Formability of friction stir processed low carbon steels used in shipbuilding

The stretch formability of a low carbon steel processed by friction stir processing (FSP) was studied under biaxial loading condition applied by a miniaturized Erichsen test. One-pass FSP decreased the ferritic grain size in the processed zone from 25 μm to about 3 μm, which also caused a remarkable increase in strength values without considerable decrease in formability under uniaxial loading. A coarse-grained (CG) sample before FSP reflected a moderate formability with an Erichsen index (EI) of 2.73 mm. FSP slightly decreased the stretch formability of the sample to 2.66 mm. However, FSP increased the required punch load (F_EI) due to the increased strength by grain refinement. FSP reduced considerably the roughness of the free surface of the biaxial stretched samples with reduced orange peel effect. The average roughness value (Ra) decreased from 2.90 in the CG sample down to about 0.65 μm in fine-grained (FG) sample after FSP. It can be concluded that the FG microstructure in low carbon steels sheets or plates used generally in shipbuilding provides a good balance between strength and formability.     

Dislocation-based interpretation on the effect of the loading frequency on the fatigue properties of JIS S15C low carbon steel

Fatigue properties of low carbon steels are known to be particularly sensitive to the loading frequency. Indeed, literatures related to this field usually point out an increasing fatigue life with an increase of the loading frequency. The authors of the present paper have already reconfirmed such a general phenomenon in the case of JIS S15C (0.15%C) low carbon steel. In that paper, S–N properties under usual frequencies of 0.2–140 Hz can be successfully normalized by the lower yield stress at the individual frequency. Nevertheless, some irregularities have been detected on the fatigue property at 20 kHz. In order to clarify the physical meaning of such irregularities, we will compare fatigue properties at usual frequencies and ultrasonic frequency.In this work, the former experimental results were reintroduced and new discussions were developed by performing additional experiments and analyses paying an attention to microstructure and dislocation structure. Thus, it was found that the loading frequency effect at ultrasonic frequency is due to a particular behavior of B.C.C. ferrite under high strain rate. Such a behavior causes strain inhomogeneities at grain boundaries, and then facilitates the intergranular crack initiation mode rather than the usual intragranular one often reported at lower loading frequencies. Longer ultrasonic fatigue lives at ultrasonic frequency are directly related to this transition of the crack initiation mode. In addition, effects of the pearlitic volume fraction on the fatigue behavior have been also discussed in the present work.     

Effect of Nb and C on the hot flow behavior of Nb microalloyed steels

The compressive deformation behaviors of a C–Mn steel (0.36C–1.42Mn) and two Nb microalloyed steels (0.35C–1.41Mn–0.044Nb and 0.055C–1.42Mn–0.036Nb) were investigated at the temperatures from 900 °C to 1100 °C and strain rates from 0.005 s⁻¹ to 10 s⁻¹ on Gleeble-1500 thermo-mechanical simulator. It was found that the flow stress of the C–Mn steel is the lowest among the experimental steels, indicating that Nb microalloying in HSLA steels can effectively increase the hot deformation flow stress, and the 0.055C–1.42Mn–0.036Nb steel has a higher flow stress than that of the 0.35C–1.41Mn–0.044Nb steel, indicating that C addition generates a softening effect. The flow stress constitutive equations of hot deformation were developed for the experimental steels, the activation energy Q about 360 kJ/mol for the 0.055C–1.42Mn–0.036Nb steel was higher than that for the 0.35C–1.41Mn–0.044Nb steel (347 kJ/mol) and the C–Mn steel (278 kJ/mol). Characteristic points of flow stress for the three steels were analyzed. The results showed that Nb addition can effectively increase the peak strain and the steady state strain of steels, thus delay distinctly the occurrence of dynamic recrystallization, while C addition can reduce the peak strain and the steady state strain of Nb microalloyed steels, thus promote the occurrence of dynamic recrystallization.     

Quantitative Analysis of Work Hardening and Dynamic Softening Behavior of low carbon alloy Steel Based on the Flow Stress

In this study, the constitutive equation and DRX(Dynamic recrystallization) model of Nuclear Pressure Vessel Material 20MnNiMo steel were established to study the work hardening and dynamic softening behavior based on the flow behavior, which was investigated by hot compression experiment at temperature of 950 °C, 1050 °C, 1150 °C and 1250 °C with strain rate of 0.01 s⁻¹, 0.1 s⁻¹ and 10 s⁻¹ on a thermo-mechanical simulator THE RMECMASTOR-Z. The critical conditions for the occurence of dynamic recrystallization were determined based on the strain hardening rate curves of 20MnNiMo steel. Then the model of volume fraction of DRX was established to analyze the DRX behavior based on flow curves. At last, the strain rate sensitivity and activation volume V^* of 20MnNiMo steel were calculated to discuss the mechanisms of work hardening and dynamic softening during the hot forming process. The results show that the volume fraction of DRX is lower with the higher value of Z (Zener–Hollomon parameter), which indicated that the DRX fraction curves can accurately predicte the DRX behavior of 20MnNiMo steel. The storage and annihilation of dislocation at off-equilibrium saturation situation is the main reason that the strain has significant effects on SRS(Strain rate sensitivity) at the low strain rate of 0.01 s⁻¹ and 0.1 s⁻¹. While, the effects of temperature on the SRS are caused by the uniformity of microstructure distribution. And the cross-slip caused by dislocation piled up which beyond the grain boundaries or obstacles is related to the low activation volume under the high Z deformation conditions. Otherwise, the coarsening of DRX grains is the main reason for the high activation volume at low Z under the same strain conditions.     

Effect of the loading frequency on fatigue properties of JIS S15C low carbon steel and some discussions based on micro-plasticity behavior

Ultrasonic testing method has been often used to investigate fatigue properties of various metallic materials. Since ultrasonic fatigue tests are conducted at a very high loading frequency, they are particularly convenient for fatigue tests in the very high cycle regime. Indeed, ultrasonic fatigue method allows us to conduct fatigue tests up to 10⁹–10¹⁰ cycles in a definite period. However, due to the huge gap of loading frequency between ultrasonic testing method (around 20 kHz) and usual testing method (most of the cases in the range 1–100 Hz), the frequency effect on the fatigue property is still unclear. Low carbon steel is one of typical metallic materials to provide a significant discrepancy between fatigue strengths obtained under ultrasonic testing frequency and under usual testing frequency range.Thus, by preparing a lot of specimens of JIS S15C low carbon steel (0.15% C), fatigue tests were carried out in a wide range of the loading frequency. The frequency effect on the S–N property was first examined and a useful procedure was proposed to obtain a common S–N property normalized by the lower yield stress. In addition, micro-plasticity behavior such as the stress–strain hysteresis loop and the local misorientation were also measured and the frequency effect on the fatigue property was discussed.     

Mechanical properties of normal strength mild steel and high strength steel S690 in low temperature relevant to Arctic environment

The development of Arctic oil and gas fields requires low temperature high strength steel materials that can resist critical loads in extreme environments. This paper investigates the mechanical properties such as stress–strain curves, elastic modulus, yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and fracture strain of normal mild steel and high strength S690 steel to be used in low temperatures relevant to arctic environment. Tensile tests are carried out on steel coupons at different temperatures ranging from −80 °C to +30 °C in a cooling chamber. The influences of the low temperatures on the mechanical properties of mild steel and high strength steel are compared and their differences are discussed. Regression analyses are also carried out on the test data to develop empirical formulae to predict the elastic modulus, yield strength, and ultimate strength of the steels at ambient low temperatures. Finally, design formulae are recommended and their accuracies are further confirmed by the test data including those from the literature.     

Influence of stress triaxiality and strain rate on the failure behavior of a dual-phase DP780 steel

To better understand the in-service mechanical behavior of advanced high-strength steels, the influence of stress triaxiality and strain rate on the failure behavior of a dual-phase (DP) 780 steel sheet was investigated. Three flat, notched mini-tensile geometries with varying notch severities and initial stress triaxialities of 0.36, 0.45, and 0.74 were considered in the experiments. Miniature specimens were adopted to facilitate high strain rate testing in addition to quasi-static experiments. Tensile tests were conducted at strain rates of 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10, and 100 s⁻¹ for all three notched geometries and compared to mini-tensile uniaxial samples. Additional tests at a strain rate of 1500 s⁻¹ were performed using a tensile split Hopkinson bar apparatus. The results showed that the stress–strain response of the DP780 steel exhibited mainly positive strain rate sensitivity for all geometries, with mild negative strain rate sensitivity up to 0.1 s⁻¹ for the uniaxial specimens. The strain at failure was observed to decrease with strain rate at low strain rates of 0.001–0.1 s⁻¹; however, it increased by 26% for an increase in strain rate from 0.1 to 1500 s⁻¹ for the uniaxial condition. Initial triaxiality was found to have a significant negative impact on true failure strain with a decrease of 32% at the highest triaxiality compared to the uniaxial condition at a strain rate of 0.001 s⁻¹. High resolution scanning electron microscopy images of the failure surfaces revealed a dimpled surface while optical micrographs revealed shearing through the thickness indicating failure occurred via ductile-shear. Finite element simulations of the tests were used to predict the effective plastic strain versus triaxiality history within the deforming specimens. These predictions were combined with the measured conditions at the onset of failure in order to construct limit strain versus triaxiality failure criteria.     

Experimental study on high strain rate behavior of high strength 600–1000 MPa dual phase steels and 1200 MPa fully martensitic steels

As one of high grade advanced high strength steels (AHSSs), dual phase (DP) steel sheets and fully martensitic (MS) steel sheets have been successfully used in automotive crash-resistance components for its great benefit in reducing vehicle weight while improving car safety as well as their advantage in cost saving through cold forming instead of hot forming. The strain rate sensitivity of 600/800/1000 MPa DP and 1200 MPa MS were studied in this paper through a split Hopkinson tensile bar (SHTB) setup and compared with each other. The experiments showed that all dual phase (DP) AHSS ranging from 600 MPa to 1000 MPa are of positive strain rate sensitivity. While for the tested 1200 MPa MS, negative strain rate sensitivity has been found. Possible reason for the difference has been investigated through metallographical observation and their microstructures.     

Dynamic recrystallization of austenite in microalloyed high carbon steels

Hypereutectoid steels of 1% carbon, alloyed with high silicon and microalloying levels of vanadium were subjected to dynamic recrystallization. It was found that an increase in carbon and vanadium content leads to smaller grain size. To characterize the dynamic recrystallization behavior of these steels, compression tests were performed over the temperature range 900–1050 °C using strain rates of 0.01, 0.1 and 1 s⁻¹. Equations were generated that can be used to predict the critical strain for dynamic recrystallization. Of interest is the finding that there is an activation energy for deformation specifically associated with dynamic recrystallization (i.e. peak strain). This activation energy associated with the peak strain is lower than that associated with the steady state stress. This is contrary to Sellar's original observation that the peak strain is a function of the activation energy for deformation according to the Zener–Hollomon relationship.     

Effect of cumulative gamma irradiation on microstructure and corrosion behaviour of X65 low carbon steel

X65 low carbon steel was exposed to Co-60 radiation source with 1.25 MeV gamma rays, and cumulatively absorbed gamma irradiation doses (1, 2, and 3 MGy) were obtained after different exposure time (333, 667, and 1000 h). The effect of cumulative gamma irradiation on microstructure and corrosion behaviour of the carbon steel in unirradiated aerobic Beishan groundwater at 25 °C was investigated by using positron annihilation, scanning vibrating electrode, and electrochemical techniques. Cumulative gamma irradiation increases vacancy intensity and decreases open circuit potential (OCP) of carbon steel. They indicate that the irradiated carbon steel is activated. Measured current density distribution above the irradiated carbon steel shows that cumulative gamma irradiation accelerates localized corrosion after 0.5 h of immersion. In contrast, the analysis of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of the irradiated carbon steel indicates that localized corrosion is transformed into general corrosion after 12 h of immersion, which is also accelerated by cumulative gamma irradiation.     

Effects of temperature and strain rate on microstructure and mechanical properties of high chromium cast iron/low carbon steel bimetal prepared by hot diffusion-compression bonding

The objective of this study is to develop a hot diffusion-compression bonding process for cladding low carbon steel (LCS) to high chromium cast iron (HCCI) in solid-state. The influence of temperature (950–1150 °C) and strain rate (0.001–1 s⁻¹) on microstructure, hardness and bond strength of the HCCI/LCS bimetal were investigated. The interface microstructure reveals that the unbonded region can only be found for 950 °C due to lack of diffusion, while the intergrowth between the constituent metals occurred at and above 1100 °C. When bonding temperature increases to 1150 °C, a carbide-free zone was observed near the interface on the HCCI layer, and the thickness of the zone decreases with an increase of bonding strain rate. These evolutions indicate that the bond quality was improved by raising temperature and reducing strain rate due to the increase of element diffusion. The hot compression process of the bonding treatment not only changes the carbide orientation of the HCCI, but also increases the volume fraction of Cr–carbide. Based on the microstructural examinations and mechanical tests, the optimum bonding temperature and bonding strain rate are determined to be 1150 °C and 0.001 s⁻¹, respectively.     

Impact and fracture response of sintered 316L stainless steel subjected to high strain rate loading

This paper describes the use of a material testing system (MTS) and a compressive split-Hopkinson bar to investigate the impact behaviour of sintered 316L stainless steel at strain rates ranging from 10^− 3 s^− 1 to 7.5 × 10³ s^− 1. It is found that the flow stress–strain response of the sintered 316L stainless steel depends strongly on the applied strain rate. The rate of work hardening and the strain rate sensitivity change significantly as the strain rate increases. The flow behaviour of the sintered 316L stainless steel can be accurately predicted using a constitutive law based on Gurson's yield criterion and the flow rule of Khan, Huang and Liang (KHL). Microstructural observations reveal that the degree of localized grain deformation increases at higher strain rates. However, the pore density and the grain size vary as a reversible function of the strain rate. Impacts at strain rates higher than 5.6 × 10³ s^− 1 are found to induce adiabatic shear bands in the specimens. These specimens subsequently fail as a result of crack propagation along the dominant band. The fracture surfaces of the failed specimens are characterized by dimple-like structures, which are indicative of ductile failure. The depth and the density of these dimples are found to decrease with increasing strain rate. This observation indicates a reduction in the fracture resistance and is consistent with the observed macroscopic flow stress–strain response.     

Cooling process and mechanical properties design of hot-rolled low carbon high strength microalloyed steel for automotive wheel usage

For the purpose of developing Nb–V–Ti microalloyed, hot rolled, high strength automotive steel for usage in heavy-duty truck wheel-discs and wheel-rims, appropriate cooling processes were designed, and microstructures and comprehensive mechanical properties (tension, bending, hole-expansion, and Charpy impact) of the tested steels at two cooling schedules were studied. The results indicate that the steel consists of 90% 5 μm polygonal ferrite and 10% pearlite when subjected to a cooling rate of 13 °C/s and a coiling temperature of 650 °C. The yield strength, tensile strength, and hole-expansion ratio are 570 MPa, 615 MPa, and 95%, respectively, which meet the requirements of the wheel-disc application. The steel consists of 20% 3 μm polygonal ferrite and 80% bainite (granular bainite and a small amount of acicular ferrite) when subjected to a cooling rate of 30 °C/s and a coiling temperature of 430 °C. The yield strength, tensile strength, and hole-expansion ratio are 600 MPa, 655 MPa, and 66%, respectively, which meet the requirements of the wheel-rim application. Both the ferrite–pearlite steel and ferrite–bainite steel possess excellent bendability and Charpy impact property. The precipitation behavior and dislocation pattern are characterized and discussed.     

Constitutive modeling of nitrogen-alloyed austenitic stainless steel at low and high strain rates and temperatures

In this paper, microstructures-based constitutive relations are introduced to simulate the thermo-mechanical response of two nitrogen-alloyed austenitic stainless steels; Nitronic-50 and Uranus-B66, under static and dynamic loadings. The simulation of the flow stress is developed based on a combined approach of two different principal mechanisms; the cutting of dislocation forests and the overcoming of Peierls–Nabarro barriers. The experimental observations for Nitronic-50 and Uranus-B66 conducted by Guo and Nemat-Nasser (2006) and Fréchard et al. (2008), respectively, over a wide range of temperatures and strain rates are also utilized in understanding the underlying deformation mechanisms. Results for the two stainless steels reveal that both the initial yielding and strain hardening are strongly dependent on the coupling effect of temperatures and strain rates. The methodology of obtaining the material parameters and their physical interpretation are presented thoroughly. The present model predicts results that compare very well with the experimental data for both stainless steels at initial temperature range of 77–1000 K and strain rates between 0.001 and 8000 s⁻¹. The effect of the physical quantities at the microstructures on the overall flow stress is also investigated. The evolution of dislocation density along with the initial dislocation density contribution plays a crucial role in determining the thermal stresses. It was observed that the thermal yield stress component is more affected by the presence of initial dislocations and decreases with the increase of the originated (initial) dislocation density.     

Copper precipitation and its impact on mechanical properties in a low carbon microalloyed steel processed by a three-step heat treatment

The structure–mechanical property relationship, with particular focus on effect of tempering process on the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties was investigated in a low carbon Cu-bearing steel that was processed in three-steps, namely, intercritical annealing, intercritical tempering, and tempering heat treatment. The objective of adopting three steps was to elucidate the nature and evolution of microstructural constituents that contributed to high strength–ductility combination in the studied steel. The three-step processing led to a microstructure primarily comprising of ferrite, retained austenite, and small amount of bainite/martensite. The mechanical properties obtained were: yield strength > 720 MPa, tensile strength > 920 MPa, uniform elongation > 20%, total elongation > 30%, and low yield ratio of 0.78. The tempering step led to a significant increase in both yield and tensile strength and decrease in yield ratio, without reducing ductility, a behavior attributed to the precipitation of copper in retained austenite and ferrite. The precipitation of copper enhanced the stability of retained austenite and work hardening rate, leading to a high volume fraction of retained austenite (∼29%), with consequent increase in elongation and significant increase in yield and tensile strength during tempering.     

Base material fatigue data for low alloy forged steels used in the subsea industry. Part 2: Effect of cathodic protection

In air S–N fatigue data for forged low alloy steels as used in the subsea industry are presented in Part 1 of this paper. The test scope in Part 1 included testing to quantify the effect of the surface roughness, mean stress and material strength on the high cycle fatigue strength of low alloy steels with a tensile strength in the range of 600–800 MPa. A method for estimating the in air S–N curve from the tensile strength (material grade), surface roughness (machining) and mean stress (such as residual stresses, pressure testing, pre-load and external loads) is presented in Part 1. In this Part 2, fatigue test results for low alloy steels and one carbon steel tested in seawater with cathodic protection with a potential of −1050 mV versus an Ag/AgCl reference electrode are presented. The fatigue testing has been performed using smooth specimens. The tested smooth specimens have (actual) tensile strengths in the range from 627 to 790 MPa. Penalty factors for the tested smooth specimens in seawater with cathodic protection with respect to in air performance (Part 1) are presented and compared with penalty factors used in fatigue design codes such as DNVGL-RP-0005 (former DNV-RP-C203) and BS 7608. The obtained environmental reduction factors are found to be in accordance with the penalty factors used in BS 7608 provided that the maximum stress in the cycle is less than 94% of the yield stress for the material. The penalty factors used for forged steels in DNVGL-RP-0005 are non-conservative compared to the test outcome for the steel tested in an artificial 3.5% NaCl seawater solution. For higher stress levels, larger penalty factors than used in BS 7608 are required. It is found that the obtained S–N based environmental reduction factors are of similar magnitude as BS 7910 fatigue crack growth based reduction factors for CP.     

Constitutive modeling for flow behavior of GCr15 steel under hot compression experiments

The thermal compressive deformation behavior of GCr15 (AISI-52100), one of the most commonly used bearing steels, was studied on the Gleeble-3500 thermo-simulation system at temperature range of 950–1150 °C and strain rate range of 0.1–10 s⁻¹. According to the experimental results, the stress level decreases with increasing deformation temperature and decreasing strain rate. The peak stresses on the true stress–strain curves suggest that the dynamic softening of GCr15 steel occurs during hot compression tests. To formulate the thermoplastic constitutive equation of GCr15 steel, Arrhenius equation and the Zener–Hollomon parameter in an exponent-type equation were utilized in this paper. In addition, a modified Zener–Hollomon parameter considering the compensation of strain rate during hot compression was employed to improve the prediction accuracy of the developed constitutive equation. Analysis results indicate that the flow stress values predicted by the proposed constitutive model agree well with the experimental values, which confirms the accuracy and reliability of the developed constitutive equation of GCr15 steel.     

Tensile properties of fiber laser welded joints of high strength low alloy and dual-phase steels at warm and low temperatures

High strength low alloy (HSLA) and dual-phase DP980 (UTS ⩾ 980 MPa) steels were joined using fiber laser welding in similar and dissimilar materials combinations. The welded joints were characterized with respect to microhardness and tensile properties at three different temperatures: −40 °C, 25 °C, and 180 °C. Tensile properties of the welded joints were compared to those of the base metal (BM) obtained under similar conditions. A good correlation was found between the welded joints and the BM in relation to the tensile properties obtained at the different temperatures. A general trend of increase in the yield strength (YS), the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and energy absorption (EA) with decreasing temperature was observed; however, work hardening coefficient was not altered and insignificant scatter was observed in case of the elongation. However, in the DP980 steel, dynamic strain ageing was observed only in the BM.     

Evaluation of stress corrosion cracking and hydrogen embrittlement in an API grade steel

Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and hydrogen embrittlement (HE) of pipeline steels in contact with soil was investigated. Different soils were prepared in order to determine their physical, chemical and bacteriological characteristics. Slow strain rate testing was carried out by using aqueous extracts from soil samples and NS4 standard solution. Stress vs. strain curves of API 5L grade X46 steel were obtained at different electrode potentials (E_corr, 100 mV below E_corr and 300 mV below E_corr) with 9 × 10⁻⁶ s⁻¹ and 9 × 10⁻⁷ s⁻¹ strain rate. In addition, the hydrogen permeation tests were carried out in order to evaluate the susceptibility of hydrogen penetrates into theses steels. The results demonstrated the incidence of cracking and their dependence on the potential imposed. In that case, cracking occurred by stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and the hydrogen embrittlement (HE) had an important contribution to cracking initiation and propagation. Cracking morphology was similar to the SCC reported on field condition where transgranular cracking were detected in a pipeline collapsed by land creeping. It was important to point out that even under cathodic potentials the material showed the incidence of secondary cracking and a significant reduction of ductility.     

Influence of copper and molybdenum on dry sliding wear behaviour of sintered plain carbon steel

Study of wear behaviour of sintered low alloy steels is required to ascertain their applications for wear resistance. In the present work the influence of copper and molybdenum on wear behaviour of plain carbon steel (Fe–0.5%C) using pin-on-disk arrangement has been addressed. Atomized iron (Fe), graphite (C), copper (Cu) and molybdenum (Mo) elemental powders were suitably weighed and thoroughly mixed in a pot mill to yield the alloy powders of Fe–0.5%C, Fe–0.5%C–2%Cu and Fe–0.5%C–2%Mo. Admixed alloy powders were then compacted and sintered for obtaining preforms of aspect ratio (height/diameter) 1.3 and diameter 25 mm. The sintered preforms were then hot extruded and subsequently machined to obtain wear test specimens of diameter 6 mm and height 50 mm. Using Design of Experiment software, the sliding wear experiments were planned and conducted on a pin-on-disk tribometer. It has been found that there is a substantial improvement in wear resistance of the P/M plain carbon steel by the addition Mo rather than Cu. However coefficient of friction is higher due to presence of hard microstructural phases. Delamination wear is found predominant for both the alloy steels. Empirical correlations for mass loss and coefficient of friction with respect to load/speed have been developed for the alloy steels.