Strain‐Rate‐Dependent Flow Stress and Failure of an Mg‐PSZ Reinforced TRIP Matrix Composite Produced by Spark Plasma Sintering

A composite consisting of 5 vol% MgO‐partially stabilized ZrO₂ particles (Mg‐PSZ) and a TRIP‐steel‐matrix (CrNiMn steel; transformation induced plasticity) was produced through Spark Plasma Sintering. The processed material was tested under compression at various nominal strain rates (4 × 10^?4 s^?1; 10^?3 s^?1; 1 s^?1, 10² s^?1). Both, the pure steel and the composite showed a considerable plasticity and high strength due to the very fine grained steel matrix. The addition of 5 vol% ceramic particles led to a rise in the offset yield strength of 60 MPa till 90 MPa according to the applied strain rate. Up to a strain rate of 1 s^?1, no change in offset yield strength was measured. A strain‐rate of 100 s^?1 leads to a rise in the offset yield strength of approx. 100 MPa. Both, the ceramic and an increase in the strain rate implicate to an early generation of microdeterioration. Limited by the interfacial strength of steel and Mg‐PSZ, failure occurs early at the interfaces, which is shown in a decrease in the work hardening. During the compression, especially at higher strain‐rates, adiabatic heating occurred and counteracted to the martensitic transformation.     

Cyclic Deformation of Powder Metallurgy Stainless Steel/Mg‐PSZ Composite Materials

In this study, the low‐cycle fatigue (LCF) behavior of powder metallurgy stainless steel/MgO partially stabilized zirconia (Mg‐PSZ) composite materials is presented. The steel matrix based on conventional AISI 304 steel (1.4301) is reinforced with Mg‐PSZ. The investigated composite materials were manufactured using the spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique. Total strain‐controlled LCF tests were performed on materials containing 0, 5, and 10 vol% Mg‐PSZ, respectively, in order to evaluate the influence of the ceramic reinforcement. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) measurements were applied to identify the locations where the martensitic phase transformations in the steel matrix and stress‐assisted as well as athermal martensitic phase transformations of the Mg‐PSZ ceramic reinforcement take place. The resulting cyclic deformation behavior is correlated with the microstructural features of the composite material.     

Determination of the Phase Distribution in Sintered TRIP‐Matrix / Mg‐PSZ Composites using EBSD

Metal matrix composites (MMC) containing TRIP‐steel/Mg‐PSZ were processed by cold pressing and conventional sintering in different atmospheres. The MMC was based on austenitic steel in the system Fe‐Cr‐Mn‐Ni showing transformation induced plasticity (TRIP). Depending on the sintering temperature, the sintering atmosphere and the steel composition the phase compositions of MgO partially stabilized zirconia (Mg‐PSZ) were analysed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X‐ray microanalysis (EDX) as well as electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). The interactions between the alloying elements of austenitic stainless steel and the ceramic stabilizer (MgO) as well as the technological parameters lead to a significant change in the phase composition of the Mg‐PSZ. The changes can be analysed by EBSD due to the high spatial resolution.     

Effect of Ti Additions on Micro‐Alloyed Nb TRIP Steel

In the present study, the influence of Ti‐additions on the mechanical properties of Nb‐microalloyed TRIP steel is investigated. Ti micro‐alloying additions to multi‐phase Nb TRIP steel result in a substantial increase of the yield strength and a reduction of strain hardening. The increase of the yield strength can be attributed mainly to grain refinement with a relatively small contribution of precipitation hardening. Based on general principles and well‐known models of alloying strengthening, metallurgical reasons for the observed mechanical behavior of the steel can be formulated. The contribution of precipitation hardening is relatively small as Ti‐addition result in the formation of coarse (Nb,Ti)(C,N) particles. The addition of Ti to a Nb‐microalloyed TRIP steel leads to a pronounced enhancement of precipitation kinetics of (Nb,Ti)(C,N), thereby increasing their phase fraction. The precipitates coarsen and tend to form groups of aggregates of particles rather than single isolated particles with increasing intercritical annealing time. In addition, Ti‐addition to Nb‐microalloyed TRIP steel has a direct influence on the chemical composition of the precipitates, which become Ti‐rich.     

Spontaneous and Deformation‐Induced Martensite in Austenitic Stainless Steels with Different Stability

The fraction and microstructure of spontaneous and deformation‐induced martensite in three austenitic stainless steels with different austenite stability have been investigated. Samples were quenched in brine followed by cooling in liquid nitrogen or plastically deformed by uniaxial tensile testing at different initial temperatures. In‐situ ferritescope measurements of the martensite fraction was conducted during tensile testing and complemented with ex‐situ X‐ray diffractometry. The microstructures of quenched and deformed samples were examined using light optical microscopy and electron backscattered diffraction. It was found that annealing twins in austenite are effective nucleation sites for spontaneous α'‐martensite, while deformation‐induced α'‐martensite mainly formed within parallel shear‐bands. The α'‐martensite formed has an orientation relationship near the Kurdjumov‐Sachs (K‐S) relation with the parent austenite phase even at high plastic strains, and adjacent α'‐martensite variants were mainly twin related (<111> 60° or Σ3).     

Microstructure and Local Strain Fields in a High‐Alloyed Austenitic Cast Steel and a Steel‐Matrix Composite Material after in situ Tensile and Cyclic Deformation

The tensile and cyclic deformation behaviour of a new metastable austenitic stainless cast TRIP (TRansformation Induced Plasticity) steel and a composite material consisting of austenitic steel matrix (AISI 304) with 5% MgO partially stabilized ZrO₂ (MgO‐PSZ) was studied in‐situ in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). In‐situ tests in the SEM show the evolution of the microstructure with the strain for uniaxial deformation and the number of cycles during fatigue, respectively. Initially, deformation bands develop. In these bands, the face‐centred cubic austenite transforms into the hexagonal ε‐martensite and subsequently to the body‐centred cubic α'‐ martensite. This evolution was studied by different SEM techniques. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) was applied for phase and orientation identification. The dislocation arrangement was investigated applying the electron channelling contrast imaging (ECCI) technique to different deformation stages. The studies are completed with measurements of local displacement fields using digital image correlation (DIC).     

In‐situ Synchrotron XRD Analysis of the Effect of Static Strain Aging on the Elasto‐plastic Transition in CMnSi TRIP Steel

In situ synchrotron X‐ray diffraction was used to investigate the martensitic transformation kinetics, lattice straining and diffraction peak broadening in cold‐rolled TRIP steel during tensile testing. Direct evidence of stress‐strain partitioning between different phases, dislocation pinning and differences in yielding behaviour of the different phases were clearly observed. The TRIP steel was subjected to a bake‐hardening treatment and a pronounced static strain aging effect was observed. In the present work, the martensitic transformation kinetics and the elastic micro‐strain evolution for both ferrite and retained austenite during the elasto‐plastic transition are reported with an emphasis on bake‐hardening with and without pre‐straining.     

Strength and Failure Behaviour of Spark Plasma Sintered Steel‐Zirconia Composites Under Compressive Loading

Several composites, consisting of a metastable austenitic steel matrix and varying amounts of MgO partially stabilized zirconia particles (Mg‐PSZ), were produced through spark plasma sintering (SPS). Compression tests were carried out at room temperature in a wide range of strain rate (4 · 10^?4 s^?1, 2 · 10^?3 s^?1, 10^?1 s^?1, 1 s^?1, 10² s^?1). In conjunction with subsequent microstructural investigations, the mechanical material behaviour was clarified. All composites showed a good ductility and a high strength. The strength increased with an increase of the ceramic content and with higher strain rates. Both, the martensitic transformation of the steel matrix and of the ceramic particles, could be proved at all strain rates. In this study no significant influence of the strain rate on the amount of transformed ceramic could be detected while the steel matrix showed less α′‐martensite after compression at rising strain rates. Local material failure occurred around 0.3 true compressive strain depending on the applied strain rate and the amount of the Mg‐PSZ powder. The main reason for the damage is the relatively weak ceramic‐ceramic interface within the ceramic clusters.     

增强相对二硼化锆陶瓷基复合材料性能的影响

ZrB_2具有优良的物理特性和化学稳定性而应用于许多领域,为了改善ZrB_2难以烧结致密化和高温易氧化,本文通过共沉淀法制备包覆式A1_2O_3-Y_2O_3/ZrB_2复合粉体,并对其进行放电等离子烧结制备ZrB_2陶瓷基复合材料,研究增强相对ZrB_2陶瓷基复合材料性能的影响。研究表明:两种包覆型粉体在700~1000℃时出现一次大的收缩,然后出现一个不收缩的平台阶段,两种包覆型粉体当温度达到1000~1600℃之后出现第二次收缩。随着复合材料中增强相种类增多,复合材料块体更容易致密,随着Al_2O_3比例增大,复合材料块体更容易致密。通过包覆处理后的粉体制备所得复合材料断裂韧性高于机械混合所得原料制备的复合材料断裂韧性,在原料处理方式相同的情况下,含有YAG-Al_2O_3相的复合材料断裂韧性高于只含有YAG相的复合材料断裂韧性。通过引入YAG或YAG-Al_2O_3制备的复合材料与纯ZrB_2陶瓷相比,氧化层厚度都有所变薄,这也说明通过引入YAG或YAG-Al_2O_3可以改善ZrB_2陶瓷基复合材料的高温抗氧化性能。     

The Effect of Size and Shape of Austenite Grains on the Mechanical Properties of a Low‐Alloyed TRIP Steel

The effects of size and shape of austenite grains on the extraordinary hardening of steels with transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) have been studied. The deformation and transformation of austenite was followed by interrupted ex situ bending tests using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). A finite element model (FEM) was used to relate the EBSD based results obtained in the bending experiments to the hardening behavior obtained from tensile experiments. The results are interpreted using a simple rule of mixture for stress partitioning and a short fiber reinforced composite model. It is found that both, the martensite transformation rate and the flow stress difference between austenite and martensite significantly influence the hardening rate. At the initial stage of deformation mainly larger grains deform, however, they do not reach the same strain level as the smaller grains because they transform into martensite at an early stage of deformation. A composite model was used to investigate the effect of grain shape on load partitioning. The results of the composite model show that higher stresses develop in more elongated grains. These grains tend to transform earlier as it is confirmed by the EBSD observations.     

Analysis of the Strain‐Induced Martensitic Transformation of Retained Austenite in Cold Rolled Micro‐Alloyed TRIP Steel

The stability of retained austenite and the kinetics of the strain‐induced martensitic transformation in micro‐alloyed TRIP‐aided steel were obtained from interrupted tensile tests and saturation magnetization measurements. Tensile tests with single specimens and at variable temperature were carried out to determine the influence of the micro‐alloying on the M_s^σ temperature of the retained austenite. Although model calculations show that the addition of the micro‐alloying elements influences a number of stabilizing factors, the results indicate that the stability of retained austenite in the micro‐alloyed TRIP‐aided steels is not significantly influenced by the micro‐alloying. The kinetics of the strain‐induced martensitic transformation was also not significantly influenced by addition of the micro‐alloying elements. The addition of micro‐alloying elements slows down the autocatalytic propagation of the strain‐induced martensite due to the increase of the yield strength of retained austenite. The lower uniform elongation of micro‐alloyed TRIP‐aided steel is very likely due to the presence of numerous precipitates in the microstructure and the pronounced ferrite grain size refinement.     

Martensitic Transformation Behavior of B‐Bearing Steel During Isothermal Deformation

The purpose of the present research is to study the martensitic transformation in 22MnB5 steel under thermomechanical conditions by means of dilatation data. To reach this aim, the effects of deformation temperature and strain rate on the martensitic dilatation as well as martensite start temperature (M_s) were investigated. Thermomechanical treatments were performed in a deformation dilatometer including the isothermal deformation of samples in the temperature range of 550–900°C up to the final strain of 0.5 in three strain rates of 0.1, 1, and 10 s^?1. Finally, deformation temperatures were divided into two regimes of lower and higher than 800°C. In the former, strain‐induced phase transformations, while in the latter, occurrence of dynamic recovery against mechanical stabilization of austenite influenced martensitic transformation.     

SEM Investigation of High‐Alloyed Austenitic Stainless Cast Steels With Varying Austenite Stability at Room Temperature and 100°C

The deformation mechanisms of high‐alloyed cast austenitic steels with 16% of chromium, 6% of manganese, and a nickel content of 3–9% were investigated by in situ and ex situ scanning electron microscopy. The austenite stability and the stacking fault energy were influenced by variation of the chemical composition as well as by changing deformation temperature (room temperature; RT and 100°C). The study shows that both an increase in austenite stability and stacking fault energy yield a significant change in the deformation mechanisms. Both increase of nickel content and increase in deformation temperature reduce the intensity of the martensitic phase transformation. Thus, the steel with low nickel content shows at RT pronounced formation of α′‐martensite. The steel with the highest nickel content, however, shows pronounced twinning.     

In‐Situ Study of the Microstructure Development in a CrMnNi TRIP Steel During Plastic Deformation

The microstructure development in CrMnNi TRIP steel during the onset of the plastic deformation was investigated with the aid of in‐situ X‐ray diffraction experiments. The analysis of the shift and broadening of the X‐ray diffraction lines allowed the elastic and the plastic components of the lattice deformation to be separated from each other. This separation made possible to follow the formation of the microstructure features like stacking faults, deformation bands and local lattice rotations that were afterwards confirmed by X‐ray diffraction with high resolution, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.     

残余奥氏体中的碳元素在TRIP钢变形前后的分布

利用TEM和EPMA对TRIP钢中残余奥氏体形貌以及碳元素的分配进行了研究,发现TRIP钢中的残余奥氏体以多种形态分布,且碳在残余奥氏体中的浓度显著高于其他两相中的浓度,此时残余奥氏体可以通过EPMA中的贫硅区表示;变形之后的残余奥氏体将会发生相变,通过TEM发现残余奥氏体在受到应力作用而发生相变之后转变为细小的立方马氏体,且由于碳原子来不及扩散,马氏体中的含碳量和奥氏体中的含碳量基本相同。