Computer Model of Phase Transformation From Hot-Deformed Austenite in Niobium Microalloyed Steels

Based on thermodynamics and kinetics, a new mathematical model was developed to calculate the CCT diagrams and the transformation kinetics in low carbon niobium steels, in which the effect of deformation on the degree of supercooling was taken into account. The undercooling caused by deformation is the major reason for the increase of the starting transition temperature during continuous cooling. The critical cooling rate of bainite formation is within 2--5 ℃s for the studied niobium steels and deformation is suitable for the occurrence of pearlite. The ferrite volume fraction increases with the increase of the austenite boundary area, and decreases with the increase of the cooling rate. The calculated CCT diagrams and the volume fraction of each phase are in good agreement with the measurements.     

Effect of Nb on Ferrite Recrystallization and Austenite Decomposition in Microalloyed Steels

A promising new method for steel design is based on controlling alloy chemistry and thermomechanical processing parameters to tailor microstructural evolution though an explicit understanding of the physical mechanisms governing microstructural change. Additions of Nb have been shown to have a large effect on microstructural processes in steels and this contribution summarizes recent work on elucidating the effect of Nb on the processes of recrystallization in ferrite and the kinetics of the austenite to ferrite phase transformation. In particular, emphasis is placed on distinguishing the effects of Nb in solution and Nb present as Nb‐containing precipitates. Nb in solution is shown to have a very strong effect on the recrystallization in ferrite and this can be quantified and understood in terms of the well‐known solute‐drag effect. The effect of NbC particles on the kinetics of the austenite to ferrite phase transformation is, however, less clear. Theoretical considerations would lead us to expect interphase boundary carbide precipitation to influence the transformation rate but novel decarburization experiments suggest this is not the case. This illustrates that although we are making progress on our understanding of the physical mechanisms governing change in Nb containing steels, there remains a number of important issues requiring further work.     

Some Metallurgical Issues Concerning Austenite Conditioning in Nb-Ti and Nb-Mo Microalloyed Steels Processed by Near-Net-Shape Casting and Direct Rolling Technologies

As thin slab direct rolling technologies are moving to the production of higher quality steel grades, chemical compositions based on Nb-Ti and Nb-Mo become a good option. However, with the use of multiple microalloying additions, the as-cast austenite conditioning becomes more complex. This paper analyzes some of the microstructural features that should be taken into account during the as-cast austenite conditioning in Nb-Ti and Nb-Mo microalloyed steel grades. In the case of Nb-Ti grades, it has been observed that the process parameters during solidification and post-solidification steps affect the austenite evolution during hot rolling. This is due to the differences in the size and volume fraction of TiN particles that can be formed. Fine TiN precipitates have been shown to be able to delay recrystallization kinetics. Moreover, the solute drag effect of Ti cannot be ignored in the case of hyperstoichiometric Ti/N ratios. It is observed that Nb-Ti grades tend to have lower non-recrystallization temperatures compared to Nb grades, which means that pancaking of the austenite is more difficult for these steels. The opposite is observed for the Nb-Mo grades, although in both cases the behavior is affected by the nominal content of Nb.     

铌微合金钢形变诱导相变的上限温度

在Gleeble 1500热模拟实验机上进行单道次压缩实验,通过改变变形量以及变形后立即淬火的方法,研究了应变量对微合金钢形变诱导相变上限温度Ad3的影响.还通过不同温度的奥氏体化,研究了铌对微合金钢形变诱导相变上限温度Ad3的影响.结果表明,Ad3随应变量的增大而升高,并且当应变量较大时,Ad3趋于不变;铌对形变诱导相变有强烈的促进作用.     

Effect of Solute Drag and Precipitate Pinning on Austenite Grain Growth in Ti-Nb Microalloyed Steels

A metallurgical model concerning the co-effect of the Nb solute drag and the complex carbonitride precipitates pinning is proposed to predict the recrystallization austenite grain growth of low carbon Nb-containing microalloyed steels.The analysis,both predicted and experimental,reveals the precipitate pinning plays a dominate role in suppressing the austenite grain growth with less Nb solute drag effect in high temperature region whereas the Nb solute drag predominates in relatively low temperature region.A factor p is suggested to assess the effectiveness of drag and pinning.The pinning and the drag are more effective in restraining grain growth as p>0 and p<0,respectively.A low carbon Nb microalloyed steel and a kind of Ti-modified low carbon Nb steel by Ti substituting for part of Nb are employed to validate the modeling results.The theoretical calculations show a good agreement with experimental results.     

钛铌微合金化齿轮钢的奥氏体晶粒长大研究

 采用热模拟渗碳方法研究了Ti、Ti-Nb微合金化的20CrMnTi和20CrMnTiNb渗碳齿轮钢在930~1200℃的奥氏体晶粒长大规律。结果表明,添加0. 038%(质量分数,下同)的钛和0. 048%的铌的20CrMnTiNb钢中含有铌和钛的析出相,其粒子间距为0. 361μm;而含0. 054%的钛的20CrMnTi钢中仅含有较大尺寸的TiN析出相,粒子间距为0. 471μm,前者奥氏体晶粒粗化倾向明显低于后者。20CrMnTiNb钢经1000℃奥氏体化10h后奥氏体晶粒长大不明显,且无混晶现象,适合高温渗碳工艺。     

Effect of Austenite Grain Size on Phase Transformation Structure of Low-Carbon Microalloyed Steel

The effect of austenite grain on the phase transformation of low-carbon microalloyed steel during continuous cooling is investigated by using Gleeble thermal simulator. The austenite grain size is changed by altering the holding period at the peak temperature. The findings demonstrate that for a given cooling rate, the longer the holding time, the microstructure becomes finer, and bainite begins to show up in the microstructure. The critical temperature of phase transformation and the diagram of phase transformation reaction rate during continuous cooling are determined by dilatometry. The Johnson–Mehl–Avrami–Kolmogorov equation is used to fit the transformation volume fraction, and the variation of kinetic parameters k and n with prior austenite grain size under nonisothermal condition is determined. The n value is trending downward as the prior austenite grain size increases, while the kinetic parameter k barely changes at all. The activation energy of phase transition is calculated by Kissinger method. The activation energy of fine austenite grain increases from 248.6 to 286.3 kJ mol⁻¹ with the increase of austenite grain size, while the activation energy of coarse austenite grain decreases to 176.5 kJ mol⁻¹ due to the competitive nucleation mechanism.     

Effects of Chromium,Vanadium and Austenite Deformation on Transformation Behaviors of High-strength Spring Steels

The phase transformation behavior during continuous cooling of high-strength spring steels containing dif-ferent amounts of Cr was studied.Furthermore,the effects of combining Cr with V as well as austenite deformation on the transformation kinetics were investigated in the method of dilatometry and metallography hardness.The re-sults showed that,with the increase of Cr,the pearlite transformation field was enlarged,the ferrite transformation field was narrowed,and the entire phase field shifted to the right.With the addition of V,the start transformation temperature of undercooling austenite (Ar3 )was gradually increased,but the ferrite and pearlite transformation fields were not affected.Besides,the minimum critical cooling rate of martensitic transformation was also reduced.In addition,the dynamic continuous cooling transformation (CCT)curve moves to the top left compared with the static CCT curve.The transformed microstructures showed that the addition of V and the deformation not only refined the overall transformed microstructures but also reduced the lamellar spacing of pearlite.The alloying elements Cr and V promoted the Vickers hardness.However,the effect of Cr on the Vickers hardness of martensite was stronger and the influence of V on that of pearlite was stronger.Moreover,the Vickers hardness affected by the austenite deform-ation was more complex and strongly depended on the transformed microstructures.     

Microstructural Features Controlling Mechanical Properties in Nb-Mo Microalloyed Steels. Part I: Yield Strength

Low carbon Nb-Mo microalloyed steels show interesting synergies between the “micro”-alloying elements when high strength–high toughness properties are required. Strain accumulation in austenite is enhanced, and therefore grain sizes are refined in the final microstructures. The presence of Mo facilitates the presence of non-polygonal phases, and this constituent modification induces an increment in strength through a substructure formation as well as through an increase in the dislocation density. Regarding fine precipitation and its strengthening effect, the mean size of NbC is reduced in the presence of Mo and their fraction increased, thus enhancing their contribution to yield strength. In this paper, a detailed characterization of the microstructural features of a series of microalloyed steels is described using the electron-backscattered diffraction technique. Mean crystallographic unit sizes, a grain boundary misorientation analysis, and dislocation density measurements are performed. Transmission electron microscopy is carried out to analyze the chemical composition of the precipitates and to estimate their volume fraction. In this first part, the contribution of different strengthening mechanisms to yield strength is evaluated and the calculated value is compared to tensile test results for different coiling temperatures and compositions.     

Microstructural Features Controlling Mechanical Properties in Nb-Mo Microalloyed Steels. Part II: Impact Toughness

The present paper is the final part of a two-part paper where the influence of coiling temperature on the final microstructure and mechanical properties of Nb-Mo microalloyed steels is described. More specifically, this second paper deals with the different mechanisms affecting impact toughness. A detailed microstructural characterization and the relations linking the microstructural parameters and the tensile properties have already been discussed in Part I. Using these results as a starting point, the present work takes a step forward and develops a methodology for consistently incorporating the effect of the microstructural heterogeneity into the existing relations that link the Charpy impact toughness to the microstructure. In conventional heat treatments or rolling schedules, the microstructure can be properly described by its mean attributes, and the ductile–brittle transition temperatures measured by Charpy tests can be properly predicted. However, when different microalloying elements are added and multiphase microstructures are formed, the influences of microstructural heterogeneity and secondary hard phases have to be included in a modified equation in order to accurately predict the DB transition temperature in Nb and Nb-Mo microalloyed steels.     

Influence of Heating Rate on Ferrite Recrystallization and Austenite Formation in Cold-Rolled Microalloyed Dual-Phase Steels

Compared with other dual-phase (DP) steels, initial microstructures of cold-rolled martensite-ferrite have scarcely been investigated, even though they represent a promising industrial alternative to conventional ferrite-pearlite cold-rolled microstructures. In this study, the influence of the heating rate (over the range of 1 to 10 K/s) on the development of microstructures in a microalloyed DP steel is investigated; this includes the tempering of martensite, precipitation of microalloying elements, recrystallization, and austenite formation. This study points out the influence of the degree of ferrite recrystallization prior to the austenite formation, as well as the importance of the cementite distribution. A low heating rate giving a high degree of recrystallization, leads to the formation of coarse austenite grains that are homogenously distributed in the ferrite matrix. However, a high heating rate leading to a low recrystallization degree, results in a banded-like structure with small austenite grains surrounded by large ferrite grains. A combined approach, involving relevant multiscale microstructural characterization and modeling to rationalize the effect of the coupled processes, highlights the role of the cold-worked initial microstructure, here a martensite-ferrite mixture: recrystallization and austenite formation commence in the former martensite islands before extending in the rest of the material.     

The Effect of Cooling Rate,and Cool Deformation Through Strain-Induced Transformation,on Microstructural Evolution and Mechanical Properties of Microalloyed Steels

In this article, a detailed study was conducted to evaluate the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of microalloyed steels processed by thermomechanical schedules incorporating cool deformation. Cool deformation was incorporated into a full scale simulation of hot rolling, and the effect of prior austenite conditioning on the cool deformability of microalloyed steels was investigated. As well, the effect of varying cooling rate, from the end of the finishing stage to the cool deformation temperature, 673 K (400 °C), on mechanical properties and microstructural evolution was studied. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis, in particular for Nb containing steels, was also conducted for the precipitation evaluation. Results show that cool deformation greatly improves the strength of microalloyed steels. Of the several mechanisms identified, such as work hardening, precipitation, grain refinement, and strain-induced transformation (SIT) of retained austenite, SIT was proposed, for the first time in microalloyed steels, to be a significant factor for strengthening due to the deformation in ferrite. Results also show that the effect of precipitation in ferrite for the Nb bearing steels is greatly overshadowed by SIT at room temperature.     

Modeling of Strain-Induced Precipitation Kinetics and Evolution of Austenite Grains in Nb Microalloyed Steels

Considering the effect of strain and chemical composition onprecipitation behavior, new models for the start and end time of Nb（C,N） precipitation in austenite under the conditions of different temperatures and strains have been investigated for Nb microalloyed steel. The value of n in the precipitation kinetic equation has been determined by using the available experimental data in literature, which indicated that n is a constant and independent of temperature. The values of the start and end time of the predicted precipitation are compared with the experimental values. Calculated results are in good agreement with the experimental results. Also, the evolution of austenite grains before ferrite transformation is simulated by taking the effect of precipitation into consideration. The measured austenite grain size is in good agreement with predicted one prior to ferrite transformation.     

含硼微合金钢奥氏体热变形行为

采用单道次压缩实验方法，通过Gleebe-1500热模拟试验机对成分(％)为：0．05C，1．57Mn，0。50Cu，0.05Nb，0．014H，0．0012B微合金化钢进行800～1100℃应力．应变曲线和再结晶组织演变的试验研究，建立了动态再结晶临界应变和晶粒尺寸模型。得出降低变形温度或提高变形速率可明显细化该微合金化钢的晶粒。     

铝对微合金钢奥氏体分解动力学的影响

通过实验室热模拟和轧制实验研究了添加0.21%Al对成分为0.05%C-1.7%Mn-0.4%Si-0.05%Nb-0.03%Ti(质量分数)的微合金钢奥氏体分解动力学的影响.结果表明:加入0.21%Al在冷速为10℃/s范围内明显抑制奥氏体向先共析铁素体的转变,提高了贝氏体的淬透性;对于780℃终轧后在600℃等温20min的钢板,Al通过提高碳的活度减轻或避免了带状组织的形成,明显提高了轧制钢板的力学性能.     

铌微合金化高碳钢的连续冷却转变

在Geeble-1500热／力模拟试验机上测定了铌微合金化高碳钢与普通高碳钢变形后的连续冷却转变曲线，分析比较了它们的组织演变规律。实验结果表明，与普通高碳钢相比，含铌高碳钢的转变温度较高，A P两相区的温度范围较大(在所测定的冷速下，温度范围均在100℃以上)，且在相同冷速下，先共析铁素体的数量明显增多，而奥氏体晶粒较小。在本实验条件下，当冷速大于10℃／s时，含铌高碳钢转变后的珠光体片层间距较小；在冷速大于30℃／s时，其基体中出现贝氏体组织。     

Effect of Nb and Mo on Austenite Microstructural Evolution During Hot Deformation in Boron High Strength Steels

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - This work has focused on the study of hot working behavior of boron high strength steels microalloyed with different combinations of Nb and/or Mo. The...     

应变时效对微合金钢显微组织结构的影响

研究了微合金钢应变时效处理前后的显微组织结构。结果表明,组织为铁素体和珠光体,铁素体呈板条形状。微合金元素的碳氮化物主要分布于晶内,少量分布于晶界上,晶内析出相尺寸远小于晶界析出相。析出物形状有圆形以及短棒形,尺寸由几纳米左右到几百纳米不等。时效后仅发现C原子在位错线附近偏聚,微合金元素在时效前对微量N元素绑定作用导致N原子未能参与Cottrell气团形成。