Influence of Vanadium on Grain Growth of Deformation Induced Ferrite in Low Carbon Steel during Continuous Cooling Process

The effects of vanadium on the deformation induced ferrite transformation (DIFT) in low carbon steel during heavy deformation at the temperature slightly higher than Ar₃ and on the coarsening of DIFT microstructure during the continuous cooling processes after deformation were investigated using a thermo‐simulator. The results show that vanadium has little effect on the volume fraction of DIFT microstructure under heavy deformation, whereas the deformation induced ferrite (DIF) grains are refined with increasing vanadium content. The steel containing a small amount of vanadium exhibits similar velocity of grain growth compared to vanadium free steel, while the vanadium remarkably inhibits grain growth in a steel containing a high amount of vanadium during the continuous cooling process. The diffusion activation energy of grain boundaries for all the tested steels is calculated and the influencing mechanism of vanadium on the grain growth during the continuous cooling process is discussed.     

快冷条件下钒对中低氮钢晶粒尺寸的影响

通过实验室轧制试验,研究了中低氮含钒钢在轧后快速冷却条件下的铁素体晶粒尺寸和屈服强度的变化规律.结果表明,加入钒能够细化铁素体晶粒,原因是在快速冷却条件下中低氮含钒钢中的钒全部固溶在基体中,固溶的钒降低铁素体的实际相变温度,从而细化了铁素体晶粒.     

高磁感取向硅钢常化处理过程中氮化物的沉淀

研究结果表明,采用两段式常化工艺,不仅使高磁感取向硅钢（Ｈｉ－Ｂ钢）热轧时产生的大量Ｓｉ３Ｎ４及少量氮化铁等较完全溶解,而且在中温等温及冷却阶段,可以使大量ＡｌＮ较弥散地析出,从而抑制初次晶粒正常长大以提高Ｈｉ－Ｂ钢的磁性能。     

Effect of Water Vapor During Secondary Cooling on Hot Shortness in Fe-Cu-Ni-Sn-Si Alloys

Residual Cu in recycled steel scrap can cause hot shortness when the iron matrix is oxidized. Hot shortness can occur directly after the solid steel is formed from continuous casting as the steel undergoes a cooling process known as secondary cooling where water is first sprayed on the surface to promote cooling. This is followed by a radiant cooling stage where the steel is cooled in air to room temperature. This investigation examines the roles of water vapor, Si content, temperature, and the presence of Sn in a Fe-0.2 wt pct Cu-0.05 wt pct Ni alloy on oxidation, separated Cu and Cu induced-hot shortness during simulations of the secondary cooling process. The secondary cooling from 1473 K (1200 °C) resulted in a slight increase in liquid quantity and grain boundary penetration as compared to the isothermal heating cycles at 1423 K (1150 °C) due to the higher temperatures experienced in the non-isothermal cycle. The addition of water vapor increased the sample oxidation as compared to samples processed in dry atmospheres due to increased scale adherence, scale plasticity, and inward transport of oxygen. The increase in weight gain of the wet atmosphere increased the liquid formation at the interface in the non-Si containing alloys. The secondary cooling cycle with water vapor and the effect of Sn lead to the formation of many small pools of Cu-rich liquid embedded within the surface of the metal due to the Sn allowing for increased grain boundary decohesion and the water vapor allowing for oxidation within liquid-penetrated grain boundaries. The presence of Si increased the amount of occlusion of Cu and Fe, significantly decreasing the quantity of liquid at the interface and the amount of grain boundary penetration.     

Microstructure and Precipitation Behavior in HAZ of V and Ti Microalioyed Steel

Three steels containing 0.05%C-0.1%V-0.01%N (steel V-LN),0.05%C-0.1%V-0.02%N (steel V-HN),and 0.05%C-0.1%V-0.02%N-0.01%Ti (steel V-HN-Ti),which were all essentially vanadium microalloyed steels,were subjected to simulating the microstructure of a coarse grained heat affected zone (CGHAZ).The process involved reheating to 1 350 ℃,rapid cooling to room temperature,and varying the welding heat input from 15 kJ/cm to 54 kJ/cm,including four cooling rates of t8/5 equal to 7.5 s,20 s,40 s,100 s,and the relationship of heat input to t8/5 was calculated by Quiksim software.The microstructure and precipitation of vanadium and titanium carbon nitrides are studied.The results indicate that the microstructure consists of granular bainite and some side plate ferrite in the grain boundary when the steels are produced with the highest heat input.As the heat input decreased,numerous polygonal ferrites and grain boundary ferrites appeared,and the size apparently increased.When the steel contained high nitrogen,it was considerably easier to form martensite-austenite island,which was even worse for the toughness and other properties of the steel.For the limitation of cooling time,vanadium carbon nitrides could not precipitate sufficiently,but as titanium was added,the unmelted or precipitated TiN on cooling absorbed some fraction of nitrogen in the matrix and made more precipitate positions for the round V(C,N),and thus several useful round particles could be seen in titanium-contained steel,and most of them were around TiN.By this experiment,we can conclude that with the help of titanium,nitrogen-enhanced steel had a better prior austenite grain size,was considerably easier to precipitate,reduced free nitrogen in the matrix effectively,and provided a very effective mechanism for restriction grain growth in the HAZ.     

Microstructure and Precipitation Behavior in HAZ of V and Ti Microalloyed Steel

Three steels containing 0. 05%C-0. 1%V-0. 01%N (steel V-LN), 0. 05%C-0. 1%V-0. 02%N (steel V-HN), and 0. 05%C-0. 1%V-0. 02%N-0. 01%Ti (steel V-HN-Ti), which were all essentially vanadium microalloyed steels, were subjected to simulating the microstructure of a coarse grained heat affected zone (CGHAZ). The process involved reheating to 1 350 °C, rapid cooling to room temperature, and varying the welding heat input from 15 kj/cm to 54 kj/cm, including four cooling rates of t_8/5 equal to 7. 5 s, 20 s, 40 s, 100 s, and the relationship of heat input to tg/_s was calculated by Quiksim software. The microstructure and precipitation of vanadium and titanium carbon nitrides are studied. The results indicate that the microstructure consists of granular bainite and some side plate ferrite in the grain boundary when the steels are produced with the highest heat input. As the heat input decreased, numerous polygonal ferrites and grain boundary ferrites appeared, and the size apparently increased. When the steel contained high nitrogen, it was considerably easier to form martensite-austenite island, which was even worse for the toughness and other properties of the steel. For the limitation of cooling time, vanadium carbon nitrides could not precipitate sufficiently, but as titanium was added, the unmelted or precipitated TiN on cooling absorbed some fraction of nitrogen in the matrix and made more precipitate positions for the round V(C, N), and thus several useful round particles could be seen in titanium-contained steel, and most of them were around TiN. By this experiment, we can conclude that with the help of titanium, nitrogen-enhanced steel had a better prior austenite grain size, was considerably easier to precipitate, reduced free nitrogen in the matrix effectively, and provided a very effective mechanism for restriction grain growth in the HAZ.     

Nb(C,N)溶解对高铌奥氏体晶粒长大行为的影响

为了定量研究铌对高铌钢加热过程奥氏体晶粒长大的影响,采用化学溶解过滤分离及电感耦合等离子光谱测定不同加热温度两种试验钢固溶铌质量分数,并对比研究了奥氏体晶粒长大行为。结果表明,在低温条件下,低铌钢固溶铌质量分数高于高铌钢;随加热温度升高,高铌钢固溶铌质量分数快速增加,但即使在1 300 ℃时,铌也不能完成固溶,少量铌存在于(Ti,Nb)(N,C)析出相中;奥氏体晶粒快速长大的温度与固溶铌质量分数快速增加的温度有关。随铌质量分数由0.082%增加到0.120%,奥氏体晶粒快速长大的临界温度由1 050升高到1 150 ℃。高铌钢在1 150～1 250 ℃加热温度范围内,奥氏体晶粒尺寸小于100 μm。     

Microstructural stability of ultrafine grained low-carbon steel containing vanadium fabricated by intense plastic straining

Two grades of low-carbon steel, one containing vanadium and the other without vanadium, were subjected to equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) at 623 K up to an effective strain of ∼4. After equal channel angular pressing, a static annealing treatment for 1 hour was undertaken on both pressed steels in the temperature range of 693 to 873 K. By comparing the microstructural evolution during annealing and the tensile properties of the two steels, the effect of the addition of vanadium on the thermal stability of ultrafine-grained (UFG) low-carbon steel fabricated by intense plastic straining was examined. For the steel without vanadium, coarse recrystallized ferrite grains appeared at annealing temperatures above 753 K, and a resultant degradation of the strength was observed. For the steel containing vanadium, submicrometer-order ferrite grain size and ultrahigh strength were preserved up to 813 K. The enhanced thermal and mechanical stabilities of the steel containing vanadium were attributed to its peculiar microstructure, which consisted of ill-defined pearlite colonies and ultrafine ferrite grains with uniformly distributed nanometer-sized cementite particles. This microstructure resulted from the combined effects of (a) the preservation of high dislocation density providing an effective diffusion path, due to the effect of vanadium on increasing the recrystallization temperature of the steel; and (b) precipitation of fine cementite particles at ferrite grain boundaries through the enhanced diffusion of carbon atoms (which were dissolved from pearlitic cementite by severe plastic straining) along ferrite grain boundaries and dislocation cores.     

In Situ Observation of the Lengthening Rate of Bainite Sheaves During Continuous Cooling Process in a Fe–C–Mn–Si Superbainitic Steel

The evolution of lengthening rate of bainite sheaves during continuous cooling process in a Fe–C–Mn–Si superbainitic steel was investigated by in situ observation on high-temperature laser scanning confocal microscope. The lengthening rates of bainite sheaves in three temperature ranges were calculated. The results indicate that the lengthening rate of bainite sheaves continuously decreases with the decrease of temperature during continuous cooling process. The lengthening rate of bainite sheaf depends on undercooling, transformation temperature, the diffusion of carbon atoms and the carbon content in parent austenite etc. The lengthening rate at high temperature is large due to the favorable carbon diffusion, smaller carbon content and less plastic deformation in untransformed austenite. Additionally, the microstructures after different isothermal holding temperatures were analyzed, indicating that the larger lengthening rate of bainite sheaves due to the high isothermal transformation temperature does not mean more amount of bainite transformation. Lower bainitic transformation temperature results in more and finer bainite plates.     

Structure of continuously cooled low-carbon vanadium steels

The structures of four 0.15 pct carbon steels containing vanadium, nitrogen, and aluminum separately and together were studied systematically, with the help of transmission electron microscopy, by cooling suitable steels at four different rates ranging from 120 °C/min to 3.6 °C/ min from temperatures giving a common austenite grain size of 35 μm. Except for the steel containing only vanadium and that containing only aluminum and nitrogen cooled at the fastest rate used, the observed microstructures were all essentially mixtures of polygonal ferrite and expected amounts for pearlite. For all the steels studied, except the one containing aluminum and nitrogen, it was found that general precipitation was more common than interphase precipitation, although the extent of the latter increased at lower cooling rates. Moreover, in some cases, both general and interphase precipitation were present in the same area. The presence of aluminum was observed to enhance the formation of interphase precipitates at all cooling rates, and the spacing between parallel rows of precipitates increased as the cooling rate was decreased. The dislocation density was high at all cooling rates in all the steels, but it was found to decrease with decreasing cooling rates. Very fine precipitates were found in all the steels, except the steel containing aluminum and nitrogen. At the fast cooling rates, the segregation of vanadium and interstitial elements, which led to locally lower transformation temperatures and higher supersaturations, resulted in clusters of fine particles of vanadium carbonitride, V(C, N). At the slower cooling rates, all the steels showed severe heterogeneity in precipitate morphology which was more pronounced in the steel containing aluminum and nitrogen, while a needlelike morphology of V(C, N) precipitate was occasionally found in steels containing either vanadium and nitrogen or vanadium, nitrogen, and aluminum. As the cooling rate decreased, particle coarsening and growth occurred, causing a reduction in the number of particles/unit area. The coarsening rate of V(C,N) in the presence of aluminum is considerably lower than that of vanadium carbide, VC, or of V(C, N) in the absence of aluminum. Because of the unfavorable precipitation kinetics, any aluminum nitride (A1N) formed during cooling did not nucleate separately but was deposited on the pre-existing A1N particles, thus causing them to be coarsened very rapidly with decreasing cooling rate. Formerly with the Department of Metallurgy, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England     

Warm Forged Medium Carbon V Steel

Nowadays there is a continuous demand,particularly from the automotive industry,for cheaper,lighter and more reliable components.It is not surprising then that steel research has been focused during the last decades in new qualities and processes.This paper is dealing with the use of vanadium microalloyed steels on one of those new processes,warm forging.For its low precipitation temperature and its recognised ability to strengthen steel microstructures via austenite grain growth control,precipitation hardening and interference of the static recrystallization process,vanadium in microalloyed steels seem to be an appropriate candidate for warm forging.     

Cooling Rate Dependence of Boron Distribution in Low Carbon Steel

The behavior of boron (B) segregation to austenite grain boundaries in low carbon steel was studied using particle tracking autoradiography (PTA) and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). An effective time method was used to compare the cooling rate (CR) dependence of this segregation during continuous cooling and its time dependence during isothermal holding. Comparison of these segregation behaviors has confirmed that the CR dependence of B segregation agrees well with its time dependence and is mainly a result of the phenomenon of nonequilibrium segregation. Based on the CR dependence of B segregation, the continuous cooling transformation behavior of B-bearing steel as compared with B-free steel was also investigated using dilatometry and microstructural observations. The addition of a small amount of B to low carbon steel retarded significantly the austenite-to-ferrite transformation and finally expanded the range of cooling programs that result in the formation of bainitic microstructures. Analysis of the B distribution has confirmed that this retardation effect of B on ferrite transformation is attributed to the CR dependence of B segregation to austenite grain boundaries during cooling after austenitization.     

中厚板中间坯冷却过程中晶粒长大及控制方法

为控制中厚板中间坯长时间待温导致的晶粒长大,研究了中间强制水冷却对奥氏体组织的影响.通过对Q345B钢和含Nb-Ti钢采用1050℃变形后快冷至1050~950℃预定温度保温的热模拟方法,确定了中间坯冷却过程中的晶粒尺寸变化规律,提出了中厚板冷却过程中晶粒长大的控制方法,建立了Q345B钢和含Nb-Ti钢在中间冷却过程中的晶粒长大模型.在中间冷却过程中,Q345B钢晶粒稳定性较差,而含Nb-Ti钢晶粒稳定性良好,归因于以铌为主的析出相对奥氏体晶界的钉扎作用.中间坯的强制冷却可控制奥氏体晶粒长大,63mm厚中间坯强制冷却可有效减小平均晶粒尺寸约20μm.在实际生产中,经中间强制冷却后16 mm厚度Q345B钢板的冲击韧性提高25%~70%.      

高强度船板钢奥氏体晶粒长大的规律

 利用光学显微镜和H 800透射电镜研究了不同加热温度和不同保温时间下高强度船板钢奥氏体晶粒长大规律。结果表明,该钢在高温加热时具有较好的抗晶粒粗化能力,奥氏体晶粒粗化温度在1250 ℃左右;在1100 ℃和1200 ℃保温时,奥氏体晶粒等温长大规律较好地服从抛物线型经验表达式;随着温度的升高,钢中的第二相质点逐渐减少,当加热至1250 ℃时,钢中仅存TiN颗粒。     

The Influence of Vanadium on Ferrite and Bainite Formation in a Medium Carbon Steel

The influence of vanadium additions on transformation kinetics has been investigated in a medium carbon forging steel. Using dilatometry to track transformation during continuous cooling or isothermal transformation, the impact of vanadium on both ferrite-pearlite and bainite has been quantified. Transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography have been used to establish whether vanadium was present in solid solution, or as clusters and precipitates. The results show that vanadium in solid solution has a pronounced retarding influence on ferrite-pearlite formation and that, unlike in the case of niobium, this effect can be exploited even during relatively slow cooling. The influence on bainite transformation was found to depend on temperature; an explanation in terms of the effect of vanadium on heterogeneous nucleation is tentatively proposed.     

New thermomechanical strategies for the production of high strength low alloyed multiphase steel showing a transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) effect

In the last years a lot of research was done in the development of TRIP-assisted multiphase steels. Two principal ways were proposed: - controlled cooling during the hot-rolling process to obtain hot-rolled TRIP-assisted multiphase steels and - the combination of intercritical annealing and isothermal holding at bainite formation temperatures during continuous annealing resulting in cold-rolled TRIP-assisted steel products. Unfortunately both proposed thermomechanical methods require a high silicon level to inhibit cementite precipitation in order to avoid a loss of stability for the metastable retained austenite. In addition, due to high silicon levels, red scale surface defects and a moderate hot dip galvanizability appear. In this article, new thermomechanical strategies for the production of high strength low alloyed TRIP-assisted multiphase steels with good hot-dip galvanizability and without red scale defects will be presented. Regarding the thermomechanical path, the stabilization of the retained austenite in the final microstructure can be optimized by the application of the additional step of batch annealing between hot rolling and cold rolling. This additional thermomechanical step activates manganese diffusion in the ferrite matrix and manganese enrichment processes of the cementite. During the step of continuous annealing, the manganese enriched cementite is transformed into stabilization-optimized retained austenite. Regarding the final microstructure, a fine grained ferrite matrix of about 3 μm grain size containing small islands of intragranular and intergranular stabilzation-optimized retained austenite can be obtained.     

冷却速度对0.45C钢铸坯夹杂物和组织的影响

借助控制冷却速度的高温激光共聚焦显微镜,结合光学显微镜和扫描电镜、能谱分析仪研究1150℃至500℃时,冷却速度100~10℃/min对0.45C钢铸坯中夹杂物的属性、诱发晶内铁素体形核行为的影响。结果表明,随冷却速度减小,高熔点夹杂物基本没有变化,低熔点夹杂物的数量和尺寸有增加的趋势,尤其是钒的碳氮化物数量增加明显;随冷却速度降低,析出的晶内铁素体的数量增加,平均粒径增大,铁素体比例先增加后减小。当30℃/min连续冷却时,钢中夹杂物尺寸小于10μm比例高达93%,铁素体平均粒径为9.2μm,铁素体面积比例达30.2%。     

Austenitization Behaviors of X80 Pipeline Steels With High Nb and Micro-Ti Treatment

 The austenitization behaviors of two high Nb-containing X80 pipeline steels with different Ti contents, including the dissolution of microalloying precipitates and the austenite grain growth behaviors, were investigated by using physical-chemical phase analysis method and optimal microstructure observation. The results illustrate that most Nb can be dissolved into austenite during the soaking at 1180℃, but very little amount of Ti can be dissolved. It is found that during soaking, the austenite grain growth rate is initially high, and then it decreases after 1h soaking; moreover, the austenite grains grow up more rapidly at temperatures above 1180℃ than at temperatures below 1180℃. It is shown that the steel with 0.016%Ti content has a larger austenite grain size than the steel with 0.012%Ti under the same soaking conditions, which has been explained by considering the particle size distribution.     

压铸模具钢4Cr5Mo2V的组织和碳化物的高温行为

摘要：通过测定4Cr5Mo2V钢在不同冷却速度下的相变膨胀曲线,得到其过冷奥氏体连续冷却转变曲线（CCT曲线）及Ac1、Ac3和Ms点温度。结合各相变点和Thermal-Calc分析结果,利用原位观察研究了4Cr5Mo2V钢在升温、保温和降温过程中的组织和及升温过程中碳化物的变化规律。结果表明,4Cr5Mo2V钢的相变点温度分别是：Ac1为820℃,Ac3为855℃,Ms为275℃;升温过程中,Cr23C6先于VC溶解,并在表面产生浮凸和空洞;保温过程中,晶粒长大机制为旧晶界迁移,并使得晶粒发生吞并和长大;连续冷却过程中,4Cr5Mo2V钢马氏体形的生成是以先形成的板条为基准逐步形成彼此平行的板条而构成板条束,或者是先形成的板条可以触发产生另一方向（60°或120°）的板条马氏体,构成多边形等具有几何形状的组织特征。     

Thermal stability of the microstructure of silver films

The thermal stability of freely suspended silver films 100 nm thick is studied during isothermal annealing at temperatures of 350–600°C for different times. At temperatures of 350–450°C, only grain growth is observed. Above 450°C, along with grain growth, the formation and growth of hillocks and holes take place; in this case, grain boundaries are essential in the processes. A continuous film transforms into a cellular one. At 500°C, the growth processes of both grains and holes have the same incubation period, during which no grain growth, hole formation, and hole growth take place.