Formability of low-interstitial 18 pct Cr-2 pct Mo ferritic stainless steel

Because of its excellent corrosion resistance, low-interstitial 18 pct Cr-2 pct Mo ferritic stainless steel is being considered for a wide range of applications, many of which involve the forming of sheet. The present investigation was undertaken to examine the effects of rolling schedule on the formability of titanium-stabilized 18 pct Cr-2 pct Mo ferritic stainless steel sheet. Formability and texture development were evaluated by utilizing 1) plastic strain ratios and work-hardening exponents derived from tensile tests; 2) Swift and Olsen cup tests; and 3) X-ray pole figure analysis. Increasing the degree of cold reduction from 70 pct to 92 pct prior to the final recrystallization anneal led to substantial increases in deep drawability through changes in the recrystallization texture. Schedules of two-step cold rolling with an intervening recrystallization anneal, leading to increased total cold reduction, produced significantly higher plastic strain ratios than those produced by the one-step schedules. The crystallographic textures of the sheets were determined and correlated with the observedr values. This paper is based on a presentation made at a symposium on “New Developments in Ferritic and Duplex Stainless Steels,” held at the Fall Meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 19, 1972, under the sponsorship of the Corrosion Resistant Metals Committee on TMS-IMD and the Corrosion and Oxidation Activity of the ASM.     

The Kinetics of the Nitriding of Ternary Fe-2 at pct Cr-2 at pct Ti Alloy

The mechanism and the kinetics of growth of the nitrided zone of ternary Fe-2 at pct Cr-2 at pct Ti alloy was investigated by performing gaseous nitriding experiments at temperatures of 833 K and 853 K (560 °C and 580 °C) and at nitriding potentials r _N = 0.004 atm^−1/2 and 0.054 atm^−1/2. The microstructure of the nitrided zone was investigated by transmission electron microscopy and the elemental compositional variation with depth was determined by employing electron probe microanalysis. Fine platelet-type mixed Cr_{1 – x} Ti _x N nitride precipitates developed in the nitrided zone. To describe the evolution of the nitrogen concentration depth profile, a numerical model was developed with the following parameters: the surface nitrogen content, the solubility product(s) of the alloying elements and dissolved nitrogen in the ferrite matrix, and a parameter defining the composition of the inner nitride precipitates. These parameters were determined by fitting model-calculated nitrogen depth profiles to the corresponding experimental data. The results obtained demonstrate that the type of nitride formation (i.e., whether Cr and Ti precipitate separately, as CrN and TiN, or jointly, as mixed Cr_{1 – x} Ti _x N) as well as the amounts of mobile and immobile excess nitrogen taken up by the specimen considerably influence the shape and extent of the nitrogen concentration profiles.     

The influence of strain amplitude on the transient current behaviour in corrosion fatigue of Fe-26Cr-1Mo

Corrosion fatigue damage and its electrochemical characteristics of high purity ferritic stainless steel (Fe-26Cr-1Mo) under symmetrical tension and compression strain control have been investigated in 1M H₂SO₄ and 3.5 % NaCl solution by using three-electrode technique at imposed passive potential. The tests were carried out at the total strain amplitudes of 4 × 10^?3, 8 × 10^?3, 1.0 × 10^?2 and 1.2 × 10^?2. The effects of the strain amplitude on the electrochemical dissolution and plastic deformation on the surface were studied particularly. At low strain amplitude (Δε_t = 4 × 10^?3), the passivity-maintaining current was small and stable because of the small slip activity. The maximum current at the tensile half cycle, l_t^p, was always bigger than l_c^p, or sometimes equal to l_c^p, the maximum current at the compressive half cycle in 3.5 % NaCl. At high strain amplitude (Δε_t = 1.2 × 10^?2), the enhanced deformation on the surface induced the increasing dissolution. The increasing anodic current reflects the breakdown of the surface film, and only one current peak occurs within one cycle. At intermediate strain amplitude (Δε_t = 8 × 10^?3), the current behaviour was very stable after cyclic hardening in 3.5%, NaCl, but periodical jumpings of current during cycling were observed in the saturation region in 1 M H₂SO₄.     

Tracer diffusion of63Ni in Fe-17 wt pct Cr-12 wt pct Ni

The tracer diffusion of⁶³Ni in Fe-17 Cr-12 Ni by both volume and grain boundary transport has been studied from 600° to 1250°C. The use of an RF sputtering technique for serial sectioning allowed the determination of very small volume diffusion coefficients at the lower temperatures. Volume diffusion of nickel in this alloy was observed to be much slower than in pure iron or austenitic stainless steel at comparable temperatures. The volume diffusion coefficient is described byD _v =8.8 exp (−60,000/RT) cm²/s and grain boundary diffusion is described by σD _gb =3.7×10⁻⁹ exp (−32,000/RT) cm³/s. R. A. PERKINS, formerly Presidential Intern, Metals and Ceramics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak, Ridge, Tenn. 37830, is     

Evaluation of fatigue properties for aged 9Cr-1Mo steel

Low cycle fatigue tests of 9Cr-1Mo steel aged at 600°C for 5000 h and 10000 h were conducted at RT-600°C. Fatigue life was not decreased with aging. Cyclic softening was seen with cycles in both unaged and aged specimens. Aging decreased the amount of softening at RT and 400°C but increased it at 600°C. The precipitate species were not changed with aging upto 5000 h but Laves phase was precipitated after 10000 h aging. Fatigue life of 9Cr-1Mo steel aged to 10000 h is dependent on dislocation slip behavior rather than the amount and coarsening of precipitate.     

Molybdenum-Nitride Precipitation in Recrystallized and Cold-Rolled Fe-1 at. pct Mo Alloy

Nitriding of recrystallized and cold-rolled Fe-1 at. pct Mo alloy at 853 K (580 °C) in a NH₃/H₂ gas mixture leads to the formation of cubic nanometer-sized Mo₂N-type precipitate platelets. These platelets obey a Baker–Nutting orientation relationship with the ferrite matrix. After prolonged nitriding, micrometer-sized colonies of lamellae consisting of a hexagonal MoN-type nitride and ferrite develop in a discontinuous precipitation reaction. These nitride lamellae have a Burgers-type orientation relationship with the ferrite lamellae. As compared to the recrystallized specimens, in the cold-rolled specimens, the precipitation of the initial Mo₂N-type platelets occurs much faster and moreover leads to incoherently diffracting precipitates; upon continued nitriding, a much earlier but only partially occurring transition of Mo₂N-type to MoN-type precipitates is observed. The results indicate that incorporation of iron in the nitrides can occur, if at all, only up till a negligible level, thereby invalidating earlier data.     

The effect of environment on high-temperature hold time fatigue behavior of annealed 2.25 pct Cr 1 pct Mo steel

Total strain control fatigue tests with a 120-second hold period at either peak compressive or tensile strain were conducted on annealed 2.25 pct Cr 1 pct Mo steel. Tests were performed at the total strain range of 1.0 pct at 500 °C or 600 °C in air, 1.3 Pa (10⁻² torr) or 1.3 × 10⁻³ Pa (10⁻⁵ torr) vacuum. The nature of the hold and the environment affect fatigue life and surface crack patterns. A compressive hold is more deleterious than a tensile hold in high-temperature air, while the reverse is true in environments in which oxidation is limited. Observations of cracks at the surface and in cross section indicate that an oxidation-fatigue interaction accounts for the damaging effect of a compressive hold in air tests. In vacuum tests, creep damage has the opportunity to accumulate and causes the tension hold to exhibit the shortest fatigue lifetime.     

Effect of carbon content and helium gas environment on creep crack growth properties of Ni-26 pct Cr-17 pct W-0.5 pct Mo alloy at 1273 K

Creep crack growth tests were conducted on Ni-26 pct Cr-17 pct W-0.5 pct Mo alloys with different carbon contents in air and in helium gas environment at 1273 K using the compact-type (CT) specimen, and the effects of carbon content and environment on creep crack growth rate are discussed. Creep crack growth rateda/dt is evaluated by theC* parameter. Theda/dt is faster in higher-carbon alloys than in lower-carbon alloys in each environment. This effect of carbon content is attributed to the lower creep ductility due to the increase of fine trans-granular carbides in higher-carbon alloys. The environmental effect on theda/dt vs C* relations is scarcely observed in higher-carbon alloys. In the 0.003 pct C alloy, however,da/dt is much lower in the He gas environment than in air. Carburization is observed ahead of the crack tip in the He gas environment at 1273 K. The intergranular carbides precipitated due to carburi-zation have a granular configuration and are considered to prevent the grain boundary sliding in lower-carbon alloys.     

Mechanical properties of high purity Fe-26 Cr-1 Mo ferritic stainless steel

The physical metallurgical characteristics of high purity Fe-26 Cr and Fe-26 Cr-1 Mo ferritic stainless steels, containing low carbon and nitrogen contents, were studied. The studies demonstrate that a commercially produced Fe-26 Cr-1 Mo high purity alloy containing a maximum of 50 to 150 ppm of carbon and nitrogen is capable of good mechanical properties and fabricability. The alloy was previously demonstrated to exhibit good corrosion resistance. Because of these properties, the high purity Fe-26 Cr-1 Mo alloy is a viable alternate to 300-series stainless steels as well as more highly alloyed materials for many applications. This paper is based on a presentation made at a symposium on “New Developments in Ferritic and Duplex Stainless Steels,” held at the Fall Meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 19, 1972, under the sponsorship of the Corrosion Resistant Metals Committee of TMS-IMD and the Corrosion and Oxidation Activity of the ASM.     

The effect of temperature and carbon content on the cavitation behavior of a 1.5 pct Cr-0.5 pct V steel

Constant strain rate tests at 10^-6 s^-1 have been carried out at 823 K and 923 K on a vacuum melted 1 1/2 pct Cr 1/2 pct V ferritic steel containing 3 different carbon contents. After straining to various elongation values specimens were unloaded, cooled and fractured at 77 K. This gave fracture surfaces consisting almost entirely of intergranular facets, enabling a quantitative study to be made of the different stages of cavity nucleation and growth. It was found that cavity growth rates were independent of carbon content but were higher at 923 K than at 823 K. Subsequent grain boundary sliding measurements, using a surface offset technique showed that sliding increased with increasing carbon content and that cavity nucleation occurred selectively at large grain boundary carbides. Formerly of the Department of Metallurgy, University of Manchester.     

Microstructural changes in 1Cr-0.5Mo steel after 20 years of service

Metallographie studies have been conducted on 1Cr-0.5Mo steel “taken from a pressure vessel which had been in service for 20 years in a hydrogenous environment at 524 °C. The original microstructure of the steel, reproduced by reheat treatment of the exposed material, consisted of proeutectoid ferrite and tempered bainite, the carbides being mainly cementite. The service exposure caused precipitation of needle-like M₂C carbides in the ferritic regions and M₇C₃ carbides in the vicinity of the original cementite particles. Chromium and molybdenum moved from solid solution to the carbides during the service exposure with 72 pct and 32 pct of the total chromium and molybdenum contents, respectively, remaining in solid solution after service for 20 years. Formerly with AMAX Materials Research Center (formerly Climax Molybdenum Company of Michigan)     

Dilatometry study of the sintering behavior of boron-alloyed Fe-1.5 pct Mo powder

The effect of different boron concentrations on the sintering behavior of an Fe-1.5 pct Mo (wt pct) prealloyed powder was investigated. Sintering was carried out in a dilatometer so that all dimensional changes involved with the densification process could be followed. Several transformations were found to occur by heating powder compacts to 1200 °C and then cooling them to room temperature. At high temperatures, boron promoted the formation of liquid phases that, through a more-efficient sintering kinetics, promoted a satisfactory densification. Faster heating rates also had beneficial effects on the density of the final products. From a microstructural point of view, boron tended to destabilize the ferritic phase and to form iron and molybdenum borides. These borides can be found both in the intergranular regions, with a typical eutectic morphology, and dispersed in the ferritic matrix, in the form of nanometer-sized precipitates. This feature, having a significant effect on the hardness of the bulk material, has been ascribed to a bainite-like precipitation of borides from an undercooled austenitic phase.     

温压Fe-2Cu-0.5Mn-1C烧结材料超声疲劳研究

采用模壁润滑温压制备部分预合金Fe-2Cu-0.5Mn-1C烧结材料,设计材料的弯曲超声疲劳试样尺寸并研究对称弯曲超声疲劳行为,测试了材料在105~108周次下的疲劳性能。结果表明Fe-2Cu-0.5Mn-1C材料弯曲超声疲劳的条件疲劳极限存在,在106,107和108周次下相应的疲劳强度为402 MPa,331 MPa和273 MPa。疲劳裂纹一般在孔隙或夹杂物上萌生。超声疲劳断口的不同区域呈现出不同的特征。高疲劳应力时,裂纹源区位于靠近试样表面的孔隙或夹杂物处;低应力时,裂纹源区移动到材料亚表面或材料内部。裂纹扩展区出现了不规则分布的微观疲劳辉纹形貌,裂纹瞬断区中出现了解理面和韧窝等形貌。     

Phase transformations during tempering of the Fe-15Cr-1Mo martensites containing nitrogen or carbon

Hardness measurements, dilatometry, internal friction measurements, Mössbauer spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy are utilized in order to study the effect of tempering on the microstructure of a stainless martensitic steel containing 15% Cr, 1% Mo and 0.6% N. A similar carbon steel containing 15% Cr, 1% Mo and 0.6% C is used for comparison. Tempering of alloy Fe-15Cr-1Mo-0.6N in the low temperature range of 353-473 K leads to formation of hexagonal ?-nitride (Fe,Cr)₂N, which is followed by precipitation of the orthorombic ?-nitride (Fe,Cr)₂N at temperatures of 573-773 K. The hexagonal nitride Cr₂N is precipitated at 923 K and preferably formed at grain boundaries. The alloy Fe-15Cr-1Mo-0.6C shows the expected tempering behaviour. ?-carbide (Fe,Cr)₂C and cementite (Fe,Cr)₃C are precipitated during low temperature ageing, followed by the formation of Cr₇C₃ carbides after the temperature has risen to 873 K. With a similar interstitial content the amount of retained austenite in the nitrogen martensite is nearly twice as high as in the carbon one. Furthermore, the thermal stability of the retained austenite of the nitrogen alloy is substantially higher than that of the carbon steel.     

Identification of M5C2 carbides in ex- service 1Cr-0.5Mo steels

Rod-shaped precipitates up to 6μm} long and 0.25μm wide, observed as a common feature within proeutectoid ferrite grains of ex-service lCr-0.5Mo steels, have been characterized using electron microdiffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and electron energy loss spectroscopy. The majority of the rods have been identified as M₅C₂ carbides, although some were M₃C. The M₅C₂ carbide, also known as the Hägg orX-carbide, is a monoclinic phase that is not known to have been identified previously in creep-resistant Cr-Mo steels. The M₅C₂ rods appeared to nucleate heterogeneously on M₂C carbides and persist in ferrite regions from which the needlelike M₂C carbides had disappeared. This suggests that the M₅C₂ carbide is more stable thermodynamically than M₂C in lCr-0.5Mo steels under typical service conditions. The metallic element compositions of the rodlike carbides varied, but the average compositions were in the range 48 to 56 at. pct Fe, 32 to 42 at. pet Cr, 8 to 12 at. pct Mn, and about 1 at. pct Mo. The Mn content of the rods varied systematically with exposure temperature and thus might be applied to the estimation of the effective service temperature of lCr-0.5Mo steel components.     

Carbon migration in 5Cr-0.5Mo/21Cr-12Ni dissimilar metal welds

The carbon migration between a ferritic steel and an austenitic steel was studied in submerged arc-welded 5Cr-0.5Mo/21Cr-12Ni dissimilar metal welds (DMWs) after aging at 500°C for various times and after long-term service in technical practice. The distribution of carbon, chromium, nickel, and iron in the areas around the weld interface was determined by electron probe microanalysis, and the microstructural aspect in the carbon-depleted/enriched zone was characterized by optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Furthermore, the precipitation sequences and composition characteristics of the carbides were identified by diffraction pattern microanalysis and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) microanalysis. It was found (1) that there exists a coherent relationship between intracrystalline M₂₃C₆ and the austenitic matrix; (2) that the composition of M₂₃C₆ in the carbon-enriched zone is independent of the duration of aging and service; (3) that the maximum carbon concentration is determined by the carbide type, the composition characteristic of precipitated carbides, and the concentration of carbide-forming Cr adjacent to the weld interface in the carbon-enriched zone; and (4) that the carbon migration in the 5Cr-0.5Mo/21Cr-12Ni DMWs can be described by a diffusion model.     

Molybdenum accumulation at ferrite: Austenite interfaces during isothermal transformation of an Fe-0.24 pct C-0.93 pct Mo alloy

A scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) technique was used to measure Mo concentrations at ferrite:austenite (α:γ) interfaces in an Fe-0.24 pct C-0.93 pct Mo alloy partially transformed at 650°C, 630°C, and 610°C. These concentrations were quite small at 650°C, which is just below the bay temperature of the time-temperature-transformation (TTT) curve for the initiation of ferrite formation. There were larger concentrations at 630°C, a temperature at which transformation stasis (incomplete transformation) occurred. Concentrations at 610°C were intermediate between the values observed at 650°C and 630°C. The average accumulation at the latter temperatures increased appreciably as a function of transformation time. After each heat treatment, there was considerable variation in Mo accumulation from one α:γ interface to another and, to a lesser extent, from one region to another along the same interface. These higher Mo concentrations were deduced to have developed largely through volume diffusion of Mo, mainly through ferrite, to interfaces whose ledgewise growth had been interrupted by growth stasis. (Mo₂C precipitation at α:γ boundaries occurred only at the end of growth stasis.) It appears that only a very small amount of Mo segregation is needed, probably at specific interfacial sites, in order to produce growth cessation. Growth kinetics anomalies of this kind continue to provide the best evidence available for the operation of a coupled-solute drag effect. This article is based on a presentation given in the symposium “The Effect of Alloying Elements on the Gamma to Alpha Transformation in Steels,” October 6, 2002, at the TMS Fall Meeting in Columbus, Ohio, under the auspices of the McMaster Centre for Steel Research and the ASM-TMS Phase Transformations Committee.     

On the microstructure and mechanical behavior of melt-spun Fe-24 pct Ni-0.5 pct C Ribbons: Effect of austenite grain size

The role of carbon on the retention and decomposition of austenite in a melt-quenched Fe-24 wt pct Ni-0.5 wt pct C alloy made by the melt-spinning method has been investigated, using a combination of X-ray diffractometry, optical and TEM metallography, microhardness measurements, and tensile tests. It is found that the addition of 0.5 wt pct C to Fe-24 wt pct Ni alloy leads to retention of austenite to a temperature close to -196 °C, when the alloy is quenched from the melt. The austenite grain size varies from ∼0.2 μm to ∼2 μm on going from the wheel to the gas side. The cooling rate, accordingly, changes from 5 × 10⁷ to 4 × 10⁴ Ks^-1. The changes in the mechanical properties have been correlated with the accompanying changes in the ribbon microstructure. The Central Metallurgical Research and Development Institute, National Research Centre, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt