Effect of Residual Elements on Hot‐Crack Susceptibility of Austenitic Stainless Steel

After partial melting and solidification of cylindrical samples hot tensile tests were performed on austenitic stainless steels containing residual elements such as copper, tin and lead as well as calcium and magnesium. Using well controlled cooling conditions down to the testing temperature a radially solidified microstructure in the test zone of the samples was achieved. The testing material was prepared by remelting of base material from the industrial production and addition of single elements in the vacuum induction furnace. The maximum strength and the reduction of area were determined in the temperature range between liquidus and 1100°C. With regard to the reheating and hot rolling process some samples were thermally treated under industrial conditions. The ductility of the material at temperatures down to 950°C was tested and the effect of annealing was evaluated. Recommendations for material processing by continuous casting and hot rolling were derived from the tests performed.     

不锈钢冶炼及凝固过程氮的控制

总结了氮在不锈钢中有害和有利正反两方面的作用。通过热力学计算和实测数据分析了温度和氮分压对不锈钢熔体中氮溶解度的影响,理论分析了不锈钢熔体吸氮和脱氮的动力学,指出了真空和高压分别是生产超低氮和高氮钢的主要方法。结合以往的研究成果和生产实践提出了生产超低氮铁素体不锈钢和高氮不锈钢的具体工艺技术措施。     

Modelling and Closed‐loop Control of Complex Tube Forming Based on an Optimized Application of Martensite Formation in Austenitic Stainless Steels

Metastable austenitic steels undergo deformation‐induced martensitic transformation which can lead to a distinct increase of fatigue strength at an optimal volume fraction of martensite. This effect was used in the present study to define the local strength behaviour of a structural component part for the very high cycle fatigue (VHCF) regime. The investigation was on a discontinuous two‐stage forming process that consists of U‐O‐forming and rotary draw bending and results in a cross tube of a trailer coupling as exemplary dynamically loaded component. The volume fraction of martensite can be adjusted by means of plastomechanical simulation of the forming process and its parameters as part of the online process control. The formation of martensite shows a strong dependence on forming parameters (e.g. temperature and strain‐rate) and batch variations. These disturbance variables can only be taken into account by a closed‐loop control. Non‐isothermal material models were analysed according to their simulation accuracy of the martensite evolution. For the online control various hierarchical mathematical models were studied with regard to time effort and model error.     

Modelling of Manganese Sulphide Formation during Solidification,Part II: Correlation of Solidification and MnS Formation

The high temperature properties of steels depend on the solidification parameters and the formation parameters of manganese sulphide precipitates. Therefore, the occurrence of MnS precipitations in relation to primary and secondary microstructures was studied for different steel grades with a primary delta‐ferritic solidification or a primary austenitic solidification. The liquidus and solidus temperatures as well as the δ‐γ‐transformation temperature were calculated thermodynamically and measured by a DTA analysis in order to describe the solidification and transformation temperature range. The MnS formation temperature was calculated thermodynamically and compared to the results of SEM/EDX investigations on fracture surfaces of hot tensile specimens torn at different temperatures after in situ melting and controlled solidification. A special focus of these investigations was the location of MnS precipitates in relation to the primary and secondary grain boundaries. To explain the results, calculations were carried out taking into account the supersaturation of manganese and sulphur during the solidification in residual melt on the primary grain boundaries.     

Hot Workability of as‐Cast High Manganese‐High Carbon Steels

In order to produce new high Mn‐high C austenitic steels (R_m>700 MPa), different tests and methods were used to determine a suitable window of process parameters. In‐situ melting hot tensile tests and hot compression tests were carried out to investigate the hot ductility, fracture characteristics and flow behaviour during continuous casting and hot deformation of 3 steels with Mn and C contents between 9‐23% and 0.6‐0.9%, respectively. The results show that these steels are susceptible to interdendritic fracture at high temperatures. Decreasing Mn content improves the reduction of area at high temperatures to 60% or more. Hot deformation loads for processing the investigated steels are not higher in comparison to the stainless steel 1.4301.     

Hot Toughness of Continuously Cast Steel Slabs during Reheating

Laboratory hot tensile tests on specimens taken from continuously cast steel slabs are executed by means of a Gleeble apparatus to investigate the ductility and hot toughness of steels during reheating of as cast conditions. The reduction in area at fracture and the fracture energy for 10 different heats with the carbon content in the range from 0.003 to 0.521 mass% and some variations in Nb, Cr and N are presented in the temperature range from room temperature up to 1025°C. Ductility minima regarding toughness are identified around 300°C and 650°C. Relationships of the reduction in area at fracture and of the specific fracture energy with the relevant elements of the steel composition are established. Equivalent carbon concentrations are defined which take the N concentration into account for the 300°C embrittlement and additionally the micro‐alloying element Nb for the 650°C ductility minimum. Limits for the reduction in area values and for the specific fracture energy are proposed to validate the crack sensitivity of as cast carbon steel slabs.     

In‐Situ Observation of the Formation of MnS during Solidification of High Sulphur Steels

A Confocal Scanning Laser Microscope equipped with a gold image furnace was used to directly observe the precipitation of MnS during solidification of high sulphur steels under isothermal conditions in the temperature region 1440 to 1480°C on the free surface of the steel melt. For the case of Al‐killed steels, below 1480°C MnS particles were found to precipitate with Fe forming simultaneously around them. This MnS containing structure continued to grow rapidly (264 μm/s) as a surface film. The film gradually changed, as the level of S in the melt decreased, into a eutectic structure (with lamella spacing of 2 μm) as predicted by thermodynamics. In Si‐ killed steels there was significantly lower tendency to form MnS both in terms of time until precipitation occurred and growth rate.     

Control of δ‐γ Transformation during Solidification of Stainless Steel Slabs in the Mould

In order to obtain satisfactory workability properties required for defect free slab and strip production, the parameters of the casting process, e.g. cooling rate at the initial solidification for the alloy in question must, on the one hand, be carefully adjusted. On the other hand, controlling the characteristics of the solidification structure by chemical composition then takes on particular significance. The main aims of the work were to find out the influence of the phase transformation δ‐γ during the initial solidification of different variants of AISI 304 slabs cast in the industrial process on the ferrite distribution on slab surface, and how this relationship could favour the improvements of the surface slab quality. This report contains the joint contributions of the collaborative ECSC project among Centro Sviluppo Materiali (CSM), Krupp Thyssen Nirosta (KTN) and the Department of Ferrous Metallurgy of Rheinisch Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen (RWTH).     

Experimental Investigations and Computer Simulation of the Liquid Fraction Evolution during the Solidification of Alloys Suitable for Semi‐Solid Processing

One important parameter for the processing of materials by semi‐solid forming is the actual distribution of the solid and liquid phases in the semi‐solid range. This parameter defines the process stability for the forming step. Therefore it is necessary to obtain information about the materials behaviour in the semi‐solid state for different materials grades. This kind of information can be obtained by experimental studies in the interesting temperature range or by calculations with simulation programs using thermodynamic data validated by experiments. This work shows the results of experimental studies and thermodynamic calculations of the solidification and heat treatment behaviour of the aluminium alloy A319 and the steel X210CrW12. The experimental studies of solidification and heat treatment of these alloys were carried out using a differential thermal analysis system (DTA). The theoretical fraction of liquid content was calculated from the DTA signal by using a software module called Corrdsc. The experimental data obtained were used to validate the thermodynamic simulations of the solidification of semi‐solid alloys. The simulations of the solidification process were carried out for equilibrium conditions, with the Scheil‐Gulliver model as well as with diffusion calculations. The equilibrium and Scheil‐Gulliver calculations were performed by the program Thermo‐Calc, and the diffusion by the program DICTRA. The required thermodynamic and mobility data for multicomponent systems were taken from the data bases COST 507 light alloys, TCFE2000 Steel/Alloys and MOB2 mobility and from newly added data. The comparison of calculated phase transformations and fractions of liquid content with experimental data revealed a good agreement.