Enhanced sintering, microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of 316L stainless steel with MoSi2 addition

Sintering 316L stainless steel to near full density with an appropriate sintering additive can ensure high mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. We present here a sintering approach which exploits the dissociation of ceramics in steels at high temperatures to activate sintering densification to achieve near full dense 316L stainless steel materials. MoSi₂ ceramic powder was used as a sintering additive for pre-alloyed 316L stainless steel powder. Sintering behavior and microstructure evolution were investigated at various sintering temperatures and content of MoSi₂ as sintering additive. The results showed that the sintering densification was enhanced with temperature and MoSi₂ content. The distribution of MoSi₂ was characterized by XMAPs. It was found that MoSi₂ dissociated during sintering and Mo and Si segregated at the grain boundaries. Excess Mo and Si were appeared as separate phases in the microstructure. Above 98% of theoretical density was achieved when the specimens were sintered at 1300 °C for 60 min with 5 wt.% MoSi₂ content. The stainless steel sintered with 5 wt.% MoSi₂ exhibited very attractive mechanical properties.     

Synthesis and consolidation of W–Cu composite powders with silver addition

Homogeneous and nanostructured W–19 wt.%Cu–1 wt.%Ag and W–10 wt.%Cu–10 wt.%Ag composite powders were prepared via a chemical precipitation method, with the aim of surveying the effect of silver on the properties of tungsten–copper composites. For this purpose, ammonium metatungstate, copper nitrate and silver nitrate with predetermined weight proportion were separately dissolved in distilled water. Furthermore, W–20 wt.%Cu composite powders were provided for comparison. The initial precipitates were obtained by reacting a mixture of the mentioned solutions under certain pH and temperature. The precursor precipitates were then washed, dried, and calcined in air to form oxide powders. In the next step, the reduction was carried out in hydrogen atmosphere to convert them into the final nanocomposite powders. The resulting powders were evaluated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry (TG) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. The effect of sintering temperature was investigated on densification and hardness of the powders compacts. The results showed that at all sintering temperatures, by increasing in the amount of silver, powders showed better sinterability compared to W–20 wt.%Cu powders. Maximum relative densities of 97.7%, 98.2% and 99.6% were achieved for W–20 wt.%Cu, W–19 wt.%Cu–1 wt.%Ag and W–10 wt.%Cu–10 wt.%Ag compacts sintered at 1200 °C, respectively. Moreover, maximum hardness of 359, 349 and 255 Vickers were resulted for W–20 wt.%Cu, W–19 wt.%Cu–1 wt.%Ag and W–10 wt.%Cu–10 wt.%Ag compacts sintered at 1200 °C, respectively.     

The effect of Cu addition on the corrosion behaviour of sintered stainless steel in H2SO4 environment

The influence of Cu addition on the corrosion behaviour of hot pressed sintered stainless steel of Type 316 in H₂SO₄ solution was investigated. It was found that Cu additions of 0.25-5 wt% enhance the passivation processes of the hot pressed sintered stainless steel. The open-circuit potential of samples containing Cu was + 200 mV(SCE) as compared to −250 mV(SCE) in the other case. The potentiodynamic measurements indicate that as a result of the Cu addition the corrosion potential is increased, and the anodic critical current density and the cathodic overpotential for the hydrogen evolution are decreased. It is suggested that the low hydrogen cathodic overpotential caused by Cu addition, combined with the active-passive basic behaviour of the 316 stainless steel matrix, arc the main factors affecting the improved corrosion resistance.     

复合稀土氧化物掺杂W-20Cu复合材料的制备及组织性能研究

以偏钨酸铵和硝酸铜为原料,采用EDTA-柠檬酸法制备了含有0~0.8wt.%稀土氧化物( Ce_0.8Sm_0.2O_1.9, SDC)的W-20Cu复合粉体,所制备的复合粉体经压制成型、1250°C烧结2h后获得SDC/W-20Cu复合材料烧结体。对所制备复合粉体进行物相、形貌的表征;研究稀土氧化物的添加对SDC/W-20Cu烧结体的密度、组织结构和物理力学性能的影响。实验结果表明：所制备的W-Cu复合粉体平均粒度为100~200nm;同时,SDC的添加对烧结体的密度和电导率会有轻微的影响,但能够抑制晶粒的长大并明显改善烧结体的力学性能。经1250°C烧结后,SDC/W-20Cu烧结体的相对密度均高于97%;当SDC的添加量为0.6%时,具有最大的抗弯强度和显微硬度,分别是1128MPa和258HV;此外,在室温和600°C的测试条件下,其最大的抗拉强度可以达到580MPa和258MPa。     

Rheological, mechanical and corrosive properties of injection molded 17-4PH stainless steel

The feedstock based on the binder 65％PW-30％ EVA-5％SA has the best general rheological properties for the 17-4PH stainless steel powder. The 17-4PH stainless steel compacts sintered at 1380℃ for 90 min have the best mechanical properties and the good microstructure with homogeneously distributed pore structure and the moderate-sized grains. Whereas the compacts sintered for 60 min and 120 min show an inadequate and an over-sintered microstructure respectively. The compacts sintered at 1380℃ for 90 min have the density of 7.70 g/cm^3 , the strength of 1 275 MPa, the elongation of 5％, and hardness of HRC36. With the increase of sintering temperature, the density, strength and hardness increase, while the elongation decreases. The 17-4PH stainless steel has good corrosion resistance, showing an activation-passivation polarization curve. But the passivation potential range is narrow and the spot corrosion potential is low, indicating a low anti-spot corrosive properties.     

Formation of Fe-19 wt%Cr-9 wt%Ni Nanocrystalline Alloy with Excellent Corrosion Resistance: Phase Transition and Microstructure

In this paper, microstructure characteristics and phase transitions of Fe-19 wt%Cr-9 wt%Ni nanocrystalline alloy are comprehensively studied during the mechanical alloying and hot pressing sintering processes. Corrosion resistance of the sintered Fe-19 wt%Cr-9 wt%Ni nanocrystalline alloy samples is further analyzed. During the mechanical alloying process, Fe-19 wt%Cr-9 wt%Ni nanocrystalline alloy powders mainly composed of metastable ferrite phase are obtained after mechanical alloying for 8, 16 and 24 h, respectively. In the subsequent hot pressing sintering process, the phase transitions(from ferrite to austenite) occur from 650 to 750 °C for Fe-19 wt%Cr-9 wt%Ni alloy powders milled for 24 h. When the sintering temperature is raised to 1050 °C for 1 h, the ferrite phase has transformed into austenite phase completely, and the obtained grain size of sintered Fe-19 wt%Cr-9 wt%Ni alloy is around 40 nm. Electrochemistry test of the sintered Fe-19 wt%Cr-9 wt%Ni alloy has been operated in 0.5 mol L~(-1) H_2SO_4 solution to show the corrosion resistance properties. Results show that the sintered Fe-19 wt%Cr-9 wt%Ni alloy exhibits excellent corrosion resistance, which is proved by higher self-corrosion potential, lower self-corrosion current density and larger capacitive reactance, compared with that of commercial 304 stainless steel.     

Effect of silicon addition on the microstructure and corrosion behavior of sintered stainless steel

The influence of silicon addition on the physical properties and the corrosion behavior of sintered austenitic 304L stainless steel was evaluated. The density of the sintered stainless steel changed depending upon the amount of silicon added. A “pseudo-peritectic” reaction developed during the sintering of high silicon content alloys and resulted in an increased sintering rate and enhanced densification. The corrosion resistance of the various sintered stainless steels was evaluated from the results of potentiodynamic polarization curves and corrosion rate measurements and from the appearance of the corroded surfaces. The results indicated that the corrosion resistance was improved with the addition of more than 2 wt.% Si.     

High-temperature oxidation and aqueous corrosion performance of ferritic, vacuum-sintered stainless steels prealloyed with Si

The corrosion behavior at high-temperature and the aqueous corrosion behavior of sintered stainless steels manufactured from non-commercial prealloyed powder (434L with 2% Si) are studied and their results are compared with those of sintered stainless steels manufactured from commercial 434L powder, that has lower Si content. Both types of powders have been sintered in vacuum at three different temperatures, so materials with different porosity levels have been obtained. Several oxidation tests have been carried out from 700 to 1000 °C. Long-term experiments have proven the better oxidation resistance of 434L + 2% Si steels. Electrochemical measurements of the corrosion rate show a decrease on this parameter caused by the increase of Si-content on powders.     

Sintering Behavior of Elemental Powders with FeB Addition in the Composition of Martensitic Stainless steel

The effect of sintering additive for the development of high-strength martensitic stainless steel from elemental powders was studied. The sintering parameters investigated were: sintering temperature, sintering time, and wt.% of FeB. In vacuum sintering, effective sintering took place between 1300 and 1350 °C with 1-1.5 wt.% FeB addition. The maximum sintered density and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) were achieved after sintering at 1350°C for 60 min with 1 wt.% FeB. Secondary pores were observed in samples containing more than 1.5 wt.% FeB sintered at 1350 °C for 60 min. More than 1.5 wt.% FeB content and temperature above 1350°C caused slumping of the specimens. Maximum UTS of 505 MPa was achieved with 1 wt.% FeB content. Above 0.5 wt.% FeB content, maximum increase in density was observed. Fracture morphologies of the sintered samples are reported.     

Investigation on the characteristics of micro- and nano-structured W-15 wt.%Cu composites prepared by powder metallurgy route

The properties of W-15 wt.%Cu composites were investigated by preparing two distinct composites of micrometer and nanoscale structures. Micrometer composite was produced by mixing elemental W and Cu powders and nanometer one was synthesized through a mechanochemical reaction between WO₃ and CuO powders. Subsequent compaction and sintering process was performed to ensure maximum possible densification at 1000-1200 °C temperatures. Finally, the behavior of produced samples including relative density, hardness, compressive strength, electrical conductivity, coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and room temperature corrosion resistance were examined. Among the composites, nano-structured sample sintered at 1200 °C exhibited better homogeneity, the highest relative density (94%) and mechanical properties. Furthermore, this composite showed superior electrical conductivity (31.58 IACS) and CTE (9.95384 × 10^- 6) in comparison with micrometer type. This appropriate properties may be mainly attributed to liquid phase sintering with particle rearrangement which induced by higher capillary forces of finer structures.     

Microstructures and mechanical properties of biocompatible Ti-42 wt.%Nb P/M alloy

Ti-42 wt. %Nb powder was prepared by high-energy mechanical milling (HEMM). The particle size distribution (PSD) of the as-milled powder has been investigated using a particle size distribution analyzer. The morphology and microstructure of the as-milled powder have been investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and differential thermal analysis (DTA). Also, the corrosion property and biocompatibility of sintered specimens comprising mixed and milled powders have been investigated. The milled powders were sintered using pulse current activated sintering (PCAS). PCAS was employed in order to provide more refined grain size and full density to Ti-42 %Nb alloy on the basis of short sintering time with pressure. The density of the sintered Ti-42 %Nb specimen fabricated using the milled powder increased with increased milling time due to high free surface area and defect density. The density of the sintered Ti-42 %Nb specimen fabricated using as-mixed powder increased with increased sintering temperature up to 950 °C. The microstructure of the sintered Ti-42 %Nb specimen fabricated using 4h-milled powder was composed of Nb-rich and Nb-poor phases that are more refined and homogeneously distributed. The mechanical properties and biocompatibility of the sintered Ti-42 %Nb specimen fabricated using milled powder were superior to those of a commercial, Ti-6wt.%Al-4wt.%V alloy.     

热压烧结Fe3Si-Cu在NaOH溶液中的腐蚀行为

以原子比为3∶1的Fe粉和Si粉球磨20 h后与一定量的Cu粉混合,在(1000±30)℃,20 MPa的压力下热压烧结制备了致密的Fe3Si-Cu复合材料。通过浸泡腐蚀和电化学腐蚀两种方法研究加入不同质量分数Cu(5%,10%)的Fe3Si-Cu复合材料在0.6、0.7和0.8 mol/l的NaOH溶液中的腐蚀行为。结果表明,两种材料在不同摩尔浓度的NaOH溶液中的腐蚀是一种均匀的全面腐蚀。复合材料中的Fe3Si和Cu两相在NaOH溶液中组成一腐蚀电池,其中Fe3Si为阳极发生腐蚀,Cu作为阴极得到保护;Fe3 Si-5%Cu复合材料在NaOH溶液中的自腐蚀电位随NaOH浓度的增加而增加,自腐蚀电流在0.7 mol/l的NaOH溶液中最低;Fe3 Si-10%Cu在三种浓度的NaOH溶液中的自腐蚀电位相差较小,自腐蚀电流在浓度为0.6 mol/l的NaOH溶液中最小,在0.7mol/l的NaOH溶液中最大。     

Corrosion behaviour of duplex stainless steels sintered in nitrogen

Duplex stainless steels obtained through powder metallurgy (PM) technology from austenitic AISI 316L and ferritic AISI 430L powders were mixed on different amounts to obtain biphasic structures with austenite/ferrite ratio of 50/50, 65/35 and 85/15. Prepared mixes of powders have been compacted at 750 MPa and sintered in N₂-H₂ (95% and 5%) at 1250 °C for 1 h. Corrosion behaviour, using electrochemical techniques such as anodic polarization measurement, cyclic anodic polarization scan and electrochemical potentio-kinetic reactivation test and double loop electrochemical potentio-kinetic reactivation double loop test were evaluated. For duplex stainless steels, when austenite/ferrite ratio increases the corrosion potential shifts to more noble potential and passive current density decreases. The beneficial effect of annealing solution heat treatment on corrosion behaviour was established and was compared with corrosion behaviour of vacuum sintered duplex stainless steels. The results were correlated with the microstructural features.     

机械合金化及热压烧结制备Fe-Cr-Mn基超细晶奥氏体不锈钢研究

采用高能研磨诱导的机械合金化方法制备了Fe-Cr-Mn基不锈钢合金粉末;对机械合金化粉末分别进行了退火和热压烧结,分析了退火过程中的相变规律,并对热压烧结获得的奥氏体不锈钢进行了组织和耐蚀性能研究.结果表明:机械合金化获得的不锈钢合金粉由亚稳态的纳米晶铁素体构成;退火/热压烧结处理后,铁素体逐渐转变为热力学上更加稳定的...     

The electroplated palladium-copper alloy film on 316L stainless steel and its corrosion resistance in mixture of acetic and formic acids

Palladium-copper alloy films (Cu 2.93-5.66 at.%) were deposited on 316L stainless steel by electroplating. The films showed good adhesive strength and increased surface micro-hardness. In boiling mixture of 90% acetic acid + 10% formic acid + 400 ppm Br⁻ under stirring (625 r/min), the Pd-Cu films showed better corrosion resistance than Pd film. The Pd-5.66%Cu films showed the lowest corrosion rate almost three orders of magnitude lower than that of 316L matrix. The increased corrosion resistance of Pd-Cu films was attributed to the improved passivity, better barrier effect, increased surface hardness and the effect of Cu to resist pitting.     

Aqueous corrosion behaviour of sintered stainless steels manufactured from mixes of gas atomized and water atomized powders

The electrochemical corrosion improvement of a powder metallurgical (PM) stainless steel is studied in this work. Water atomized (WA) ferritic AISI 434L powders have been mixed with gas atomized (GA) austenitic (AISI 316L type) and ferritic (AISI 430L type) powders and processed through the traditional PM route. The addition of GA powder to the usual WA powder decreases the mean size of the pores of the sintered stainless steels. As the bigger pores are the ones that are able to act as crevices, unlike the smaller ones - that act as closed porosity, reduction in the number of big pores tends to improve the corrosion behaviour of PM stainless steels. Reductions of the corrosion rate (i_corr) and increases of the corrosion potential (E_corr) have been measured in neutral media, with and without chlorides. Moreover, the additional beneficial effect of achieving a duplex microstructure through the addition of GA austenitic powders to the WA ferritic powders has also been verified.     

Sintering behavior of W–30Cu composite powder prepared by electroless plating

Powder metallurgy technique was employed to prepare W–30 wt.% Cu composite through a chemical procedure. This includes powder pre-treatment followed by deposition of electroless Cu plating on the surface of the pre-treated W powder. The composite powder and W–30Cu composite were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Cold compaction was carried out under pressures ranging from 200 MPa to 600 MPa while sintering at 850 °C, 1000 °C and 1200 °C. The relative density, hardness, compressive strength, and electrical conductivity of the sintered samples were investigated. The results show that the relative sintered density of the titled composites increased with the sintering temperature. However, in solid sintering, the relative density increased with pressure. At 1200 °C and 400 MPa, the liquid-sintered specimen exhibited optimum performance, with the relative density reaching as high as 95.04% and superior electrical conductivity of IACS 53.24%, which doubles the national average of 26.77%. The FE-SEM microstructure evaluation of the sintered compacts showed homogenous dispersion of Cu and W and a Cu network all over the structure.     

Co–Cr–Mo-based composite reinforced with bioactive glass

The powder metallurgy (PM) technology was used to produce a porous Co–Cr–Mo-based composite material with the bioactive glass (S2) addition of 5 wt.%, 10 wt.% and 15 wt.%. The results show that the addition of bioglass to the matrix of Co–Cr–Mo alloy, as well as rotary cold repressing and heat treatment of sintered specimens can cause significant changes in the microstructure, mechanical and corrosion properties of composite materials in comparison with the pure porous Co–Cr–Mo alloy. A significant increase in the hardness, yield strength and corrosion resistance of the composites was observed with increasing the bioglass volume fraction. Although all PM samples are in a passive state, the higher corrosion resistances were obtained in the case of the composites with bioglass additions. Superior mechanical properties were achieved in the case of composite with 10 wt.% of bioglass.     

Effects of cooling rate on mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of vacuum sintered powder injection molded 316L stainless steel

This study presents the results of corrosion behavior of powder injection molded 316L stainless steel parts sintered in vacuum. The feedstocks of metal powder and plastic binder were prepared and their viscosity was measured. Green samples were injection molded and binder was removed from the green parts. Brown test parts were sintered at 1325 °C with heating rate of 5 °C/min and 10 °C/min for 2 h followed by the same cooling rate. Corrosion response of the sintered test samples was measured by weight loss method in Ringer's Solution of pH 7.4 for 15 days. The test samples using cooling rate 10 °C/min showed higher mechanical properties and improved corrosion resistance compared to those sintered at low heating and cooling rate. High cooling rate reduced the evaporation of Cr and developed passive chromium oxide layer on the test samples resulting improved corrosion resistance.     

Sintered stainless steels: Fatigue crack propagation resistance under hydrogen charging conditions

Monophasic and multiphasic (two and three phases) sintered stainless steels were prepared both considering premixes of AISI 316LHC and AISI 434LHC stainless steels powders and using a prealloyed duplex stainless steel 25% Cr, 5% Ni, 2% Mo powder. Their fatigue crack propagation resistance was investigated both in air and under hydrogen charging conditions (0.5 M H₂SO₄ + 0.01 M KSCN aqueous solution; applied potential = −700 mV/SCE), considering three different stress ratios (R = 0.1; 0.5; 0.75). Fatigue crack propagation micromechanisms were investigated by means of fracture surface scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis.For all the investigated sintered stainless, fatigue crack propagation resistance is influenced by hydrogen charging and an increase of crack growth rates dependent on the steel microstructure is obtained. Experimental results also allow to identify the sintered stainless steel obtained from the prealloyed 25% Cr, 5% Ni, 2% Mo powder as the most resistant to fatigue crack propagation in air and under hydrogen charging conditions.