TEM study on precipitation and transformation of secondary carbides in 16Cr–1Mo–1Cu white iron subjected to subcritical treatment

High chromium white irons solidify with a substantially austenitic matrix supersaturated with chromium and carbon. The subcritical heat treatment can destabilize the austenite by precipitating chromium-rich secondary carbides and other special carbides. In the as-cast condition the eutectic carbides are (Fe,Cr)₇C₃ and (Fe_4.3Cr_2.5Mo_0.1)C₃. The initial secondary carbide precipitated is (Fe,Cr)₂₃C₆ after heat-treating at 853 K for 10 h. There are MoC, Fe₂MoC and -carbide precipitating, and (Fe,Cr)₂₃C₆ transforms to M₃C after 16 h at 853 K. The -carbide and (Fe,Cr)₂₃C₆ accomplish transformation to M₃C and the matrix changes from martensitic to pearlitic after 22 h at 853 K. Thereby, in the subcritical heat treatment process, the initial secondary carbide precipitated is (Fe,Cr)₂₃C₆, followed by -carbide, MoC and Fe₂MoC. In addition, there are two in situ transformations from (Fe,Cr)₂₃C₆ and -carbide to M₃C carbides.     

Electron microscopy and hardness study of a semi-solid processed 27 wt%Cr cast iron

A semi-solid processed 27 wt%Cr cast iron was studied by electron microscopy and its microstructure was related to the hardness. In the as-cast condition, the primary proeutectic austenite was round in shape while the eutectic M₇C₃ carbide was found as radiating clusters mixed with directional clusters. Growth in the [0 0 1]M₇C₃ with planar faces of {0 2 0}M₇C₃ and was usually observed with an encapsulated core of austenite. Destabilisation heat treatment followed by air cooling led to a precipitation of secondary M₂₃C₆ carbide and a transformation of the primary austenite to martensite in the semi-solid processed iron. Precipitation behaviour is comparable to that observed in the destabilisation of conventional cast iron. However, the nucleation of secondary M₂₃C₆ carbide on the eutectic M₇C₃ carbide was observed for the first time. Tempering after destabilisation led to further precipitation of carbide within the tempered martensite in the eutectic structure. The maximum hardness was obtained after destabilisation and tempering heat treatment due to the precipitation of secondary carbides within the martensite matrix and a possible reduction in the retained austenite.     

热作模具钢DM的高温稳定性和热疲劳性能

研究了热作模具钢DM的高温稳定性和热疲劳性能。结果表明,DM钢在620℃热稳保温过程中马氏体板条内的薄片状M₃C型碳化物逐渐向条块状M₇C₃型碳化物转变,在板条的边界生成M₇C₃、M₂₃C₆型碳化物。DM钢的短循环周次热疲劳性能受控于位错重排和湮灭,长循环周次热疲劳性能受控于碳化物的粗化程度。DM钢中M₃C、M₇C₃、M₆C型碳化物的生成自由能分别为27765.5 J/mol、3841.5 J/mol、-7138.1 J/mol,表明在热稳保温与热疲劳试验过程中碳化物的演变机理一致,发生了M3C→M7C3→M6C类型演变。     

TiCp/Cr15高铬铸铁复合材料的制备与性能

以TiC_p粉末和水雾化Cr15高铬铸铁粉末为原料,采用粉末冶金液相烧结技术制备TiC_p增强高铬铸铁复合材料。研究了TiC_p含量对高铬铸铁的物相组成、显微组织和力学性能的影响。研究结果表明,全致密的TiC_p增强高铬铸铁基体复合材料的构成相为TiC、M₇C₃型碳化物、马氏体和少量奥氏体;随着TiC_p添加量增大,金属基体逐步呈孤岛状,并在其中析出越来越多的M₇C₃型碳化物,同时TiC_p逐步呈连续网状分布;同时,其硬度稳步提升,而抗弯强度和冲击韧性降低。当TiC_p添加量为20wt%时烧结态复合材料具有最佳综合力学性能。此时硬度为HRC 66.8 ,冲击韧性为6.86 J/cm2,抗弯强度为1 343.10 MPa。当TiC_p添加量为25wt%时硬度达到最大值HRC 67.20 。      

Recrystallization in a directionally solidified cobalt-base superalloy

The recrystallization behavior in a range of annealing temperature from 1020 to 1280 °C in a directionally solidified cobalt-base superalloy was studied. Local recrystallization first appeared at 1040 °C. The recrystallized volume increased rapidly as increasing the annealing temperature. Pinning effect of all carbides (M₂₃C₆, M₇C₃ and MC) was observed and large amount of twin formed at low annealing temperature. The size of the recrystallized grains increased significantly at high annealing temperatures accompanied with the sharp decrease of twin. The effect of annealing temperature and the role of carbide and twin on the development of the recrystallization were discussed.     

Precracking structures in a creep-fatigued low-carbon Cr---Mo steel

A grain boundary phenomenon observed, after metallographic polishing and etching, in a 1Cr-0.5Mo steel is shown to be due to the selective etching of the boundaries. The phenomenon is a feature only of material that has been subjected to strain-controlled fatigue cycles incorporating a dwell time at peak tensile stress (creep fatigue) and is largely confined to boundaries whose orientation is approximately normal to the direction of the principal tensile stress. The structural feature responsible has not been identified, although it has been established that it is not a physical discontinuity, such as a void cavity or a decohered carbide particle. The phenomenon develops concurrently with the precipitation of M₃C and M₇C₃ carbides at the boundaries, which also is a feature of creep fatigue, and develops at the interface between these particles and the ferrite matrix as well as at the ferrite grain boundaries themselves. It seems to have been initiated in a very thin layer at these interfaces, perhaps in a layer only of the order of atom layers in thickness.     

Microstructural transformations of heat affected zones in duplex steel welded joints

The influence of the welding thermal conditions exemplified by heat input and heat treatment after welding on the structure of the heat affected zone (HAZ) UNS S31803 has been analysed. The post weld treatment was used to create the precisely defined thermal conditions for the decomposition of primary phases in the HAZ, by a multi-layer welding thermal cycle stimulation. Detailed analyses of the microstructure and chemical composition of the phases in the different post welded conditions were performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Three types of secondary precipitates have been observed: secondary austenite (γ₂), carbides: M₂₃C₆ and M₇C₃. The dependence of the secondary austenite volume fraction and morphology in the HAZ on thermal cycle have been interpreted. The eutectoid decomposition of the primary phases in the analysed thermal conditions was confirmed.     

A Metallographic Study of the High-Temperature Decomposition of Austenite in Alloy Steels Containing Mo and Cr

Optical and electron microscopy have been used to study the complex microstructures developed during the isothermal decomposition of austenite above 550°C in Fe-4Mo-0.2C and Fe-10Cr-0.4C alloy steels. As the transformation temperature is decreased, the decomposition products change from the disordered growth of nodular alloy pearlites to blocky ferrite structures containing fine dispersions of alloy carbide, and finally to acicular ferrite structures also containing alloy carbide. The branched M₆C and M₂₃C₆ of the high-temperature pearlite is replaced by Mo₂C and M₇C₃ with a fibrous or lath morphology in the lower temperature structures. The decomposition microstructures are explained in terms of a model which takes account of the growth of particular alloy carbides at the interfaces of ferrite allotriomorphs, where the growth mechanism, and hence the morphology, is sensitive to transformation temperature.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of high boron white cast iron

In this paper, high boron white cast iron, a new kind of wear-resistant white cast iron was developed, and its microstructure and mechanical properties were studied. The results indicate that the high boron white cast iron comprises a dendritic matrix and an interdendritic eutectic boride in as-cast condition. The distribution of eutectic boride with a chemical formula of M₂B (M represents Cr, Fe or Mn) and with a microhardness of HV2010 is much like that of carbide in high chromium white cast iron. The matrix includes martensite and a small amount of pearlite. After quenching in air, the matrix changes to martensite, but the morphology of boride remains almost unchanged. In the course of austenitizing, a secondary precipitation with the size of about 1 μm appears, but when tempered at different temperature, another secondary precipitation with the size of several tens of nanometers is found. Both secondary precipitations, which all forms by means of equilibrium segregation of boron, have a chemical formula of M₂₃(C,B)₆. Compared with high chromium white cast iron, the hardness of high boron white cast iron is almost similar, but the toughness is increased a lot, which attributes to the change of matrix from high carbon martensite in the high chromium white cast iron to low carbon martensite in the high boron white cast iron. Moreover, the high boron white cast iron has a good hardenability.     

WC-氧化石墨烯/Ni复合熔覆层的制备及形成机制

采用真空熔覆技术制备了WC-氧化石墨烯(GO)/Ni复合熔覆层,运用扫描电镜、能谱仪、X射线衍射仪观察并分析在不同温度下熔覆层内显微形貌的变化与物相组成。结果表明:在ZG45表面制备了组织致密、与基体形成良好冶金熔合的WC-GO/Ni复合熔覆层;熔覆层的微观结构组成从表面至基体依次是约1.5 mm厚的复合层、360 μm左右的过渡层、50 μm左右的扩散熔合层和100 μm左右的扩散影响层,其主要组成相有Cr₇C₃、FeNi₃、WC、Cr₂₃C₆、Ni₃Si、C、Fe₇W₆、γ-Ni固溶体等,FeNi₃、Fe₇W₆分散在冶金熔合带,扩散影响区主要组织为珠光体;复合区的物相尺寸小于界面区的物相尺寸,熔覆层形成过程中复合区的金属颗粒变化先于界面区,凝固时熔化不完全的颗粒表面长出团簇物(Cr₇C₃/Cr₂₃C₆),随着保温长大逐渐变成针状物镶嵌在Ni基固溶体中。      

Microstructure of Fe-Cr-C Hardfacing Alloys with Additions of Nb, Ti and, B

The abrasive wear of machine parts and tools used in the mining, earth moving, and transporting of mineral materials can be lowered by filler wire welding of hardfacing alloys. In this paper, the microstructures of Fe-Cr-C and Fe-Cr-C-Nb/Ti hardfacing alloys and deposits and those of newly developed Fe-Cr-C-B and Fe-Ti-Cr-C-B ones are described. They show up to 85 vol.% of primarily solidified coarse hard phases; i.e., Carbides of MC-, M₇C₃-, M₃C-type and Borides of MB₂-, M₃B₂-, M₂B-, M₃B-, M₂₃B₆-type, which are embedded in a hard eutectic. This itself consists of eutectic hard phases and a martensitic or austenitic metal matrix. The newly developed Fe-Cr-C-B alloys reach hardness values of up to 1200 HV and are harder than all purchased ones. The primary solidification of the MB₂-type phase of titanium requires such high amounts of titanium and boron that these alloys are not practical for manufacture as commercial filler wires.     

On the microstructural development of the tempered martensitic Cr-steel P 91 during long-term creep—a comparison of data

Microstructural data for creep of the tempered martensitic 9 wt.%CrMoV steel P 91 at 873 K were analyzed. It was found that the variation of the subgrain size with strain conforms to an exponential change from the initial to the stress dependent steady-state value. Analysis of the size distributions of precipitated particles confirmed the previous result that in P 91 there is a superposition of growth of particles with the dynamic precipitation of new particles mostly of type MX. From the distributions the numerical fractions of two types of particles, a predominating population of M₂₃C₆ carbides and a population of fine particles representing mostly carbonitrides of type MX, and their sizes could be deduced. The variation of the creep rate with strain is in qualitative agreement with these microstructural changes.     

碳纳米管复合二维碳化钛负载钯粒子电催化性能研究

为提高Ti₃C₂的层间距及电催化性能, 利用碳纳米管(CNT)进行层间微结构调控。Ti₃AlC₂经HF化学刻蚀法获得层状Ti₃C₂, 再以羟基化碳纳米管(CNT)以及次氯钯酸钾(K₂PdCl₄)为原料, 通过超声分散和溶剂热法将贵金属Pd粒子负载到Ti₃C₂-CNT上, 制得直接甲醇电池阳极催化剂材料Pd/Ti₃C₂-CNT。采用X射线衍射、扫描电镜以及光电子衍射对样品的形貌和结构进行表征, 考察了CNT对Ti₃C₂层间微结构的调整效果; 采用循环伏安法、计时电流法以及交流阻抗图谱研究了Pd/Ti₃C₂-CNT复合催化剂在酸性、碱性溶液中对甲酸、甲醇的电催化性能。结果表明, 复合材料中CNT对Ti₃C₂有插层作用, 建立了“桥联”效果, 有利于催化剂载体电子传输, 进而提高了Pd/Ti₃C₂-CNT的电催化性能。     

Elaboration, microstructure and reactivity of Cr3C2 powders of different morphology

Cr₃C₂ powders have been prepared by heat-treatment of metastable chromium oxides of controlled morphology in H₂---CH₄ atmosphere. Starting with these highly reactive oxides allows formation of Cr₃C₂ at 700 °C. The reaction is pseudomorphic and different grain shapes (needles, rods, spheres and polyhedra) have been obtained. The size distribution is narrow and the grain size is generally of the order of a few tens of micrometers, but the “spheres” are in fact made up of aggregates of small platelets about 1.5 μm wide and 0.7 μm thick. The oxidation in air of the carbides was studied by thermal analyses (TGA, DTG and DSC) and was found to proceed in four steps in the 250–700 °C range. The differences observed between the carbides are related to their morphology and texture.     

Inconel 600合金中不同类型晶界处铬的浓度

应用TEM、EDS和EBSD等技术研究了Inconel 600合金在715℃时效过程中不同类型晶界处碳化物的结构、形貌和晶界附近Cr浓度的分布。结果表明,不同类型晶界处碳化物的结构和形貌有较大的不同：在Σ3_c晶界析出的碳化物很少,在Σ3_i晶界析出不规则形状的M₂₃C₆碳化物,在Σ9晶界析出较大的M₂₃C₆碳化物颗粒,在Σ27晶界随机析出粗大的M₇C₃碳化物颗粒。富Cr碳化物在晶界的析出使晶界附近贫铬,在相同的时效条件下晶界的Σ值越高其附近贫铬越严重。随着时效时间的延长各晶界附近贫铬区的宽度不同程度地增大,时效15 h贫铬区的深度最大,时效50 h后深度不同程度地减小。     

Effect of tempering temperature on Z-phase formation and creep strength in 9Cr–1Mo–V–Nb–N steel

The effect of the tempering temperature on Z-phase formation and creep strength in 9Cr–1Mo–V–Nb–N steel was examined with particular attention to the precipitation sequence of MX, M₂X, and Z-phase during creep exposure. Tempering at a lower temperature provided a high dislocation density and a fine lath structure. Tempering at 953, 1003, and 1038 K provided [M₂₃C₆, M₂X, NbX], [M₂₃C₆, M₂X, NbX, VX], and [M₂₃C₆, NbX, VX] phases, respectively. The creep strength of steel tempered at 953 K was the highest among the steels studied, even in the long term. No large decrease in creep strength was observed in steel tempered at 953 K. The Z-phase was observed after long-term creep in steel tempered at 1003 or 1038 K. In steel tempered at 953 K, a VX rather than a Z-phase formed during creep, and this was accompanied by consumption of M₂X. Retardation of the Z-phase formation can retard the creep strength degradation in steel tempered at 953 K.     

Assessment of material thermal history in elevated temperature components

The extraction replica technique provides a valuable nondestructive metallographic tool both for monitoring microstructural changes caused by material aging and for quantitatively assessing the thermal history of material in components operating in creep regime. It has been, in fact, verified that the chemical composition of carbides collected on replicas is correlated both to temperature and to time of exposure of the material. In this report, the infield application of the replica technique is described, focusing on the quantitative evaluation of exposure temperature of a 21/4Cr1Mo steel. The validity of the technique has also been verified for 9–12% Cr ferritic steels after long-term creep exposure in laboratory tests; also in this case, on the basis of the available data, a correlation between the Cr/Fe ratio in M₂₃C₆ carbide and the Larson-Miller parameter appears promising.     

The relationships between wear behavior and thermal conductivity of CuSn/M7C3–M23C6 composites at ambient and elevated temperatures

The effect of FeCr (M₇C₃–M₂₃C₆) particles on the wear resistance of a CuSn alloy was investigated under 125 N load, and 300–475 K temperature interval. Sliding tests were performed to investigate the wear behavior of FeCr_p-reinforced CuSn metal–matrix composites (MMCs) against DIN 5401 in a block-on-ring apparatus. The CuSn/FeCr_p MMCs, which were prepared by addition of 5, 10, 15 and 20 vol.% of FeCr_p, were produced by powder metallurgy and the size of the particles was taken as 16 μm. The powders were uniaxially cold compacted by increasing pressure up to 250 Mpa. The dry sliding wear tests were carried out in an incremental manner, i.e. 300 m per increment and 3500 m total sliding length. The wear-test results were used for investigation of the relationship between weight loss, microstructure, surface hardness, friction coefficient, particle content and thermal conductivity. Finally, it was observed that FeCr_p reinforcement is beneficial in increasing the wear resistance of CuSn MMCs. FeCr particles in MMCs also tend to reduce the extent of plastic deformation in the subsurface region of the matrix, thereby delaying the nucleation and propagation of subsurface microcracks     

Microstructure characteristics of Ni-based WC composite coatings by laser induction hybrid rapid cladding

To avoid low cladding rate and cracks of cladding layer, laser induction hybrid rapid cladding (LIHRC) has been put forward in the paper. The microstructure characteristics of Ni-based WC composite coatings at the different laser scanning speed were investigated. For low laser scanning speed, the growth of γ-nickel was characterized by coarse columnar dendrites and eutectics, blocky W₂C + Fe₃W₃C carbides, and bar-like (W, Cr, Ni)₂₃C₆ carbides were formed. With increasing laser scanning speed, the growth of γ-nickel presented the fine dendrites and eutectics, the only blocky mixed carbides were precipitated and identified as W₂C + FeW₃C + W₆C_2.54 carbides. With further increasing laser scanning speed, the growth of γ-nickel was characterized by cellular crystals and eutectics, the only blocky carbides were identified as W₂C + W₆C_2.54. Moreover, experimental results showed that the efficiency of LIHRC was increased much four times higher than that of laser cladding without preheating, ceramic–metal composite coatings detected were free of cracks and had a good metallurgical bonding with substrate.     

Applications of microstructural characterization and computational modeling in damage analysis of a turbine blade exposed to service conditions in a power plant

Microstructural characterization and computational modeling were used to analyze the damage produced by overheating of a turbine blade exposed to service conditions in a power plant. Various electron-optical techniques were used to characterize the microstructure. Localized overheating was reflected by the microstructural features of the blade material particularly the extent of interdiffusion between the coating and alloy substrate, coarsening of the γ′-phase, and re-precipitation of M₂₃C₆ carbide by a discontinuous mechanism at grain boundaries. Damage associated with these effects included creep cavities at grain boundaries and intergranular oxidation leading to ductile intergranular cracking at the leading edge of the blade. Most evidence pointed out that improper internal cooling of the blade resulted in excessive overheating at leading edge. Qualitatively, the temperature profile across the blade as indicated by microstructural variations was consistent with the results derived from computational modeling.