Development of nitrogen-alloyed stainless steel sheet products in Baosteel

Nitrogen plays a vitally important role for improving properties for stainless steels in many aspects.In this paper,the physical metallurgy behavior and the beneficial effects of nitrogen on corrosion resistance and other mechanical properties of stainless steels were summarised.Based on nitrogen alloying,various stainless steel products,such as austenitic,duplex and martensitic staniless steels were developed with enhanced properties,such as corrosion resistance,mechanical strength and weldability,among other things.     

A Comparison of Creep Rupture Strength of Ferritic/Austenitic Dissimilar Weld Joints of Different Grades of Cr-Mo Ferritic Steels

Evaluations of creep rupture properties of dissimilar weld joints of 2.25Cr-1Mo, 9Cr-1Mo, and 9Cr-1MoVNb steels with Alloy 800 at 823 K were carried out. The joints were fabricated by a fusion welding process employing an INCONEL 182 weld electrode. All the joints displayed lower creep rupture strength than their respective ferritic steel base metals, and the strength reduction was greater in the 2.25Cr-1Mo steel joint and less in the 9Cr-1Mo steel joint. Failure location in the joints was found to shift from the ferritic steel base metal to the intercritical region of the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of the ferritic steel (type IV cracking) with the decrease in stress. At still lower stresses, the failure in the joints occurred at the ferritic/austenitic weld interface. The stress-life variation of the joints showed two-slope behavior and the slope change coincided with the occurrence of ferritic/austenitic weld interface cracking. Preferential creep cavitation in the soft intercritical HAZ induced type IV failure, whereas creep cavitation at the interfacial particles induced ferritic/austenitic weld interface cracking. Micromechanisms of the type IV failure and the ferritic/austenitic interface cracking in the dissimilar weld joint of the ferritic steels and relative cracking susceptibility of the joints are discussed based on microstructural investigation, mechanical testing, and finite element analysis (FEA) of the stress state across the joint.     

Delta ferritic heat-resistant chromium-molybdenum steels with improved rupture strength

Nine experimental delta-ferritic steels have been examined as potential low expansion heat-resistant steels for use in fossil fuel power generation, nuclear power generation, nuclear process heat plants and coal gasification plants. The steels contain 10 to 14 pct Cr and 2 to 6 pct Mo, with additions of columbium, titanium, vanadium, aluminum and boron. Room-temperature tensile properties and oxidation resistance of all steels were determined. Selected steels were aged for 1000 h at 760 °C (1400 °F) and subjected to elevated temperature tensile tests at the aging temperature. Creep-rupture properties of selected steels were determined at 760 and 815 °C (1400 and 1500 °F). Extensive metallographic and phase identification studies were conducted. Of the two steels tested for creep-rupture strength, the 10Cr-6Mo-0.5Cb steel, with good room-temperature ductility, has rupture strength exceeding that of martensitic 12Cr-1Mo-V steel. The 14Cr-3Mo-0.5Cb-lTi-2Al steel exhibits an even higher rupture strength, but has only marginal ductility at room temperature.     

The influence of a duplex microstructure in steels on fatigue crack growth in the near-threshold region

The influence of a duplex microstructure on fatigue crack growth in the near threshold region has been studied for AISI types 1018, 1045, and 10B35, as well as 2.25 Cr-1 Mo steels. For a duplex microstructure which consists of a continuous martensitic phase encapsulating ferrite, an increase in threshold level and yield strength in both the AISI 1018 and 2.25 Cr-1 Mo steels was observed. However, with increase in carbon content and consequent decrease in the volume of ferrite, the threshold levels were not as significantly affected, although the yield strengths were higher. Y. MATSUO, formerly Graduate Student, University of Connecticut     

经济型双相不锈钢的研发进展

 经济型双相不锈钢是一种高性能低成本的氮合金化不锈钢新材料,具有典型的铁素体-奥氏体双相组织。利用氮取代镍元素的奥氏体化作用,降低成本的同时获得优良的力学性能和耐腐蚀性能。介绍了经济型双相不锈钢的发展历史,重点讨论了合金元素和热处理对相变、力学性能和耐腐蚀性能的影响规律,并与304和316进行对比;同时,分析了经济型双相不锈钢焊接性能和焊接工艺的研究进展。经济型双相不锈钢S32101、S32003、S32202等,已用于核电、桥梁、建筑、热交换器等行业,取代传统奥氏体不锈钢AISI 304和316。由于经济型双相不锈钢具有高强度和优良耐蚀性,同时镍、钼等贵金属的含量都较低,已成为未来不锈钢发展的方向之一。     

Carbon diffusion and phase transformations during gas carburizing of high-alloyed stainless steels: Experimental study and theoretical modeling

Gas carburizing of high-alloyed stainless steels increases surface hardness, as well as the overall mechanical characteristics of the surface. The growth of chromium-rich carbides during carbon transfer into the steel causes precipitation hardening in the surface, but decreases the chromium content in solid solution. In order to maintain a good corrosion resistance in the carburized layer, the stainless steel composition and the carburizing process need to be optimized. To limit the experimental work, a methodology using software for modeling the thermodynamic and kinetic properties in order to simulate carbon diffusion and phase transformations during gas carburizing is presented. Thermodynamic calculations are initially used to find the optimum parameters (T, carbon wt pct, etc.) in order to maintain the highest Cr and Mo contents in the austenitic solid solution. In a second step, kinetic calculations using the diffusion-controlled transformations (DICTRA) software are used to predict how the amount of the different phases varies and how the carbon profile in the steel changes as a function of time during the process. Experimental carbon profiles were determined using a wavelength-dispersive spectrometer for electron-probe microanalysis (WDS-EPMA), while carbide compositions were measured by energy-dispersive spectroscopy_X (EDS_X) analyses. A good agreement between calculated and experimental values was observed for the Fe-13Cr-5Co-3Ni-2Mo-0.07C and the Fe-12Cr-2Ni-2Mo-0.12C (wt pct) martensitic stainless steels at 955 °C and 980 °C.     

High temperature creep-fatigue design

Generation IV fission and future fusion reactors envisage development of more efficient high temperature concepts where materials performances are key to their success. This paper examines different types of high temperature creep-fatigue interactions and their implications on design rules for the structural materials retained in both programmes. More precisely, the paper examines current status of design rules for the stainless steel type 316L(N), the conventional Modified 9Cr-1Mo martensitic steel and the low activation Eurofer steel. Results obtained from extensive high temperature creep, fatigue and creep-fatigue tests performed on these materials and their welded joints are presented. These include sequential creep-fatigue and relaxation creep-fatigue tests with hold times in tension, in compression or in both. Effects of larger plastic deformations on fatigue properties are studied through cyclic creep tests or fatigue tests with extended hold time in creep. In most cases, mechanical test results are accompanied with microstructural and fractographic observations. In the case of martensitic steels, the effect of oxidation is examined by performing creep-fatigue tests on identical specimens in vacuum. Results obtained are analyzed and their implications on design allowables and creep-fatigue interaction diagrams are presented. While reasonable confidence is found in predicting creep-fatigue damage through existing code procedures for austenitic stainless steels, effects of cyclic softening and coarsening of microstructure of martensitic steels throughout the fatigue life on materials properties need to be taken into account for more precise damage calculations. In the long-term, development of ferritic/martensitic steels with stable microstructure, such as ODS steels, is proposed.     

The postweld heat-treatment response of simulated coarse-grained heat-affected zones in a new ferritic steel

The tempering behavior of simulated coarse-grained (CG) heat-affected zones (HAZs) in two ferritic alloy steels, 2.25Cr-1Mo and HCM2S, was investigated. The hardness of HCM2S was found to be stable at longer times and higher temperatures than the 2.25Cr-1Mo steel, even though the “as-welded” hardnesses were approximately equal. Both materials reached a peak secondary hardness after tempering for 5 hours at 575 °C. The increase in hardness of the 2.25Cr-1Mo steel was due to precipitation of Fe-rich M₃C carbides within the prior-austenite grains, whereas the secondary hardening in HCM2S was due to a fine dispersion of intragranular, W-rich carbides. The HCM2S steel retained its hardness at longer times and higher temperatures than 2.25Cr-1Mo steel, because of the precipitation of intragranular, W-rich carbides and V-rich MC carbides that stabilized the lath structure. This study shows that HCM2S should not be heat treated in the same way as 2.25Cr-1Mo steel and also provides a basis for defining the postweld heat treatment (PWHT) of HCM2S.     

First Results of Characterization of 9Cr-3 WVTiTaN Low Activation Ferritic/Martensitic Steel

Ferritic/martensitic steels with Cr of 9%-12% (in mass percent) are favourable candidates for fuel cladding tube and in-core components of supercritical water-cooled reactor. 9Cr-3WVTiTaN low activation ferritic/martensitic steel, designated as China Nuclear Steel-Ⅰ (CNS-Ⅰ), was patterned after T91 steel (modified 9Cr-1Mo) for the reactor. The idea of low activation material and microalloy technology was introduced into the design of the steel. The hardening, tempering and transformation behaviour of CNS-Ⅰ steel was investigated. The steel has advantages in tensile properties at elevated temperature relative to zircaloy that has been widely used as cladding material for conventional light water reactors. CNS-Ⅰ steel exhibits tensile properties and impact toughness comparable to T91 steel which exhibits availability in the present fission reactors and fast breeder reactor but includes undesired radioactive elements such as molybdenum and niobium.     

Thermal treatment improving creep properties of nitrogen-added Mod.9Cr-1Mo steels

Generation IV reactors are being developed to produce a reliable energy safely and with an economic benefit, because nuclear energy is being seriously considered to meet the increasing demand for a world-wide energy supply without environmental effects. Ferritic/martensitic steels are attracting attention as candidate materials for the Gen-IV reactors due to their high strength and thermal conductivity, low thermal expansion, and good resistance to corrosion. In recent years, new ferritic/martensitic steels have been developed for ultra supercritical fossil power plants through advanced technologies for steel fabrication. The microstructural stability of these materials for the pressure vessel, cladding and core structure of the VHTR and SFR is very important. Nitrogen is a precipitation hardening element, and the thermal stability of nitrides is superior to that of carbides. So the formation of nitrides may improve the thermal stability of the microstructure and eventually increase the creep rupture strength of high Cr steels. The effect of nitrogen on the creep rupture strength and microstructure evolution of nitrogen-added Mod.9Cr-1Mo steels has been studied. Creep testing was carried out at 873 and 923 K under constant load conditions. The optimum controlled Cr₂X precipitates were developed by special heat treatment, and they were not dissolved after a creep deformation. These fine and stable Cr₂X precipitates contributed to the increase of the creep rupture strength. The prior austenite grain size and martensite lath width were decreased by the resultant stable nitrides.     

Effect of Process Parameters on Clad Quality of Duplex Stainless Steel Using GMAW Process

In recent years, weld cladding are being applied in numerous industries as cost effective engineering solution to use a surface protection layer to protect carbon steel against corrosion attack. The desirable characteristics of cladding alloy are reasonable strength, weldability, resistance to general and localized corrosion attack. The duplex stainless steel having all the desirable characteristic is the candidate material for cladding. However, duplex weld metals have not been studied in detail as duplex stainless steels. Consequently, the properties of duplex weld metals are less well known and only partially understood. In the present study, the properties of duplex weld deposits of the 22 % Cr, 10 % Ni, 3 % Mo, and 0.12 % N type using GMAW process have been investigated. In particular, the influence of welding heat input and shielding gas composition in GMAW process on weld deposit microstructure, impact toughness and resistance to pitting corrosion have been studied. It is observed that concentration of nitrogen of weld deposits influenced by both heat input and shielding gas composition exerted significant effect on microstructure, low temperature toughness and resistance to pitting corrosion.     

Hydrogen Effect on Nanomechanical Properties of the Nitrided Steel

In situ electrochemical nanoindentation is used to examine the effect of electrochemically charged hydrogen on mechanical properties of the nitride layer on low-alloy 2.25Cr-1Mo martensitic structural steel. By application of this method, we were able to trace the changes in the mechanical properties due to the absorption of atomic hydrogen to different depths within the compound and diffusion layers. The results clearly show that the hydrogen charging of the nitriding layer can soften the layer and reduce the hardness within both the compound and the diffusion layers. The effect is completely reversible and by removal of the hydrogen, the hardness recovers to its original value. The reduction in hardness of the nitride layer does not correlate to the nitrogen concentration, but it seems to be influenced by the microstructure and residual stress within the compound and diffusion layers. Findings show that nitriding can be a promising way to control the hydrogen embrittlement of the tempered martensitic steels.     

Studies on Nb Microalloying of 13Cr Super Martensitic Stainless Steel

The effect of Nb microalloying on microstructure, mechanical properties, and pitting corrosion properties of quenched and tempered 13?pct Cr-5?pct Ni-0.02?pct C martensitic stainless steels with different Mo and N contents was investigated. The microstructure, density, and dispersion of high-angle boundaries, nanoscale precipitates, and amount of retained austenite were characterized by using electron backscattered diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction to correlate with properties. The results show that the combined effects of lowering nitrogen content in 13?pct Cr-5?pct Ni-1~2?pct Mo-0.02?pct C steels to 0.01?wt pct, and adding 0.1?pct Nb are to decrease the amount of Cr-rich precipitates, as Nb preferentially combines with residual carbon and nitrogen to form carbonitrides, suppressing the formation of Cr₂N and Cr₂₃C₆. Austenite grain refinement can be achieved by Nb microalloying through proper heat treatment. If the nitrogen content is kept high, then Cr-rich precipitates would occur irrespective of microalloying addition. The NbN would also occur at high temperature, which will act as substrate for nucleation of coarse precipitates during subsequent tempering, impairing the toughness of the steel. It was shown that the addition of Nb to low interstitial super martensitic stainless steel retards the formation of reversed austenite and results in the formation of nanoscale precipitates (5 to 15?nm), which contribute to a significant increase in strength. More importantly, the pitting corrosion resistance was found to increase with Nb addition. This is attributed to suppression of Cr-rich precipitates, which can cause local depletion of Cr in the matrix and the initiation of pitting corrosion.     

The effect of tungsten on dislocation recovery and precipitation behavior of low-activation martensitic 9Cr steels

The effect of W on dislocation recovery and precipitation behavior was investigated for martensitic 9Cr-(0,l,2,4)W-0.1C (wt pct) steels after quenching, tempering, and subsequent prolonged aging. The steels were low induced-radioactivation martensitic steels for fusion reactor structures, intended as a possible replacement for conventional (7 to 12)Cr-Mo steels. During tempering after quenching, homogeneous precipitation of fine W₂C occurred in martensite, causing secondary hardening between 673 and 823 K. The softening above the secondary hardening temperature shifted to higher temperatures with increasing W concentration, which was correlated with the decrease in self-diffusion rates with increasing W concentration. Carbides M₂₃C₆ and M₇C₃ were precipitated in the 9Cr steel without W after high-temperature tempering at 1023 K. With increasing W concentration, M7C3 was replaced by M₂₃C₆, and M₆C formed in addition to M₂₃C₆. During subsequent aging at temperatures between 823 and 973 K after tempering, the recovery of dislocations, the agglomeration of carbides, and the growth of martensite lath subgrains occurred. Intermetallic Fe₂W Laves also precipitated in the δ-ferrite grains of the 9Cr-4W steel. The effect of W on dislocation recovery and precipitation behavior is discussed in detail.     

Characterization of Ferrite in Tempered Martensite of Modified 9Cr-1Mo Steel Using the Electron Backscattered Diffraction Technique

Ferrite was identified and characterized in tempered martensitic modified 9Cr-1Mo steel using the electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) technique. Microstructural examination of the as-received modified 9Cr-1Mo steel revealed the presence of polycrystalline grains without lath morphology having low hardness within a predominantly tempered lath martensitic matrix. These grains were identified as the ferrite phase, and subsequent EBSD data analysis confirmed that the image quality (IQ) index of these grains is higher and boundary line length per unit area is lower than those of martensitic matrix. Therefore, it is proposed that characterization of ferrite phase in martensitic matrix can be carried out using microstructural parameters such as IQ index and boundary line length per unit area obtained from EBSD data analysis.     

A New Series of Mo-free 215Cr-35Ni-xW-02N Economical Duplex Stainless Steels

A new series of economical Mo-free duplex stainless steels 21.5Cr-3.5Ni-xW-0.2N(x=1.8-3.0,mass%) have been developed.The effects of W on mechanical properties and corrosion resistance were investigated,and the microstructures were analyzed by optical microscopy,X-ray diffraction,transmission electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction.The designed steels have a balanced ferrite-austenite relation and are free of sigma phase after solution treatment at 750-1 300℃for 30min followed by water-quenching,whereas a small number of Cr23 C6 precipitates were found after solution treatment at 750℃.After solution treatment at 1 050℃,the steel with 1.8%(mass percent)W exhibits the highest room temperature tensile strength due to the strongest work hardening effect, while the steel with 3.0%(mass percent)W exhibits the highest fracture elongation owing to the transformation-induced plasticity(TRIP)effect.The ductile-brittle transition(DBT)and martensite transformation are respectively found in the ferrite and austenite,which deteriorates the impact properties of the steels with the increase of W content.The corrosion resistance of the designed steels is improved with the increase of W content.The pitting resistance of austenite is obviously better than that of ferrite for the designed alloys.Among the designed steels,the steel with 1.8%(mass percent)W is found to be an optimum steel with excellent comprehensive properties and lowest production cost.     

Study of High Temperature Deformation and Recrystallization in W9Mo3Cr4V Steel

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Lowcycle fatigue behavior on duplex stainless steels

Stainless steels are used predominantly for their corrosion resistance in moderate to highly aggressive environments. For construction purposes, engineers normally select carbon steel due to low cost, long experience, applicable design rules and a large variety of strength classes. However, different stainless steel types can also provide a very wide range of mechanical properties and they have the advantage of not needing surface protection. Duplex Stainless Steels (DSSs) in particular, are austeno-ferritic steels with twice the mechanical strength of conventional austenitic and ferritic stainless steels and have a potential use in construction. In the early 1980’s, a ‘second generation’ of duplex steels was introduced with better weldability mainly through nitrogen alloying. The most common duplex grade today is the UNS S32205/S31803, which is used in a great number of applications in a wide variety of product forms. This grade was the basis for the development of a ‘third generation’ of duplex steels. These higher alloys are called super-duplex stainless steels and identified as UNS S32750/S32760. The cyclic hardening-softening response, the cyclic stress-strain curve and the microstructure evolution of a high nitrogen duplex stainless steel S32750 have been evaluated and the results compared with reference to low and medium nitrogen duplex stainless steels, S32205 and S32900 grades, respectively. The beneficial effects of nitrogen on the cyclic properties of most modern alloys have been analyzed in terms of the flow stress components, i.e. the back and the friction stress. A phenomenological model is proposed to explain the influence of nitrogen atoms on the cyclic behavior of these steels.     

双相不锈钢475℃脆性及其形成特点对性能的影响

详细总结了双相不锈钢中475℃脆性的主要特征、影响因素以及其对性能的影响,包括:α′相的析出机制、动力学特征;合金元素、热加工工艺对α′相析出动力学的影响;475℃脆性对力学性能、腐蚀性能和居里温度的影响。