Kinetics of boron diffusion and characterization of Fe2B layers on AISI 9840 steel

Protection of Metals and Physical Chemistry of Surfaces - In this work, the AISI 9840 steel was subjected to the powder-pack boriding in the temperature range of 1123–1273 K for various times...     

Development of boron white cast iron

Abstract

With boron substituting for carbon in cast iron composition and eutectic borides substituting for eutectic carbides in microstructure as the hard wear resistant phase, a new kind of wear resistant white cast iron has been developed. The microstructure and mechanical properties of this new white cast iron both in the as cast state and after appropriate heat treatments were studied. The results show that the as cast microstructure of the boron white cast iron comprises a dendritic matrix and interdendritic eutectics, and the eutectic compound is that of M₂B or M′_0˙9Cr_1˙1B_0˙9 type, where M represents Fe, Cr or Mn and M′ represents Fe or Mn. The morphology of the eutectic borides is much like that of carbide in high chromium white cast iron, but the hardness of boride is higher than that of carbide. The matrix in as cast microstructure comprises martensite and pearlite. After austenitising and quenching, the matrix mostly changes to lath type martensite and the eutectic borides remain unchanged. In addition, two different sizes of particles, with different forming processes during heat treatment, appear in the matrix. The boron white cast iron possesses higher hardness and toughness than conventional white cast iron and nickel hard white cast iron, and has a better balance between hardness and toughness than high chromium white cast iron.     

Bulk diffusion of iron in copper

The temperature dependence of bulk diffusion coefficient of iron in copper has been determined by electron microprobe analysis (EMA) in the temperature range from 923 to 1273 K to be $D_{Fe} = 0.03 \times 10^{ - 4} \exp \left( { - \frac{{187 kJ/mol}} {{RT}}} \right)$ m²/s. The results obtained differ from the parameters of bulk diffusion determined by the tracer method: the activation energy is less by 30 kJ/mol and the preexponential factor is less by approximately a factor of 50. The deviations of the solutions from the ideality does not explain the discrepancies obtained.     

Dislocation structure of martensitic transformation in carbon steel

The developed method of diffraction analysis has shown that the martensitic transformation in iron crystals with the interstitial carbon atoms produces the highest natural density of dislocations in metals. The transformation occurs via microscopic shears, which collectively rearrange the lattice. This process becomes more evident due to the high concentration of fine dislocation loops, which has initially been identified in cubic and then in tetragonal martensite crystals.     

Dislocation stability and deformation mechanisms of iron aluminides and silicide

Elastic stability of dislocations in FeAl alloys and Fe₃Si was examined with respect to the formation of jog pair(s) on a straight dislocation as well as the kink-pair formation. Dislocation configurations from annealed and deformed microstructures available in the literature are consistent with the predictions based on elastic instability. The difference in the formation enthalpy between a jog pair and a kink pair was obtained, and the activation enthalpy of a jog-pair pinning mechanism for edge dislocations was prescribed. Discussion is given on the driving forces for the pinning mechanisms, including the role of inhomogeneous internal stress in FeAl single crystals.     

Behavior of oxygen diffusion in buffer layers for coated conductors

We have evaluated the effect of annealing in oxygen atmosphere on the structure, texture and phase transformation of LZO films deposited on YSZ (yttria-stabilized zirconia) (0 0 l) single crystal substrates and textured NiW substrates by metal-organic deposition (MOD) method. The results show that the structure stability of the LZO films is heavily dependent on the oxygen partial pressure in annealing process. Then we have in details studied the behavior of oxygen diffusion in three kinds of buffer layer architectures on NiW substrates by varying the temperature, oxygen partial pressure and dwelling time in the annealing process. The oxygen diffusion within buffer layers leads to the oxidation of substrate, and even the texture and structure of buffer layers are destroyed with the increase of the thickness of the oxides layer related to NiW substrate. It reveals that the relative volume of oxides related to NiW substrate increases exponentially with the annealing temperature, and increases linearly with the annealing time at logarithmic scale. The relative intensity of texture peaks of buffer layers decreases and even disappears with the increase of the oxygen partial pressure in annealing process because of the acceleration of the oxidation reaction of substrate. The influence of annealing temperature, oxygen partial pressure and dwelling time on the oxygen diffusion is related to the intrinsic oxygen diffusion coefficient of buffer layers materials. Compared with the increase of oxygen partial pressure, the elongation of dwelling time shows a less effect on the oxidation rate of NiW substrate and a weak destruction of the texture of buffer layers. Except choosing the oxide materials with small oxygen diffusion coefficient as buffer layers in coated conductors, the degree of oxidation about NiW substrate could be greatly controlled and it would result in the less destruction of texture and structure of buffer layers by adjusting the annealing temperature, oxygen partial pressure and dwelling time in the process of YBCO deposition.     

含硼铁精矿还原过程中硼矿物的热力学行为

依据广泛应用的同族化合物线性递变规律,通过拟合钙、镁化合物生成反应标准吉布斯自由能之间的线性关系,由不同温度条件下Ca3(BO3)2和Ca2B2O5生成反应的标准吉布斯自由能求得相应温度条件下Mg3(BO3)2和Mg2B2O5生成反应的标准吉布斯自由能,进而基于化学反应的标准吉布斯自由能与温度之间的近似线性关系,推导Mg3(BO3)2和Mg2B2O5生成反应标准吉布斯自由能,并通过试验进行了验证与探讨。热力学计算及XRD物相分析结果表明:在还原焙烧过程中,含硼铁精矿中的硼镁石(Mg2[B2O4(OH)](OH))分解为遂安石(Mg2B2O5),遂安石进一步与蛇纹石的分解产物镁橄榄石或顽火辉石反应最终转变成小藤石(Mg3(BO3)2)。     

A study of the behavior of boron diffusion in plain carbon steels

Boronizing treatment of ferrous materials has been widely employed by industry as a surface-strengthening technology for inhibition of corrosion, wear and erosion. Pack boronization using a pack composition that produces a graded boride microstructure has been studied using AISI 1018 and 1045 steels. Carbon in these alloys creates a resistance to boron diffusion because a carbon-enriched zone forms in front of the boride layen The carbon concentration at the boride/pearlite interface was found to be as high as 3.0% in AISI 1045 steel. No significant layer phenomena could be distinguished inside the boron layer using the pack composition developed during this research. This result is significant because a graded microstructure with a continuous variation of the boron composition has been produced. Evidence developed during this study suggests that the boride layer consists of a mixture of FeB, Fe₂B, and FeB_x, which is probably FeB₁₉. Analysis determined a measure of the resistance of carbon to boron diffusion at the boride/pearlite interface.     

Dislocation processes during annealing of deformed single crystals of iron silicide

Metal Science and Heat Treatment -     

Influence of boron on ferrite formation in copper-added spheroidal graphite cast iron

This paper reviews the original work of the authors published recently,describing the influence of B on the matrix of the Cuadded spheroidal graphite cast iron.The effect of Cu has been corrected as a ferrite formation promoter in the matrix of the grey cast iron by the usage of high-purity material.Also,this paper focuses on the ferrite formation and the observation of the Cu distribution in the B-added and B-free Cu-containing spheroidal graphite cast iron.The Cu film on the spheroidal graphite can be successfully observed in the B-free sample using a special etching method.However,in the B-added sample,no Cu film could be found,while the secondary graphite was formed on the surface of the spheroidal graphite.The interaction between B and Cu is stressed as a peculiar phenomenon by the employment of a contrast experiment of B and Mn.The heat treatment could make Cu precipitate more significantly in the eutectic cells and in the matrix in the form of large Cu particles because of the limited solubility of Cu.