Microstructure-Related Properties of Some Novel Reinforcement Bar Steel

Mechanical properties particularly Charpy impact toughness of two low-carbon [(a) 0.11% phosphorus and (b) 0.009% niobium] thermomechanically treated reinforcing bar steels were investigated. The phosphorus and niobium steels showed tensile to yield strength ratio of 1.25 and 1.19, ductile-brittle transition temperature of 223 K and below 193 K at yield strength levels of 428 and 472 MPa, respectively. The improved toughness of phosphorus steel is attributed to a mixed transformation microstructure comprising low-carbon bainite and fine polygonal ferrite. Lowest ductile-brittle transition temperature was observed in the niobium steel due to overall fineness of microstructure consisting mainly of low-carbon bainite, acicular ferrite, and polygonal ferrite.     

铌对高强钢焊接热影响区中马氏体-奥氏体组元形态的影响

对铌含量不同的五种钢材进行焊接热循环模拟焊接热影响区粗晶区，研究Ｎｂ含量对粗晶区中ＭＡ组元的形态和粗晶区韧性的影响。结果表明，降低钢材的Ｎｂ含量能够减少细长ＭＡ组元的含有率，从而控制ＣＧＨＡＺ的韧性，因此，进行实际钢材化学成分设计时，在满足强度要求的条件下，应尽量降低Ｎｂ的含量。     

Development of microalloyed high-carbon steels for plough disks

Plough disks are often made of high-carbon steels with small additions of chromium (0.40 to 0.60%), in the as-quenched and tempered condition. As a consequence, they combine wear resistance with the tensile, fatigue, and impact strength necessary to withstand extremely adverse work conditions. In an effort to produce steels for this use with improved mechanical properties, four different steel compositions, all microalloyed with niobium, were produced for the present work. Two steels kept the basic chromium content of the commercial alloy (0.40 to 0.60%), while this element was replaced with manganese in the other two steels. The chromium and manganese steels were produced with two levels of niobium. The Jominy hardenability, tensile properties, and impact and wear resistance of these materials were evaluated. A microstructural characterization was also performed. The results show that the developed steels can have the required hardness and strength levels. The high-niobium steels showed the best wear resistance but the poorest impact toughness. The wear resistance of the low-niobium steels was slightly higher and the impact toughness slightly lower than in the commercial alloy. The low-niobium steels show potential for commercial use.     

Modifying Cast Tungsten-Molybdenum High-Speed Steels with Niobium, Zirconium, and Titanium

The influence of modifying additives of niobium, zirconium, and titanium on the structure and properties of cast tungsten-molybdenum high-speed steels R6M5 and R6M5K5 is studied. Results of metallographic and x-ray diffraction analyses and of studies of fracture surfaces of the steels after casting, annealing, hardening, and tempering are discussed. The relationship between structural parameters, the degree of contamination of the metal by nonmetallic inclusions, and mechanical properties is established. It is shown that modifying with the mentioned elements in optimum amounts primarily promotes an increase in the impact toughness and wear resistance of the metal.__________Translated from Metallovedenie i Termicheskaya Obrabotka Metallov, No. 2, pp. 16 – 21, February, 2005.     

Effect of niobium on the cold resistance of low-carbon and low-alloy steels

Conclusions Niobium in low-carbon and low-alloy steels combines carbon in NbC. The carbon is completely combined when the niobium to carbon ratio is about 1.51. A relationship was found between the carbon content of the solid solution and the niobium content of the steel: The greatest reduction in the carbon content of the solid solution occurs with the addition of 0.05–0.1% Nb. With larger niobium concentrations the amount of carbon dissolved in ferrite continues to decrease, but at a lower rate.The increase in the fracture toughness of steel is inversely proportional to the carbon content of the solid solution.I. P. Bardin Central Scientific-Research Institute of Ferrous Metallurgy. Translated from Metallovedenie i Termicheskaya Obrabotka Metallov, No. 1, pp. 15–18, January, 1978.     

典型冷作模具钢性能与失效关系的探讨

通过对比几种典型冷作模具钢的处理工艺及其力学性能,综合分析了该类模具钢失效的3种类型,即过载失效、磨损失效和疲劳失效的形态和特征;重点探讨了高硬度冷作模具钢的表面开裂敏感性、缺口断裂性能和断口分形维数与工艺参数的关系,提出一些提高冷作模具断裂抗力、减少模具早期失效的途径。     

Replacement of Nitrided 33CrMoV Steel with ESR Hot Work Tool Steels for Motorsport Applications: Microstructural and Fatigue Characterization

In this work tensile strength, fatigue resistance and fracture toughness of two electroslag remelted (ESR) tool steels and of 33CrMoV12 ESR steel (both in quenched and tempered condition, as well as nitrided condition) were evaluated. The role of hardness, residual stresses and inclusion sizes on the fatigue behavior was investigated. Tool steels have a tensile strength between about 1900 and 2300 MPa, fracture toughness between 35 and 33 MPa√m, while fatigue strength ranges between 725 and 992 MPa. The tensile strength and fracture toughness of the 33CrMoV12 ESR are, respectively, 1365 MPa and about 150 MPa√m. Nitriding induces a significant increase in fatigue strength from 560 to 980 MPa. These results highlight that appropriate ESR tool steels could replace nitrided steels.     

High Manganese and Aluminum Steels for the Military and Transportation Industry

Lightweight advanced high strength steels (AHSS) with aluminum contents between 4 and 12 weight percent have been the subject of intense interest in the last decade because of an excellent combination of high strain rate toughness coupled with up to a 17% reduction in density. Fully austenitic cast steels with a nominal composition of Fe-30%Mn-9%Al-0.9%C are almost 15% less dense than quenched and tempered Cr-Mo steels (SAE 4130) with equivalent strengths and dynamic fracture toughness. This article serves as a review of the tensile and high-strain-rate fracture properties associated mainly with silicon additions to this base composition. In the solution-treated condition, cast steels have high work-hardening rates with elongations up to 64%, room-temperature Charpy V-notch (CVN) impact energies up to 200 J, and dynamic fracture toughness over 700 kJ/m². Silicon additions in the range of 0.59–1.56% Si have no significant effect on the mechanical properties of solution-treated steels but increased the tensile strength and hardness during aging. For steels aged at 530°C to an average hardness of 310 Brinell hardness number, HBW, increasing the amount of silicon from 1.07% to 1.56% decreased the room temperature CVN breaking energy from 92 J to 68 J and the dynamic fracture toughness from 376 kJ/m² to 265 kJ/m². Notch toughness is a strong function of phosphorus content, decreasing the solution-treated CVN impact toughness from 200 J in a 0.006% P steel to 28 J in a 0.07% P steel. For age-hardened steels with 1% Si, increasing levels of phosphorus from 0.001% to 0.043% decreased the dynamic fracture toughness from 376 kJ/m² to 100 kJ/m².     

Evaluation of the Fracture Toughness of a SMSS Subjected to Common Heat Treatment Cycles in an Aggressive Environment

Supermartensitic stainless steels (SMSS) are an alternative to corrosion-prone carbon steels and expensive duplex stainless steels in offshore tubing applications for the oil and gas industry. Due to their differentiated alloying, SMSS exhibit superior toughness, corrosion resistance, and weldability properties when compared with another viable option, conventional martensitic stainless steels. However, when cathodically protected in a seawater environment they can be susceptible to embrittlement due to hydrogen charging. In the present study, SMSS samples were removed from deep water pipelines and their fracture toughness in the as-received condition and with different heat treatments was evaluated. Tests were carried out in air and in harsh environmental and loading conditions, which were ensured by subjecting specimens to cathodic overprotection, simulating effects seen in structures with complex geometries, and to incremental step loads in a synthetic seawater environment, thus favoring hydrogen diffusion to the precrack tip. The fracture surfaces of the specimens were analyzed in order to identify hydrogen-induced embrittlement and fracture toughness values of specimens tested in air were compared to values obtained in environment-assisted experiments. The influence of microstructure was evaluated by control of the retained austenite and δ-ferrite contents of the specimens. The results show a significant drop in the fracture toughness of steel in the studied environment, with a fracture mode which is clearly more brittle and dependent on microstructural characteristics of the samples.     

碳对NiCrMo高强度钢组织和力学性能的影响

针对不同碳含量的NiCrMo淬火和低温回火高强度结构钢，通过微观组织结构分析、准静态拉伸、低温Charpy—V冲击和K1c断裂韧性试验和断口形貌分析，以建立力学性能一微观组织-碳含量之间的关系。结果表明：随着碳含量的增加，材料的强度与硬度呈线性增加，而塑性和韧性下降。碳含量变化对试验钢力学性能的作用基本上是通过回火过程中析出的碳化物的数量和分布的变化来实现的。     

Influence of Martensite Volume Fraction on Impact Properties of Triple Phase (TP) Steels

Ferrite-bainite-martensite triple phase (TP) microstructures with different volume fractions of martensite were obtained by changing heat treatment time during austempering at 300 °C. Room temperature impact properties of TP steels with different martensite volume fractions (V _M) were determined by means of Charpy impact testing. The effects of test temperature on impact properties were also investigated for two selected microstructures containing 0 (the DP steel) and 8.5 vol.% martensite. Test results showed reduction in toughness with increasing V _M in TP steels. Fracture toughness values for the DP and TP steels with 8.5 vol.% martensite were obtained from correlation between fracture toughness and the Charpy impact energy. Fractography of Charpy specimens confirmed decrease in TP steels’ toughness with increasing V _M by considering and comparing radial marks and crack initiation regions at the fracture surfaces of the studied steels.     

Fracture Toughness of Functionally Graded Steels

In this study, fracture toughness of functionally graded steels in both crack divider and crack arrester configurations has been studied. Spot-welded plain carbon steel and austenitic stainless steel with different thicknesses and arrangements were used as electrodes of electroslag remelting to produce functionally graded steels. Fracture toughness of the specimens in crack divider configuration was found to depend on the arrangements of the primary electrodes’ pieces together with the type of the containing phases. In crack arrester configuration, the fracture toughness was found to depend on the crack tip position and the distance of the crack tip with respect to the bainitic or martensitic intermediate layers.     

S含量对高速车轮钢断裂韧性影响的研究

研究了S含量对高速车轮钢断裂韧性的影响.结果显示,适当提高车轮钢中的S含量,可以有效提高断裂韧性.对夹杂物的分析表明,S含量为0.001％(质量分数)的车轮钢中Al2O3和Al2O3+(Ca,Mg)O的氧化物夹杂相对较多,而MnS夹杂物较少.在相近的O含量水平下,将S含量从0.001％提高到0.006％,车轮钢中夹杂物...     

Effect of Heat Treatment, Pre-stress and Surface Hardening on Fracture Toughness of Micro-Alloyed Steel

Micro-alloyed steels are being increasingly accepted by industry in various fields of application and are available with a wide variety of microstructures. Extensive literature is available on their microstructure-property relationships. The superior mechanical properties of micro-alloyed steels are caused by fine-grained microstructures and precipitation of micro-alloying elements such as V, Ti and Nb that led to an improvement in yield strength, in the product of tensile strength and total elongation and in Charpy V-notch impact energy as well. The microstructural changes caused by heat treatment or residual stress state caused by surface hardening or mechanical means may influence the fracture toughness of these micro-alloyed steels. It is in this context that the present work begins with experimental determination of quasi-static initiation fracture toughness (J _1c) of low carbon (0.19%) micro-alloyed steel in as-rolled condition without any heat treatment. The study further explores the effect of normalizing, shot-peening and cyaniding followed by shot-peening on fracture toughness of as-rolled steel under study. The normalizing heat treatment, shot-peening and cyaniding followed by shot-peening—each indicates a positive influence on initiation fracture toughness. Results, when compared, show that cyaniding followed by shot-peening have led to a 2.7 times increase in J _1c. Cyaniding followed by shot-peening may therefore be considered as having the most positive influence on initiation fracture toughness in as-rolled condition for the type of micro-alloyed steel under study. Although initiation fracture toughness is in general known to decrease with increase in yield strength in LEFM arena, the micro-alloyed steel under study when normalized displayed simultaneous improvement in yield strength and J _1c. All these observed effects of normalizing, shot-peening and cyaniding on initiation fracture toughness (elastic-plastic fracture mechanics) were explained on the basis of microstructural study and stress depth profiles.     

IMPROVEMENT OF CARBIDE MORPHOLOGY AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF Cr12MoV STEELS

1. IntroductionCr12MoV steel is used widely as an important high wear resistallt cold die steel aroundthe world[1]. It is well known that Cr12MoV steel has networked carbide in the solidification structure, which leads to the intergranular brittleness. Moreover. The networkcarbide is too stable to be changed during heat treatment even at high temperaturely]. Inthe conventional process, forging is needed to break etwork carbide into a granular form.However, partly owing to Cr12MoV steel hav…     

Analysis of fracture metallurgy and mechanics in the heat affected zone in a submerged arc process

Summary

High tensile, microalloyed steels, such as the 450 EMZ design steels which are studied in this article, are used in offshore platforms and other structures subject to extreme working conditions, requiring high resilience and fracture toughness at low temperatures. These steels have been subject to controlled welding parameters in order to obtain a low heat input which allows for the maintenance of correct toughness values in their heat affected zone (HAZ). The present article analyses the hardness, resilience and toughness values, as well as the most brittle points of the HAZ.     

Effect of nitrogen on the susceptibility of austenitic Cr-Ni-Mn steels to delayed fracture under the action of stresses and hydrogen

The creation of austenitic steels with a supraequilibrium nitrogen concentration increases their strength substantially. However, their plasticity and fracture toughness can lie decreased. In particular, such steels can be susceptible to delayed fracture characteristic for high-strength steels with a martensite or bainite structure. It is of interest to investigate the susceptibility of austenitic Cr-Ni-Mn steels with different concentrations of nitrogen to delayed fracture under the action of stresses, corrosive media, and hydrogen.Translated from Metallovedenie i Termicheskaya Obrabotka Metallov, No. 3, pp. 24 – 25, March, 1996.     

稀土元素对2.25Cr-1Mo钢断裂性能的影响

本文用定量金相仪(QTM)和扫描电镜(SEM)测定含与不含稀土元素(RE)的2.25Cr-1Mo钢的夹杂物尺寸及分布;观察断口形态并测定延伸区宽度和韧窝尺度及分布;测定拉伸样品纵剖面上孔洞面密度与真应变的关系.研究表明,添加RE的试验钢中夹杂物密度较高,在较低的应变下沿夹杂物界面发生孔洞形核、长大和汇合,导致含RE的2.25Cr-1Mo钢较低的室温断裂性能.     

Improved Steels Through Hot Strip Mill Controlled Cooling

Imvroved cooling practices result in increased yield strength, improved notch toughness and resistance to brittle fracture in high-strength low-alloy steels.     

TMCP钢焊接热影响区局部脆化区断裂韧度测试

针对强度(屈服点应力)级别为420-460MPa的三种TMCP钢,探讨通常的焊接热影响区局部脆化区断裂韧度测试方法的可行性及存在问题。由于多层焊热影响区组织复杂,需进一步研究确认试验中得到的断裂韧度能否代表局部脆化区的韧度。试验结果发现,对多层焊热影响区试样,试验后必须进行刨面(Sectioning)分析,首先检查疲劳裂纹前沿是否位于所测试的目标区域;其次当有延性裂纹扩展时,检查延性裂纹扩展是否偏离目标区域。当满足这些条件时,所测试的断裂韧度才能代表目标区域的韧度值。同时也试验研究了焊缝强度匹配对热影响区断裂韧度的影响。