Development of a high strength stainless steel with improved toughness and ductility

Compositional modifications have been made to the existing Cr?Mo?Co stainless steels to produce a steel (alloy B) which combines the high strength of AFC 77 with the toughness of AFC 260. This has been achieved by utilizing both the strengthening effect of grain refinement and the crack stopping ability of retained austenite. After tempering at 800° to 900°F alloy B possesses higher elongation than other high strength stainless steels due to the ease with which its retained austenite transforms under stress to martensite to delay necking. An explanation has been advanced for the anomalously low tensile yield strength that occurs in both alloy B and AFC 77 after tempering at 1000°F.     

The effects of surface hardening on fracture toughness of carburized steel

This research program was carried out to evaluate the effects of surface hardening on the fracture toughness of carburized steel. The materials AISI 8620 steel was machined into compact-tension (CT) specimens. The specimens were pack carburized at 930°C (1706°F) for different periods of time, cooled to ambient temperature and subsequently tempered at various temperatures for one hour. The fractured specimens were examined by hardness tests, metallography, X-ray diffraction analysis for retained austenite in the case, and scanning electron microscope fractographic analysis of the fracture surfaces. The experimental results revealed that theKIC values of the carburized, AISI 8620 steels were improved by the increase in case depth. Martensitic/tempered-martensitic structure in the case was the major constituent contributing to the improved toughness. The amount of retained austenite at the case increased as the thickness of the hardened layer increased. But retained austenite as well as large grain size were found to have adverse effects on fracture toughness of the carburized steel. The tempering temperature of 500°C (932°F) provided maximumKIC values. Higher tempering temperatures resulted in sharp decrease of fracture, toughness values. W{upeio}-Y{upoue} H{upo}, formerly a Graduate Student, in the Department of Materials Engineering Tatung Institute of Technology, is in compulsory 0 ROTC military service of Republic of China.     

Some effects of retained austenife on the fatigue resistance of carburized steel

Cyclic deformation properties have been measured for high carbon steels that simulate the surface layers on carburized AISI 4027 steel. The influence of retained austenite is manifested in cyclic hardening and the development of mean compressive stresses.These responses, which are found to vary in direct proportion to the initial retained austenite content, are attributable to deformation-induced transformation. The importance of such cyclic changes is demonstrated by strain-life relations for carburized 4027; specimens with large amounts of retained austenite in the surface layers possess superior fatigue resistance to otherwise identical specimens that are more completely transformed. It is also shown that the benefits of retained austenite diminish as the intrinsic ductility of the fully transformed material increases.     

Some effects of retained austenite on the fatigue resistance of carburized steel

Cyclic deformation properties have been measured for high carbon steels that simulate the surface layers on carburized AISI 4027 steel. The influence of retained austenite is manifested in cyclic hardening and the development of mean compressive stresses. These responses, which are found to vary in direct proportion to the initial retained austenite content, are attributable to deformation-induced transformation. The importance of such cyclic changes is demonstrated by strain-life relations for carburized 4027; specimens with large amounts of retained austenite in the surface layers possess superior fatigue resistance to otherwise identical specimens that are more completely transformed. It is also shown that the benefits of retained austenite diminish as the intrinsic ductility of the fully transformed material increases.     

The role of residual stresses in the mechanical performance of case carburized steels

Residual stresses in case carburized steels stem from two major sources, both of which are associated with the (rapid) cooling of the steels from elevated temperatures. The first source is the more rapid cooling rate of the surface of the body, as compared with the rate of the interior. The second is the time lag in the transformation of the austenite on cooling between the high carbon and low carbon portions of the carburized body. The as-carburized residual stress intensities and states are altered to varying degrees dur-ing the course of the tests used to measure the mechanical properties. The significant changes take place not only as the result of the strain of the measurement test itself, but also because of the transformation of any austenite retained in the case of the carburized part, and because of stresses developed within the part by virtue of the rheological inter-actions which occur within the part since it is, in essence, a composite material. The resultant observed mechanical performance of the carburized body is the summation of the intrinsic mechanical properties of the material itself, and the effects of the residual stresses as-carburized, and as-altered by the above phenomena. This paper is based on a presentation made at a symposium on “Carburizing and Nitriding: Fundamentals, Processes and Properties” held at the Cincinnati Meeting of the Metallurgical Society of AIME, November 11 and 12,1975 under the sponsorship of the Heat Treatment Committee.     

残余奥氏体对贝氏体钢轨性能的影响

 无碳化物贝氏体组织中的残余奥氏体对提高贝氏体钢轨的韧塑性作出了突出贡献,为了在铁路运营时使钢轨仍保持较高的韧塑性,需要控制好贝氏体钢轨残余奥氏体的稳定性。通过对热轧空冷、热轧空冷+低温回火贝氏体钢轨在不同环境温度下残余奥氏体稳定性的分析,回火贝氏体钢轨在不同试验温度（包括低温）条件下拉伸性能的分析,在模拟钢轨运营的试验条件下疲劳性能的分析及相应条件下残余奥氏体含量的测定,说明低温回火处理提高了贝氏体钢轨中残余奥氏体的稳定性,模拟钢轨运营的试验条件下,贝氏体钢轨中的残余奥氏体基本是稳定的。     

Low-temperature creep of a carburized steel

The low-temperature creep behavior of carburized 4320 steel with retained austenite contents of 35 and 14 pct and two uncarburized 4320 steels was investigated. The temperature range in the experiments was from 70 °C to 195 °C. The creep rate obeyed a logarithmic law when the stress level was below or near the proportional limit. A kinetic model is presented which de-scribes the low-temperature creep behavior of this steel under different stress and temperature conditions. The techniques for determining the constants in the model are given. Formerly Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois     

Forming response of retained austenite in a C‐Si‐Mn high strength TRIP sheet steel

TRIP sheet steels typically consist of ferrite, bainite, retained austenite, and martensite. The retained austenite is of particular importance because its deformation‐induced transformation to martensite contributes to excellent combinations of strength and ductility. While information is available regarding austenite response in uniaxial tension, less information is available for TRIP steels with respect to the forming response of retained austenite in complex strain states. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to study the austenite transformation behaviour in different strain paths by determining the amount of retained austenite before and after forming. Forming experiments were performed on a high strength 0.19C‐1.63Si‐1.59Mn TRIP sheet steel 1.2 mm in thickness in two different strain conditions, uniaxial tension (ε₁ = ‐2ε₂) and balanced biaxial stretching (ε₁ = ε₂). Specimens were formed to strains ranging from zero to approximately 0.2 effective (von Mises) strain. Specimens were tested both longitudinally and transverse to the rolling direction in uniaxial tension, and subtle mechanical property differences were found. The volume fraction of austenite, determined with X‐ray diffraction subsequent to forming, was found to decrease with increasing strain for both forming modes. Some modification in the crystallographic texture of the ferrite was observed with increasing strain, in specimens tested in the balanced biaxial stretch condition. This trend was not evident in the uniaxial tensile test results. Slight differences were found in the transformation behaviour of the austenite when formed in different strain conditions. More austenite transformed in specimens tested parallel to the rolling direction than transverse to the rolling direction in uniaxial tension. The amount of austenite transformed during biaxial stretching was determined to be greater than the amount transformed in uniaxial tension for specimens tested transverse to the rolling direction at an equivalent von Mises strain. The amount of austenite that transformed in biaxial tension, however, was comparable to the amount of austenite that transformed in specimens tested longitudinal to the rolling direction in uniaxial tension.     

高锰钢高速冲击时剪切区TRIP行为的准原位分析

利用背散射电子衍射技术对高速冲击前后高锰钢样品强制剪切区域的晶粒进行准原位观察,分析了剪切区域不同位置晶粒的相变情况,并借助有限元模拟及受力计算对不同晶粒相变程度差异的原因做了进一步分析.结果表明,在高速变形下,应力应变水平、奥氏体取向及晶粒间的相互作用共同影响TRIP行为:应力应变水平越高,相变程度越大;由于帽型样中剪切应力的存在,相比于近〈111〉取向奥氏体,近〈100〉和近〈110〉取向奥氏体相变程度更大,近〈110〉取向相变程度最大.具有有利取向的奥氏体,晶粒尺寸越大,其相变行为受周围晶粒影响越小,越容易充分相变;具有有利取向的长条状奥氏体晶粒,若其两侧晶粒难相变,则该晶粒相变将受到束缚;带有尖角的晶粒,变形时应力集中难以释放,易发生相变;当晶粒的孪生分力大于滑移,但其最大和次大的孪生分力相差不大,可能导致在这两个方向孪生互相竞争,反而不易相变.高速变形时体心马氏体多在晶界应力集中处产生,很少在晶粒内部大量产生,形态多为细片状,变体选择强.      

Retained austenite and mechanical properties in bainite transformed low alloy steels

Uniform ductility and formability of low alloy steels can be improved by the transformation plasticity effect of metastable retained austenite. In this work, intercritical annealing followed by bainite transformation resulted in the retention of austenite with sufficient stability for transformation plasticity interactions. The effect of retained austenite on mechanical properties was studied in two low-alloy steels. Bainite transformation was carried out in the range of 400 to 500°C. The strength properties (yield strength and ultimate tensile strength) were more sensitive to bainite isothermal transformation temperature than holding time. Maximum strength properties were obtained for the lower transformation temperatures. On the other hand, high uniform and total elongation values were obtained at lower transformation temperatures but were sensitive to bainite isothermal transformation time. Variations in uniform elongation with holding time were linked to variations in retained austenite stability. Maximum values of uniform elongation occurred at the same holding times as the maximum amount of retained austenite. The same was true for total elongation and ultimate tensile strength. The above results indicate a strong correlation between retained austenite stability and uniform ductility and suggest that further optimisation regarding chemical composition and processing with respect to austenite stabilisation may lead to a new class of triple-phase high-strength high-formability low-alloy steels.     

Response Characteristics and Adiabatic Heating during High Strain Rate for TRIP Steel and DP Steel

By using a static and high-speed material testing machine,tensile deformation behaviors of two kinds of SiMn TRIP(transformation induced plasticity)steels and DP(dual phase)steel were studied in a large range of strain rates(0.001-2 000s-1).Temperature variation during adiabatic heating and the amount of retained austenite at fracture were measured by an infrared thermometer and an X-ray stress analyser,respectively.The microstructure of steels was observed by optical microscopy(OM)and scanning electron microscopy(SEM)before and after tensile test.It was found from the experimental results that the tensile strength of these steels increased,and the fracture elongation firstly decreased and subsequently increased,as the strain rate increased in the range of 0.1-2 000s-1.The temperature raised during adiabatic heating of TRIP steel was in the range of 100-300℃,while that of the DP steel was in the range of 100-220 ℃.The temperature rise of these steels increased with increasing the strain rate,as well as the amount of the transformed retained austenite in TRIP steels.It was confirmed that austenite to martensite transformation is not suppressed by adiabatic heating.     

Tempering of Mn and Mn-Si-V Dual-Phase Steels

Changes in the yield behavior, strength, and ductility of a Mn and a Mn-Si-V dual-phase (ferrite-martensite) steel were investigated after tempering one hour at 200 to 600 °C. The change in yield behavior was complex in both steels with the yield strength first increasing and then decreasing as the tempering temperature was increased. This complex behavior is attributed to a combination of factors including carbon segregation to dislocations, a return of discontinuous yielding, and the relief of residual stresses. In contrast, the tensile strength decreased continuously as the tempering temperature was increased in a manner that could be predicted from the change in hardness of the martensite phase using a simple composite strengthening model. The initial tensile ductility (total elongation) of the Mn-Si-V steel was much greater than that of the Mn steel. However, upon tempering up to 400 °C, the ductility of the Mn-Si-V decreased whereas that of the Mn steel increased. As a result, both steels had similar ductilities after tempering at 400 °C or higher temperatures. These results are attributed to the larger amounts of retained austenite in the Mn-Si-V steel (9 pct) compared to the Mn steel (3 pct) and its contribution to tensile ductility by transforming to martensite during plastic straining. Upon tempering at 400 °C, the retained austenite decomposes to bainite and its contribution to tensile ductility is eliminated.     

Tempering of Mn and Mn-Si-V dual-phase steels

Changes in the yield behavior, strength, and ductility of a Mn and a Mn-Si-V d11Al-phase (ferrite-martensite) steel were investigated after tempering one hour at 200 to 600 °C. The change in yield behavior was complex in both steels with the yield strength first increasing and then decreasing as the tempering temperature was increased. This complex behavior is attributed to a combination of factors including carbon segregation to dislocations, a return of discontinuous yielding, and the relief of resid11Al stresses. In contrast, the tensile strength decreased continuously as the tempering temperature was increased in a manner that could be predicted from the change in hardness of the martensite phase using a simple composite strengthening model. The initial tensile ductility (total elongation) of the Mn-Si-V steel was much greater than that of the Mn steel. However, upon tempering up to 400 °C, the ductility of the Mn-Si-V decreased whereas that of the Mn steel increased. As a result, both steels had similar ductilities after tempering at 400 °C or higher temperatures. These results are attributed to the larger amounts of retained austenite in the Mn-Si-V steel (9 pct) compared to the Mn steel (3 pct) and its contribution to tensile ductility by transforming to martensite during plastic straining. Upon tempering at 400 °C, the retained austenite decomposes to bainite and its contribution to tensile ductility is eliminated. This paper is based on a presentation made at the “pcter G. Winchell Symposium on Tempering of Steel” held at the Louisville Meeting of The Metallurgical Society of AIME, October 12-13, 1981, under the sponsorship of the TMS-AIME Ferrous Metallurgy and Heat Treatment Committees.     

Tempering characteristics of a vanadium containing dual phase steel

Dual phase steels are characterized by a microstructure consisting of ferrite, martensite, retained austenite, and/or lower bainite. This microstructure can be altered by tempering with accompanying changes in mechanical properties. This paper examines such changes produced in a vanadium bearing dual phase steel upon tempering below 500 °C. The steel mechanical properties were minimally affected on tempering below 200 °C; however, a simultaneous reduction in uniform elongation and tensile strength occurred upon tempering above 400 °C. The large amount of retained austenite (≅10 vol pct) observed in the as-received steel was found to be essentially stable to tempering below 300 °C. On tempering above 400 °C, most of the retained austenite decomposed to either upper bainite (at 400 °C) or a mixture of upper bainite and ferrite-carbide aggregate formed by an interphase precipitation mechanism (at 500 °C). In addition, tempering at 400 °C led to fine precipitation in the retained ferrite. The observed mechanical properties were correlated with these microstructural changes. It was concluded that the observed decrease in uniform elongation upon tempering above 400 °C is primarily the consequence of the decomposition of retained austenite and the resulting loss of transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) as a contributing mechanism to the strain hardening of the steel. B. V. N. RAO, formerly Senior Research Engineer, Analytical Chemistry Department, General Motors Research Laboratories     

Stability and Constitutive Modelling in Multiphase TRIP Steels

Multiphase TRIP steels are a relatively new class of steels exhibiting excellent combinations of strength and cold formability, a fact that renders them particularly attractive for automotive applications. The present work reports models regarding the prediction of the stability of retained austenite, the optimisation of the heat‐treatment stages necessary for austenite stabilization in the microstructure, as well as the mechanical behaviour of these steels under deformation. Austenite stability against mechanically‐induced transformation to martensite depends on chemical composition, austenite particle size, strength of the matrix and stress state. The stability of retained austenite is characterized by the M^σ_S temperature, which can be expressed as a function of the aforementioned parameters by an appropriate model presented in this work. Besides stability, the mechanical behaviour of TRIP steels also depends on the amount of retained austenite present in the microstructure. This amount is determined by the combinations of temperature and temporal duration of the heat‐treatment stages undergone by the steel. Maximum amounts of retained austenite require optimisation of the heat‐treatment conditions. A physical model is presented in this work, which is based on the interactions between bainite and austenite during the heat‐treatment of multiphase TRIP steels, and which allows for the selection of treatment conditions leading to the maximization of retained austenite in the final microstructure. Finally, a constitutive micromechanical model is presented, which describes the mechanical behaviour of multiphase TRIP steels under deformation, taking into account the different plastic behaviour of the individual phases, as well as the evolution of the microstructure itself during plastic deformation. This constitutive micromechanical model is subsequently used for the calculation of forming limit diagrams (FLD) for these complex steels, an issue of great practical importance for the optimisation of stretch‐forming and deep‐drawing operations.     

The effects of heat treatment on fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth Rates in 440C and BG42 steels

The fatigue crack growth rates,da/dN, and the fracture toughness, K_Ic have been measured in two high-carbon martensitic stainless steels, 440C and BG42. Variations in the retained austenite contents were achieved by using combinations of austenitizing temperatures, refrigeration cycles, and tempering temperatures. In nonrefrigerated 440C tempered at 150 °C, about 10 vol pct retained austenite was transformed to martensite at the fracture surfaces duringK _Ic testing, and this strain-induced transformation contributed significantly to the fracture toughness. The strain-induced transformation was progressively less as the tempering temperature was raised to 450 °C, and at the secondary hardening peak, 500 °C, strain-induced transformation was not observed. In nonrefrigerated 440C austenitized at 1065 °C,K _Ic had a peak value of 30 MPa m^1/2 on tempering at 150 °C and a minimum of 18 MPa m^1/2 on tempering at 500 °C. Refrigerated 440C retained about 5 pct austenite, and did not exhibit strain-induced transformation at the fracture surfaces for any tempering temperature. TheK _Ic values for corresponding tempering temperatures up to the secondary peak in refrigerated steels were consistently lower than in nonrefrigerated steels. All of the BG42 specimens were refrigerated and double or quadruple tempered in the secondary hardening region; theK _Ic values were 16 to 18 MPa m^1/2 at the secondary peak. Tempered martensite embrittlement (TME) was observed in both refrigerated and nonrefrigerated 440C, and it was shown that austenite transformation does not play a role in the TME mechanism in this steel. Fatigue crack propagation rates in 440C in the power law regime were the same for refrigerated and nonrefrigerated steels and were relatively insensitive to tempering temperatures up to 500 °C. Above the secondary peak, however, the fatigue crack growth rates exhibited consistently lower values, and this was a consequence of the tempering of the martensite and the lower hardness. Nonrefrigerated steels showed slightly higher threshold values, ΔK_th, and this was ascribed to the development of compressive residual stresses and increased surface roughening in steels which exhibit a strain-induced martensitic transformation.     

900MPa热轧板Q-P-T工艺及其工程可行性的研究

 基于合金设计制备出2种低合金试验热轧板钢,在采用水淬＋盐浴回火的淬火-分配-回火（Q-P-T）工艺处理后,达到了屈服强度900MPa和伸长率15％的设计指标,为后期自行设计的单道次穿水淬火冷却装置用于热轧板的Q-P-T工艺工程可行性的研究奠定了基础。X射线衍射、扫描电镜和透射电镜的微观组织分析表明:与传统的淬火回火（Q&T）工艺相比,Q-P-T先进高强度钢中位错型板条马氏体基体及其内弥散分布的合金碳化物贡献于高的强度,板条马氏体间的薄片状奥氏体贡献于优良的塑性。此外,还进一步探讨了Q-P-T工艺中残余奥氏体的作用和多道次穿水淬火冷却装置用于不同厚度热轧板在线Q-P-T处理的可行性。     

Effect of Retained Austenite on the Fracture Toughness of Quenching and Partitioning (Q&P)-Treated Sheet Steels

Fracture toughness K _IC was measured by double edge-notched tension (DENT) specimens with fatigue precracks on quenching and partitioning (Q&P)-treated high-strength (ultimate tensile strength [UTS] superior to 1200 MPa) sheet steels consisting of 4 to 10 vol pct of retained austenite. Crack extension force, G _IC, evaluated from the measured K _IC, is used to analyze the role of retained austenite in different fracture behavior. Meanwhile, G _IC is deduced by a constructed model based on energy absorption by martensite transformation (MT) behavior of retained austenite in Q&P-treated steels. The tendency of the change of two results is in good agreement. The Q&P-treated steel, quenched at 573 K (300 °C), then partitioned at 573 K (300 °C), holding for 60 seconds, has a fracture toughness of 74.1 MPa·m^1/2, which is 32 pct higher than quenching and tempering steel (55.9 MPa·m^1/2), and 16 pct higher than quenching and austempering (QAT) steel (63.8 MPa·m^1/2). MT is found to occur preferentially at the tips of extension cracks on less stable retained austenite, which further improves the toughness of Q&P steels; on the contrary, the MT that occurs at more stable retained austenite has a detrimental effect on toughness.     

晶粒尺寸对表面渗碳钢疲劳极限的影响

利用旋转弯曲疲劳试验方法,研究了渗碳钢的晶粒尺寸与其疲劳极限之间的定量关系。结果表明,晶粒尺寸越小,渗碳钢的疲劳极限越高,晶粒尺寸与疲劳极限之间存在类似Hall-Petch关系。疲劳试样断口观察发现,疲劳裂纹起源于渗碳层,并沿原奥氏体晶界扩展,细化渗碳层晶粒有利于提高疲劳裂纹扩展阻力,因此改善疲劳性能。     

The effect of heat treatment on microstructure and cryogenic fracture properties in 5Ni and 9Ni steel

Heat treatments were utilized in 5Ni and 9Ni steel which resulted in the development of tempered microstructures which contained either no measurable retained austenite (<0.5 pct) or approximately 4 to 5 pct retained austenite as determined by X-ray diffraction. Microstructural observations coupled with the results of tensile testing indicated that the formation of retained austenite correlated with a decrease in carbon content of the matrix. Relative values ofK _IC at 77 K were estimated from slow bend precracked Charpy data using both the COD and equivalent energy measurements. In addition, Charpy impact properties at 77 K were determined. In the 9Ni alloy, optimum fracture toughness was achieved in specimens which contained retained austenite. This was attributed to changes in yield and work hardening behavior which accompanied the microstructural changes. In the 5Ni alloy, fracture toughness equivalent to that observed in the 9Ni alloy was developed in grain refined and tempered microstructures containing <0.5 pct retained austenite. A decrease in fracture toughness was observed in grain refined 5Ni specimens containing 3.8 pct retained austenite due to the premature onset of unstable cracking. This was attributed to the transformation of retained austenite to brittle martensite during deformation. It was concluded that the formation of thermally stable retained austenite is beneficial to the fracture toughness of Ni steels at 77 K as a result of austenite gettering carbon from the matrix during tempering. However, it was also concluded that the mechanical stability of the retained austenite is critical in achieving a favorable enhancement of cryogenic fracture toughness properties. Formerly with Union Carbide Corporation, Tarrytown, NY