanium as reported previously. The present results suggest that commercially pure zirconium, compared with commercially pure titanium, is highly resistant to hydrogen absorption, although corrosion occurs in fluoride solutions.     

Near-threshold propagation of mode II and mode III fatigue cracks in ferrite and austenite

The near-threshold behavior of mode II and mode III long fatigue cracks in ferritic (ARMCO iron) and austenitic (X5CrNi18-10) steel were experimentally studied using various samples specially prepared to obtain the effective threshold values ΔK_IIeff,th and ΔK_IIIeff,th. In both investigated materials, the effective thresholds for mode III were ～1.7 times higher than those for mode II. Three-dimensional topological data obtained by the examination of fracture surfaces using stereophotogrammetry were utilized to identify crack growth micromechanisms. In austenite, mode I branching of both the mode II and mode III cracks started at the very onset of crack growth. On the other hand, all cracks in ferrite propagated in crystallographically assisted local mixed mode I + II + III with mode II dominance. These experimental results can be understood in terms of crack growth micromechanisms according to a deformation model in ferrite and a decohesion model in austenite. The dissimilarity of growth mechanisms in ferrite and austenite may be attributed to a different number of available slip systems in body-centered cubic and face-centered cubic metals.     

Corrosion resistance of duplex stainless steel subjected to long-term annealing in the spinodal decomposition temperature range

The effect of thermal annealing up to 15,000 h between 300 °C and 500 °C on the corrosion resistance of the duplex stainless steel (DSS) 7MoPLUS has been investigated by using the DLEPR test. Spinodal decomposition in 7MoPLUS is unabated even after annealing for 15,000 h and no healing has been observed. The possible healing mechanisms in this temperature range (back diffusion of Cr atoms from the Cr-rich ferrite (α_Cr) and diffusion of Cr atoms from the austenite) and its absence in the present steel have been discussed.     

Three-dimensional atom probe analysis of solute distribution in thermomechanically processed TRIP steels

Complex multiphase microstructures were obtained in transformation induced plasticity C–Mn–Si–(Nb–Al–Mo) steels by simulated controlled thermomechanical processing. These microstructures were characterized using transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and three-dimensional atom probe tomography (APT), which was used to determine the partitioning of elements between different phases and microconstituents. The measured carbon concentration (∼0.25 at%) in the ferrite of carbide-free bainite was higher than expected from para-equilibrium between the austenite and ferrite, while the concentrations of substitutional elements were the same as in the parent austenite suggesting that incomplete bainite transformation occurred. In contrast, the distribution of substitutional elements between the ferrite lath and austenite in carbide-containing bainite indicated a complete bainite reaction. The average carbon content in the retained austenite (3.2 ± 1.6 at%) was somewhat higher than the T₀ limit. On the basis of the APT measured composition, the calculated M_s temperatures for retained austenite were above room temperature, indicating its low chemical stability.     

Experimental evidence and thermodynamics analysis of high magnetic field effects on the austenite to ferrite transformation temperature in Fe–C–Mn alloys

The non-isothermal decomposition of austenite into ferrite and pearlite in Fe–xC–1.5 wt.% Mn steels with x = 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 wt.% C is investigated by in situ dilatometry and microstructure characterization in magnetic fields up to 16 T. The global shift towards higher temperatures of the respective austenite, ferrite + austenite and ferrite + pearlite stability regions is experimentally quantified. A systematic increase in the ferrite area fraction and proportional reduction of the Vickers hardness values with the magnetic field intensity are also reported. Moreover, the steels’ magnetizations, measured up to 3.5 T and 1100 K, are used to calculate the magnetic contribution to the free energy of the transformation and to account thermodynamically for the field dependence of the transformation temperature. The impact of magnetic field is found to be greater with increasing carbon content in the steels.     

Role of chlorides on pitting and hydrogen embrittlement of Mg–Mn wrought alloy

The role of chlorides on stress corrosion cracking behavior of Mg–Mn hot rolled alloy was studied in Mg(OH)₂ saturated, 0.01 M and 0.1 M NaCl solutions. The alloy was found to fail by hydrogen embrittlement mechanism both in presence and absence of chlorides. However, the role of chloride has been found to be to damage the passive film, cause pitting and increasing hydrogen embrittlement tendency of the alloy. Crack initiation occurred through pitting and grew in a transgranular manner involving hydrogen.     

Kinetics of austenitization under uniaxial compressive stress in Fe–2.96 at.% Ni alloy

Differential dilatometry has been employed to study the kinetics of the massive ferrite (α) → austenite (γ) transformation upon isochronal heating (i.e. austenitization) of the substitutional Fe–2.96 at.% Ni alloy subjected to a range of applied constant uniaxial compressive stresses. A phase-transformation model, involving site saturation, interface-controlled (continuous) growth and incorporating an impingement correction for an intermediate of the cases of ideally periodically and of ideally randomly dispersed growing particles, has been employed to extract the interface-migration velocity of the α/γ interface and the transformation-induced deformation energy taken up by the specimen. The value obtained for the energy corresponding with the elastic and plastic deformation associated with the accommodation of the α/γ volume misfit depends on the austenite fraction and increases distinctly with an increase in the applied uniaxial compressive stress, which is compensated by, in particular, an increase in the chemical driving force corresponding to an increase in the onset temperature. The opposite effects of an applied uniaxial compressive stress on the α → γ transformation and on the γ → α transformation can be discussed as the outcome of constrained plastic deformation due to transformation-induced strain.     

Interphase precipitation in niobium-microalloyed steels

The interphase precipitation in niobium steel has been investigated. In the present work, the austenite/ferrite transformation speed should be fast due to hot deformations, and interphase precipitation can be observed after 10 s isothermal holding in the temperature range 923–1023 K. The dominant interphase precipitation is planar and is not oriented on the {1 1 0}α plane suggested by the ledge mechanism but on other planes.     

Synthesis of nanocrystalline Cd–Zn ferrite by ball milling and its stability at elevated temperatures

High energy ball milling of stoichiometric (0.5:0.5:1 mole fraction) mixture of CdO, ZnO and α-Fe₂O₃ powders in air at room temperature results in formation of a non-stoichiometric Zn-rich (Zn,Cd)Fe₂O₄ phase with normal spinel structure having tetrahedral vacancies. The ferrite phase is initiated at 1 h of milling and after 25 h milling, 0.96 mole fraction of ferrite is formed and 0.04 mole fraction of CdO phase remained unreacted. The phase stability study of nanocrystalline non-stoichiometric (Zn,Cd)Fe₂O₄ powder annealed at elevated temperatures reveals that the Zn-rich ferrite phase remained stable up to 973 K and then slowly transformed towards Cd-rich (Cd,Zn)Fe₂O₄ phase following the release of divalent cations from ferrite lattice of normal spinel structure. The non-stoichiometric ferrite phase with almost similar composition has also been obtained by conventional ceramic route by sintering the same stoichiometric mixture at 973 K for 1 h. Microstructure characterization in terms of several lattice imperfections, relative phase abundances, cation distribution, and phase stability studies of unmilled, ball-milled and annealed samples is made by employing the Rietveld's structure refinement methodology using X-ray powder diffraction data. The analysis reveals that the particle size of ferrite phase reduces to ～7 nm after 25 h of milling and after annealing at 1273 K for 1 h it grows up to ～700 nm. However, in case of ferrite prepared by ceramic route it grows up to ～250 nm which is quite less than the annealed ball-milled samples.     

Time-dependent synchrotron X-ray diffraction on the austenite decomposition kinetics in SAE 52100 bearing steel at elevated temperatures under tensile stress

We have studied the decomposition kinetics of the metastable austenite phase present in quenched-and-tempered SAE 52100 steel by in situ high-energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiments at elevated temperatures of 200–235 °C under a constant tensile stress. We have observed a continuous decomposition of austenite into ferrite and cementite. The decomposition kinetics is controlled by the long-range diffusion of carbon atoms into the austenite ahead of the moving austenite/ferrite interface. The presence of a tensile stress of 295 MPa favours the carbon diffusion in the remaining austenite, so that the activation energy for the overall process decreases from 138–148 to 82–104 kJ mol^?1. Before the austenite starts to decompose, a significant amount of carbon atoms partition from the surrounding martensite phase into the metastable austenite grains. This carbon partitioning takes place simultaneously with the carbide precipitation due to the over-tempering of the martensite phase. As the austenite decomposition proceeds gradually at a constant temperature and stress, the elastic strain in the remaining austenite grains continuously decreases. Consequently, the remaining austenite grains act as a reinforcement of the ferritic matrix at longer isothermal holding times. The texture evolution in the constituent phases reflects both significant grain rotations and crystal orientation relationships between the parent austenite phase and the newly formed ferritic grains.     

The effects of rolling and sensitization treatments on the stress corrosion cracking of 304L stainless steel in salt-spray environment

U-bent and notched tensile tests in a 80 °C salt-spray environment were conducted to evaluate the effect of cold rolling at room temperature (CR), warm rolling at 150 °C (WR), and a sensitization at 650 °C/10 h (CRS and WRS) on the hydrogen embrittlement (HE) susceptibility of the 304L stainless steel. The CR specimen exhibited the highest crack growth rate with a greater number of short cracks found in the CRS specimen in U-bent tests. The CR specimen was resistant to HE in notched tensile tests relative to other specimens. Cracking in these specimens was more likely to initiate at the slip bands.     

Influence of the grain orientation spread on the pitting corrosion resistance of duplex stainless steels using electron backscatter diffraction and critical pitting temperature test at the microscale

The corrosion behavior of UNS S32202 duplex stainless steel was studied by combining electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) measurements and critical pitting temperature tests at the microscale. The grain orientation spread (GOS) value was determined in grains of both phases from EBSD data. It was shown that austenitic sites containing extremely small ferrite grains having a GOS value greater than 1.3° were precursor sites for pitting in 4 M NaCl. The critical pitting temperature range was 45–90 °C. All the other sites of both phases remained passive up to 100 °C.     

Effect of alloyed molybdenum on corrosion behavior of plasma immersion nitrogen ion implanted austenitic stainless steel

Plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) of nitrogen has been performed on two austenitic stainless steels (with and without Mo addition) at three different temperatures namely, 250, 380 and 500 °C for 3 h. Grazing angle X-ray diffraction (GXRD) was carried out on the surface of the steels (both PIII treated and untreated). GXRD results suggest that PIII is more effective in Mo containing stainless steel (SS). The electrochemical corrosion studies examined through both by DC polarization and EIS technique in 3.5 wt.% NaCl reveals that, 3 h N-implantation at 250 and 380 °C improves the corrosion and pitting resistance of both the austenitic stainless steels under investigation. The effect N implantation on pitting resistance is seen more in the presence of Mo, than when it is not present in the SS. It is further emphasized that the pitting resistance of the alloys significantly deteriorates, when they are implanted at 500 °C.