Effect of Reheating Temperature and Cooling Treatment on the Microstructure,Texture, and Impact Transition Behavior of Heat-Treated Naval Grade HSLA Steel

In order to achieve the desired mechanical properties [YS > 390 MPa, total elongation >16 pct and Charpy impact toughness of 78 J at 213 K (?60 °C)] for naval application, samples from a low-carbon microalloyed steel have been subjected to different austenitization (1223 K to 1523 K) (950 °C to 1250 °C) and cooling treatments (furnace, air, or water cooling). The as-rolled steel and the sample air cooled from 1223 K (950 °C) could only achieve the required tensile properties, while the sample furnace cooled from 1223 K (950 °C) showed the best Charpy impact properties. Water quenching from 1223 K (950 °C) certainly contributed to the strength but affected the impact toughness. Overall, predominantly ferrite matrix with fine effective grain size and intense gamma-fiber texture was found to be beneficial for impact toughness as well as impact transition behavior. Small size and fraction of precipitates (like TiN, Nb, and V carbonitrides) eliminated the possibility of particle-controlled crack propagation and grain size-controlled crack propagation led to cleavage fracture. A simplified analytical approach has been used to explain the difference in impact transition behavior of the investigated samples.     

Effects of Mn Addition on Tensile and Charpy Impact Properties in Austenitic Fe-Mn-C-Al-Based Steels for Cryogenic Applications

Effects of Mn addition (17, 19, and 22 wt pct) on tensile and Charpy impact properties in three austenitic Fe-Mn-C-Al-based steels were investigated at room and cryogenic temperatures in relation with deformation mechanisms. Tensile strength and elongation were not varied much with Mn content at room temperature, but abruptly decreased with decreasing Mn content at 77 K (?196 °C). Charpy impact energies at 273 K (0 °C) were higher than 200 J in the three steels, but rapidly dropped to 44 J at 77 K (?196 °C) in the 17Mn steel, while they were higher than 120 J in the 19Mn and 22Mn steels. Although the cryogenic-temperature stacking fault energies (SFEs) were lower by 30 to 50 pct than the room-temperature SFEs, the SFE of the 22Mn steel was situated in the TWinning-induced plasticity regime. In the 17Mn and 19Mn steels, however, α′-martensites were formed by the TRansformation-induced plasticity mechanism because of the low SFEs. EBSD analyses along with interrupted tensile tests at cryogenic temperature showed that the austenite was sufficiently deformed in the 19Mn steel even after the formation of α′-martensite, thereby leading to the high impact energy over 120 J.     

Diffusion Bonding of 17-4 Precipitation Hardening Stainless Steel to Ti Alloy With and Without Ni Alloy Interlayer: Interface Microstructure and Mechanical Properties

In the present study, the diffusion bonding of 17-4 precipitation hardening stainless steel to Ti alloy with and without nickel alloy as intermediate material was carried out in the temperature range of 1073 K to 1223 K (800 °C to 950 °C) in steps of 298 K (25 °C) for 60 minutes in vacuum. The effects of bonding temperature on interfaces microstructures of bonded joint were analyzed by light optical and scanning electron microscopy. In the case of directly bonded stainless steel and titanium alloy, the layerwise α-Fe + χ, χ, FeTi + λ, FeTi + β-Ti phase, and phase mixture were observed at the bond interface. However, when nickel alloy was used as an interlayer, the interfaces indicate that Ni₃Ti, NiTi, and NiTi₂ are formed at the nickel alloy-titanium alloy interface and the PHSS-nickel alloy interface is free from intermetallics up to 1148 K (875 °C) and above this temperature, intermetallics were formed. The irregular-shaped particles of Fe₅Cr₃₅Ni₄₀Ti₁₅ have been observed within the Ni₃Ti intermetallic layer. The joint tensile and shear strength were measured; a maximum tensile strength of ~477 MPa and shear strength of ~356.9 MPa along with ~4.2 pct elongation were obtained for the direct bonded joint when processed at 1173 K (900 °C). However, when nickel base alloy was used as an interlayer in the same materials at the bonding temperature of 1148 K (875 °C), the bond tensile and shear strengths increase to ~523.6 and ~389.6 MPa, respectively, along with 6.2 pct elongation.     

Influence of Warm Tempforming on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties in an Ultrahigh-Strength Medium-Carbon Low-Alloy Steel

A 0.4 pct C-2 pct Si-1 pct Cr-1 pct Mo steel was quenched and tempered at 773 K (500 °C) and deformed by multi-pass caliber rolling (i.e., warm tempforming). The microstructures and the mechanical properties of the warm tempformed steels were investigated as a function of the rolling reduction. At rolling reductions of more than 28 pct, not only extension of the martensite blocks and/or the packets in the rolling direction (RD) but also a grain subdivision became more significant, and an ultrafine elongated grain (UFEG) structure with a strong ??110??//RD fiber deformation texture was formed after 78 pct rolling. The tensile deformation behavior became significantly anisotropic in response to the evolution of UFEG structure. The longitudinal yield strength (??_y) of the quenched and tempered sample increased from 1480 to 1860 MPa through the 78 pct rolling, while the transverse ??_y leveled off at around 1600 MPa up to 28 pct rolling. The transverse true fracture stress was also markedly degraded in contrast to the longitudinal one. Charpy impact properties were enhanced at a rolling reduction of 52 pct or more. The 52 pct-rolled sample underwent a ductile-to-brittle transition in the temperature range from 333 K to 213 K (60 °C to ?60 °C), while the 78 pct-rolled sample showed an inverse temperature dependence of the impact toughness because of brittle delamination. The tensile and Charpy impact properties are discussed in association with the microstructural evolution.     

Effect of Nitrogen Content on Grain Refinement and Mechanical Properties of a Reversion-Treated Ni-Free 18Cr-12Mn Austenitic Stainless Steel

Martensite reversion treatment was utilized to obtain ultrafine grain size in Fe-18Cr-12Mn-N stainless steels containing 0 to 0.44 wt pct N. This was achieved by cold rolling to 80 pct reduction followed by reversion annealing at temperatures between 973 K and 1173 K (700 °C and 900 °C) for 1 to 10⁴ seconds. The microstructural evolution was characterized using both transmission and scanning electron microscopes, and mechanical properties were evaluated using hardness and tensile tests. The steel without nitrogen had a duplex ferritic-austenitic structure and the grain size refinement remained inefficient. The finest austenitic microstructure was achieved in the steels with 0.25 and 0.36 wt pct N following annealing at 1173 K (900 °C) for 100 seconds, resulting in average grain sizes of about 0.240 ± 0.117 and 0.217 ± 0.73 µm, respectively. Nano-size Cr₂N precipitates observed in the microstructure were responsible for retarding the grain growth. The reversion mechanism was found to be diffusion controlled in the N-free steel and shear controlled in the N-containing steels. Due to a low fraction of strain-induced martensite in cold rolled condition, the 0.44 wt pct N steel displayed relatively non-uniform, micron-scale grain structure after the same reversion treatment, but it still exhibited superior mechanical properties with a yield strength of 1324 MPa, tensile strength of 1467 MPa, and total elongation of 17 pct. While the high yield strength can be attributed to strengthening by nitrogen alloying, dislocation hardening, and slight grain refinement, the moderate strain-induced martensitic transformation taking place during tensile straining was responsible for enhancement in tensile strength and elongation.     

Influence of Temperature and Grain Size on Austenite Stability in Medium Manganese Steels

With an aim to elucidate the influence of temperature and grain size on austenite stability, a commercial cold-rolled 7Mn steel was annealed at 893 K (620 °C) for times varying between 3 minutes and 96 hours to develop different grain sizes. The austenite fraction after 3 minutes was 34.7 vol pct, and at longer times was around 40 pct. An elongated microstructure was retained after shorter annealing times while other conditions exhibited equiaxed ferrite and austenite grains. All conditions exhibit similar temperature dependence of mechanical properties. With increasing test temperature, the yield and tensile strength decrease gradually, while the uniform and total elongation increase, followed by an abrupt drop in strength and ductility at 393 K (120 °C). The Olson–Cohen model was applied to fit the transformed austenite fractions for strained tensile samples, measured by means of XRD. The fit results indicate that the parameters α and β decrease with increasing test temperature, consistent with increased austenite stability. The 7Mn steels exhibit a distinct temperature dependence of the work hardening rate. Optimized austenite stability provides continuous work hardening in the temperature range of 298 K to 353 K (25 °C to 80 °C). The yield and tensile strengths have a strong dependence on grain size, although grain size variations have less effect on uniform and total elongation.     

High-Temperature Tensile Properties of Nano-Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Ferritic Steels Produced by Mechanical Alloying and Spark Plasma Sintering

Oxide-dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic steels were produced by mechanical alloying and subsequent spark plasma sintering. Very fast heating rates were used to minimize porosity when controlling grain size and precipitation of dispersoids within a compacted material. Sintering cycles performed at 1373 K (1100 °C) induced heterogeneous, but fine grain size distribution and high density of nano-oxides. Yield strengths at room temperature and at 923 K (650 °C) are 975 MPa and 298 MPa, respectively. Furthermore, high-temperature ductility is much increased: total strain of 28 pct at 923 K (650 °C).     

Austenitic Nickel- and Manganese-Free Fe-15Cr-1Mo-0.4N-0.3C Steel: Tensile Behavior and Deformation-Induced Processes between 298 K and 503 K (25 °C and 230 °C)

The high-temperature austenite phase of a high-interstitial Mn- and Ni-free stainless steel was stabilized at room temperature by the full dissolution of precipitates after solution annealing at 1523 K (1250 °C). The austenitic steel was subsequently tensile-tested in the temperature range of 298 K to 503 K (25 °C to 230 °C). Tensile elongation progressively enhanced at higher tensile test temperatures and reached 79 pct at 503 K (230 °C). The enhancement at higher temperatures of tensile ductility was attributed to the increased mechanical stability of austenite and the delayed formation of deformation-induced martensite. Microstructural examinations after tensile deformation at 433 K (160 °C) and 503 K (230 °C) revealed the presence of a high density of planar glide features, most noticeably deformation twins. Furthermore, the deformation twin to deformation-induced martensite transformation was observed at these temperatures. The results confirm that the high tensile ductility of conventional Fe-Cr-Ni and Fe-Cr-Ni-Mn austenitic stainless steels may be similarly reproduced in Ni- and Mn-free high-interstitial stainless steels solution annealed at sufficiently high temperatures. The tensile ductility of the alloy was found to deteriorate with decarburization and denitriding processes during heat treatment which contributed to the formation of martensite in an outermost rim of tensile specimens.     

Role of Microstructure and Temperature on the Tensile Fracture Behavior of Oxide Dispersion Strengthened 18Cr Ferritic Steel

The tensile fracture behavior of oxide dispersion strengthened 18Cr (ODS-18Cr) ferritic steels milled for varying times was studied along with the oxide-free 18Cr steel (NODS) at 25, 200, 400, 600, and 800 °C. At all the test temperatures, the strengths of ODS–18Cr steels increased and total elongation decreased with the duration of milling time. Oxide dispersed 18Cr steel with optimum milling exhibited enhanced yield strength of 156 pct at room temperature and 300 pct at 800 °C when compared to oxide-free 18Cr steel. The ductility values of ODS-18Cr steels are in the range 20 to 35 pct for a temperature range 25 to 800 °C, whereas NODS alloy exhibited higher ductility of 37 to 82 pct. The enhanced strength of ODS steels when compared to oxide-free steel is due to the development of ultrafine grained structure along with nanosized dispersion of complex oxide particles. While the pre-necking elongation decreased with increasing temperature and milling time, post-necking elongation showed no change with the test temperature. Fractographic examination of both ODS and NODS 18Cr steel fractured tensile samples, revealed that the failure was in ductile fracture mode with distinct neck and shear lip formation for all milling times and at all test temperatures. The fracture mechanism is in general followed the sequence; microvoid nucleation at second phase particles, void growth and coalescence. The quantified dimple sizes and numbers per unit area were found to be in linear relation with the size and number density of dispersoids. It is clearly evident that even nanosized dispersoids acted as sites for microvoid nucleation at larger strains and assisted in dimple rupture.

     

Effect of Annealing Temperature on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Bulk 316L Stainless Steel with Nano- and Micro-crystalline Dual Phases

Microstructures and mechanical properties of 316L stainless steels with dual phases austenite prepared by an aluminothermic reaction casting were explored. It is found that the steels consist of nano- and micro-crystalline austenite phases, a little δ ferrite and contaminations. Before and after annealing at 1073 K and 1273 K (800 °C and 1000 °C), average grain sizes of the nanocrystalline austenite phase are about 32, 31, 38 nm, respectively. Tensile strength increases first from 371 to 640 MPa and then decreases to 454 MPa. However, elongation ratio increases gradually from 16 to 23 and then 31 pct after annealing. The results illustrate that the steel after annealing at 1073 K (800 °C) has better properties, also indicating that combination of dual nano- and micro-crystalline austenite phase is conductive to improving tensile properties of materials.     

High Strength and High Ductility of Ultrafine-Grained,Interstitial-Free Steel Produced by ECAE and Annealing

Interstitial-free steel (IF steel) underwent severe plastic deformation by equal-channel angular extrusion/pressing (ECAE/P) to improve its strength, and then it was annealed to achieve a good strength-ductility balance. The coarse-grained microstructure of IF steel was refined down to the submicron level after eight-pass ECAE. The ultrafine-grained (UFG) microstructure with high dislocation density brought about substantially improved strength but limited tensile ductility. The limited ductility was attributed to the small, uniform elongation caused by early plastic instability. The annealing at temperatures below 723 K (450 °C) for 1 hour did not lead to remarkable softening, whereas annealing at temperatures up to 923 K (650 °C) resulted in complete softening depending on the development of recrystallization. Therefore, the temperature of approximately 923 K (650 °C) can be considered as a critical recrystallization temperature for UFG IF steel. The annealing at 873 K (600 °C) for different time intervals resulted in different stress–strain response. Uniform tensile elongation increased at the expense of strength with annealing time intervals. After annealing at 873 K (600 °C) for 60 minutes, the yield strength, tensile strength, uniform elongation, and total elongation were found to be 320 MPa, 485 MPa, 15.1 pct, and 33.7 pct, respectively, showing the better combination of strength and ductility compared with cold-rolled samples.     

Notch Impact Behavior of Oxide-Dispersion-Strengthened (ODS) Fe20Cr5Al Alloy

In this article, tensile tests as well as LS and LT notched Charpy impact tests were performed at the temperature range between 77 K (?196 °C) and 473 K (200 °C) on an oxide-dispersion-strengthened (ODS) Fe20Cr6Al0.5Y₂O₃ hot-rolled tube. The absorbed energy values in the range of high temperatures of LS notched specimens are considerably higher than those of LT notched specimens; however, such values tend to converge as temperature increases. Ductile fracture on the normal planes to RD with delaminations parallel to the tube surface was observed in the temperature range between room temperature (RT) and 473 K (200 °C). Delaminations of crack divider type were observed in LT specimens, whereas delaminations of crack arrester type were observed in LS specimens. The yttria particles in the grain boundaries and the transverse plastic anisotropy are the possible reasons why the delaminations were parallel to the tube surface.     

Ductile Fracture Behaviour of Hot Isostatically Pressed Inconel 690 Superalloy

Herein we assess the differences in Charpy impact behavior between Hot Isostatically Pressed and forged Inconel 690 alloy over the temperature range of 300 °C to ? 196 °C. The impact toughness of forged 690 exhibited a relatively small temperature dependence, with a maximum difference of ca. 40 J measured between 300 °C and ? 196 °C, whereas the HIP’d alloy exhibited a difference of approximately double that of the forged alloy over the same temperature range. We have conducted Charpy impact testing, tensile testing, and metallographic analyses on the as-received materials as well as fractography of the failed Charpy specimens in order to understand the mechanisms that cause the observed differences in material fracture properties. The work supports a recent series of studies which assess differences in fundamental fracture behavior between Hot Isostatically Pressed and forged austenitic stainless steel materials of equivalent grades, and the results obtained in this study are compared to those of the previous stainless steel investigations to paint a more general picture of the comparisons between HIP vs forged material fracture behavior. Inconel 690 was selected in this study since previous studies were unable to completely omit the effects of strain-induced martensitic transformation at the tip of the Chary V-notch from the fracture mechanism; Inconel 690 is unable to undergo strain-induced martensitic transformation due to the alloy’s high nickel content, thereby providing a sister study with the omission of any martensitic transformation effects on ductile fracture behavior.     

Effect of Niobium on the Ferrite Continuous-Cooling-Transformation (CCT) Curve of Ultrahigh-Thickness Cr-Mo Steel

Pressure vessels made for petrochemical and power plants using Cr-Mo steel must be thick (≥400 mm) and have high tensile strength (≥600 MPa). However, the tensile strength in the middle portion of the vessel is very low as a result of ferrite formation. Therefore, research was performed to study the ferrite transformation that occurs in the middle portion of high-thickness Cr-Mo steel when Nb is added to it. The ferrite-formation start time of the continuous-cooling-transformation (CCT) curve decreased with an increase in Nb content until the latter reached 0.05 pct. On cooling from the austenitizing temperature, some of the NbC present at the austenitizing temperature of 1203 K (930 °C) goes into austenite solution in the temperature range of 1173 K to 1073 K (900 °C to 800 °C). However, the ferrite curve shifted to the left for the alloy containing 0.075 pct Nb. It is postulated that the surplus NbC could act as ferrite nucleation sites despite the lower cooling rate. As a result, the hardenability improved in the order of the following Nb content: 0.05 pct, 0.025 pct, 0 pct, and 0.075 pct.     

Effect of Coiling Temperature on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Hot-Rolled Ti–Nb Microalloyed Ultra High Strength Steel

A novel low carbon Ti–Nb microalloyed hot rolled steel with minimum yield strength of 700 MPa and good balance of stretch-flangeability and impact toughness has been developed by controlled thermo-mechanical processing following thin slab direct rolling route. In the present work, the effects of two coiling temperatures on the resulting microstructure, micro-texture and mechanical properties on this Ti–Nb microalloyed steel have been studied. It is observed that increase in coiling temperature from 520 to 580 °C significantly affects the mechanical properties. Higher dislocation density and increased precipitation along with slightly smaller grain size is observed for 580 °C coiling temperature resulting in about 50 MPa increase in yield and tensile strengths as compared to 520 °C coiling temperature.     

Thixoforging of Wrought Aluminum Thin Plates with Microchannels

A direct die-filling thixoforging method is designed to fabricate aluminum thin plates with a pattern of microchannels in a single forming operation. Extruded AA2024 and AA7075 wrought aluminum billets are used. A recrystallization and partial remelting process is used to prepare the semisolid slurries required for the forming process. Under a thixoforging pressure of 70 MPa, AA7075 thin plates are successfully thixoforged in a temperature range of 883 K to 893 K (610 °C to 620 °C), corresponding to liquid fractions of ~30 to 50 pct in the semisolid slurry. AA2024 thin plate requires a thixoforging temperature range of 888 K to 898 K (615 °C to 625 °C), corresponding to the liquid fractions of ~45 to 60 pct. Final microstructures of the thin plates comprise primary α-Al equiaxed globular grains in a matrix of a solidified liquid phase. With increasing thixoforging temperature, the yield strength values continuously decrease. The ultimate tensile strength (UTS) values of the thin plates initially decrease with increasing thixoforging temperature from 883 K to 888 K (610 °C to 615 °C) and from 888 K to 893 K (615 °C to 620 °C) for the AA7075 and AA2024 thin plates, respectively. The UTS values stabilize and slightly enhance when the thixoforging temperatures are further increased to 893 K and 898 K (620 °C and 625 °C) for the AA7075 and AA2024 thin plates, respectively. Very brittle behavior (elongation value of ~1 pct) is observed for the AA7075 thin plates thixoforged at 883 K and 888 K (610 °C and 615 °C). The elongation value increases to 3 pct with increasing the thixoforging temperature to 893 K (620 °C). In contrast, larger elongation values (between 4 and 6 pct) are achieved for the AA2024 thin plates. Increasing the thixoforging pressures from 70 to 100 MPa and then to 150 MPa improves the tensile properties of the thin plates. The tensile properties of the thixoforged thin plates are linked to their microstructural characteristics and processing conditions and are discussed here in detail.     

High Temperature Strengthening in 12Cr-W-Mo Steels by Controlling the Formation of Delta Ferrite

Novel 12Cr-W-Mo-Co heat resistance steels (HRSs) with excellent mechanical properties have been developed for ultra-supercritical (USC) applications above 923 K (650 °C). The thermal analysis of the present steels indicates that the remelting temperature of secondary phases is increased by Co alloying, resulting in the improvement of microstructural stability. Delta ferrite in these HRSs is completely suppressed as the content of Co is increased up to 5 pct. The room temperature tensile strength (TS), yield strength (YS), and the elongation (EL) of the HRS with 5 pct Co reach 887.9, 652.6 MPa, and 21.07 pct, respectively. At 948 K (675 °C), the TS and YS of the HRS with 5 pct Co attain 360 and 290 MPa, respectively, which are higher than those of T/P122 steel by 27.4 and 22.1 pct, respectively. TEM study of the microstructure confirmed that the strengthening effects for these 12Cr-W-Mo-Co HRSs are attributed to the suppression of delta ferrite, the formation of fine martensitic laths with substructure, dislocation networks and walls, and the precipitation of second nanoscale phases.     

Phase-Dependent Tensile Properties of 9Cr-1Mo(V, Nb) Ferritic/Martensitic Steel

Phase-dependent tensile properties of 9Cr-1Mo(V, Nb) ferritic/martensitic steel were evaluated in the temperature range 300 K to 1073 K (27 °C to 800 °C) to quantify differences in the tensile behavior of different phases of this material. The results showed considerable difference in the tensile properties such as yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and elongation of the three phases of this material—tempered martensite, metastable austenite, and martensite—which can exist at a common temperature. This has been discussed on the basis of structural hysteresis in this material when subjected to thermal cycles causing excursions across various phase fields.     

Effects of B and Cu Addition and Cooling Rate on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties in Low-Carbon, High-Strength Bainitic Steels

The effects of B and Cu addition and cooling rate on microstructure and mechanical properties of low-carbon, high-strength bainitic steels were investigated in this study. The steel specimens were composed mostly of bainitic ferrite, together with small amounts of acicular ferrite, granular bainite, and martensite. The yield and tensile strengths of all the specimens were higher than 1000?MPa and 1150?MPa, respectively, whereas the upper shelf energy was higher than 160?J and energy transition temperature was lower than 208?K (?C65?°C) in most specimens. The slow-cooled specimens tended to have the lower strengths, higher elongation, and lower energy transition temperature than the fast-cooled specimens. The Charpy notch toughness was improved with increasing volume fraction of acicular ferrite because acicular ferrites favorably worked for Charpy notch toughness even when other low-toughness microstructures such as bainitic ferrite and martensite were mixed together. To develop high-strength bainitic steels with an excellent combination of strength and toughness, the formation of bainitic microstructures mixed with acicular ferrite was needed, and the formation of granular bainite was prevented.     

Development of Very High Strength and Ductile Dilute Magnesium Alloys by Dispersion of Quasicrystal Phase

Very high strengths, with tensile yield strength from 377 to 405 MPa, combined with elongation to failure of over 12 pct, have been achieved in Mg-Zn-Y dilute alloys by direct extrusion. Alloys Mg-6xZn-xY, where x = 0.2, 0.35, and 0.5 (at. pct) were chill cast in a steel mold and direct extruded at a temperature in the range 508 K to 528 K (235 °C to 255 °C), which produced an average grain size of about 1 μm. Quasicrystalline i-phase particles were dispersed in the matrix with size ranging from 50 nm to 1 μm. In addition, high density of nano-precipitates of average size 15 nm was dispersed in matrix. Thus we have developed magnesium alloys of very high strength combined with ductility by a simple process using extrusion with very little addition of yttrium.