HSLA-100 steels: Influence of aging heat treatment on microstructure and properties

The structural steels used in critical construction applications have traditionally been heat-treated low-alloy steels. These normalized and/or quenched and tempered steels derive strength from their carbon contents. Carbon is a very efficient and cost-effective element for increasing strength in ferrite-pearlite or tempered martensitic structures, but it is associated with poor notch toughness. Furthermore, it is well known that both the overall weldability and weldment toughness are inversely related to the carbon equivalent values, especially at high carbon contents. The stringent control needed for the welding of these traditional steels is one of the major causes of high fabrication costs. In order to reduce fabrication cost while simultaneously improving the quality of structural steels, a new family of high-strength low-alloy steels with copper additions (HSLA-100) has been developed. The alloy design philosophy of the new steels includes a reduction in the carbon content, which improves toughness and weldability.     

Effect of manganese and niobium on the properties of low-alloy steels

The strength and ductility characteristics, toughness parameters, and structure of low-alloy steels after thermomechanical treatment are studied. Analysis of the properties of steels with various manganese-to-niobium ratios is performed. An optimum chemical composition for sheet steel subjected to thermomechanical treatment is suggested.     

双相钢中残余奥氏体对性能的影响及其热稳定化

用声发射法研究了一种低合金钢于双相区热处理所得残余奥氏体的马氏体相变。发现残余奥氏体的热稳定化程度和稳定性均与奥氏体的颗粒尺寸有关。颗粒愈小，热稳定化程度愈高，且愈稳定。不存在马氏体核胚的极小奥氏体颗粒不能仅靠过冷来使其转变。形变能诱发试验钢中残余奥氏体转变，且增加钢的塑性。但只有奥氏体颗粒尺寸有合适的分布，其中小部分稳定性很高，才能使马氏体相变随应变增加而逐渐发生并延伸到大的应变，使延伸率明显增加。     

The effect of nitrogen on the cold forging properties of 1020 steel

We have studied the effect of nitrogen on the cold forging properties of a low carbon steel as a function of temperature. Five AISI 1020 steels with nitrogen contents from 12 to 180 ppm were examined by tensile testing from 25 to 371 °C. Yield strength, tensile elongation (ductility), ultimate tensile strength (UTS), strain hardening exponents and strength coefficients were determined. The influence of nitrogen on the mechanical property behavior of this low carbon steel exhibits trends as expected—when nitrogen content increases, the strength of the steel increases and the ductility decreases. Likewise, as the temperature increases, the strength of the steel generally decreases; however, the ductility initially decreases, then exhibits an increasing trend. Additionally, there is an intermediate temperature range for these alloys where anomalous behavior is observed. Serrated stress–strain curves seen in this temperature range are indicative of dynamic strain aging. It is probable that this anomalous mechanical property trend is due to dynamic strain aging.     

A study of cast and thermomechanically hardened chromium-nickel nitrogen-bearing steel

Conclusions 1. We have studied the processes of crystallization, the structure, and the thermomechanical hardening of nitrogen-bearing steels obtained on the base of corrosion-resistant maraging steel. The difference in the cooling rates over the cross section of the ingot causes a difference in the nitrogen content and the phase composition. 2. The introduction of molybdenum and niobium into the steel increases the concentration of nitrogen in the solid solution and improves the uniformity of its distribution in the ingot. 3. The use of HTTT for nitrogen-bearing steels is effective; their preliminary heating provides the dissolution of coarse carbides and carbonitrides, and hot rolling by an optimum regime creates a structure of polygonized austenite with a high density of subboundaries. 4. The attained level of strength characteristics in the studied steels at an almost fully austonitic structure is 1.5 times higher than in the traditionally used corrosion-resistant steel. At the same time, the nitrogen-bearing steels preserve a quite high ductility. The maximum strength of double-phase steels aged after the HTTT is higher than in the base maraging steel at close ductility values. Translated from Metallovedenie i Termicheskaya Obrabotka Metallov, No. 9, pp. 10 – 15, September, 2000.     

Mechanical Properties and Retained Austenite Stability of High Aluminum TRIP-aided Cold-rolled Steel Sheets

The mechanical properties, microstructure and retained austenite stability of CMnAlSi-TRIP steels were investigated in this paper. The steel sheets were hot-rolled, cold-rolled and heat treated by intercritical annealing and isothermal heat treatment. The microstructure, volume fraction of retained austenite and its carbon concentration were observed by Optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The mechanical properties were obtained through uniaxial tensile test. The results show that the CMnAlSi cold-rolled TRIP-aided steels have good combination of strength and ductility with proper isothermal heat treatment, the retained austenite stability determines incremental strain hardening exponent during strain-induced martensitic transformation, and affected by its volume fraction and carbon content. The retained austenite stability has a good correlation with the combination of strength and ductility.     

低碳低合金及含铜海洋工程用钢的研究及其发展

随着海洋资源的不断开采和利用,对深海及极地用海洋工程关键部位用钢强韧性等综合性能提出了更高的要求;开发具有更高强塑性,低屈强比,良好的低温韧性、焊接性以及耐腐蚀性等综合性能优良的钢材是海洋工程用钢的发展方向。介绍了国内外低碳低合金海洋工程用钢的研究和发展概况,分析了该类钢种制造过程中面临的问题,对铜在低碳高强钢中的作用以及含铜海洋工程用钢的研发情况进行了综述。     

Arc welding technology for dissimilar joints

The most widely used metal underpinning modern industry is steel (carbon steel). Low-alloy steel designed to increase the strength and heat resistance of basic carbon steel and stainless steel to offer improved corrosion resistance and oxidation resistance are extensively used in the manufacture of thermal and nuclear power plants, chemical plants, etc. An extremely important and unavoidable practical requirement in modern steel construction technology is to be able to perform dissimilar welding of stainless steel to carbon and low-alloy steels (welding of dissimilar metals). This article profiles the basic principles and noteworthy features of dissimilar welding of stainless steel to carbon and low-alloy steels.     

应变速率对低C高Mn TRIP/TWIP钢组织演变和力学行为的影响

研究了Fe-18Mn低C高Mn TRIP/TWIP钢在应变速率范围为1.67×10^-4-10³s^-1的室温拉伸实验过程中力学性能和组织的变化.在准静态拉伸应变速率范围内(1.67×10^-4-1.67×10^-1s^-1),应变速率对高Mn TRIP/TWIP钢的抗拉强度产生逆效应,随着应变速率的加快,抗拉强度和延伸率都降低;而在动态拉伸应变速率范围内(10¹-10³s^-1),应变速率对高Mn TRIP/TWIP钢的延伸率产生逆效应,抗拉强度和延伸率都随着应变速率的加快而增加;在应变速率为10³s^-1时,高Mn TRIP/TWIP钢抗拉强度可达到957 MPa,延伸率达到55.8%,具有较好的综合力学性能;随着应变速率的提高,马氏体转变量减少,孪生变形向多个方向发展.采用SEM,TEM和XRD等方法对变形前后的组织进行了分析,在所有应变速率范围内的拉伸变形过程中都产生了奥氏体向马氏体转变和形变孪晶,并且在应变速率为10³s^-1的高速拉伸过程中产生绝热温升效应,使得基体软化.     

Influence of chromium,molybdenum and cobalt on the corrosion behaviour of high carbon steels in dependence of heat treatment

High chromium martensitic steels are designed to provide high corrosion resistance in combination with high strength. Some of these steel grades contain primary carbides for improving the wear resistance, e.g. the steel 440C. The present paper mainly deals with the effect of chemical composition and microstructure on the corrosion properties. Different experimental alloys were produced in the shape of small ingots. The influence of the alloying elements chromium, molybdenum, cobalt, and carbon on the corrosion properties was studied. The results can be summarized as follows: Chromium and molybdenum improve the corrosion resistance, however, only the content of these elements in solid solution in the steel matrix is effective. In case of cobalt the corrosion resistance decreases. The reason is the interaction between cobalt and carbon and its effect on the chromium content in the steel matrix. The calculated pitting resistant equivalent number of high chromium martensitic steels is only limited valid, because there is a major effect of carbide precipitation on the corrosion behaviour. Further investigations were focused on the heat treatment. Especially the effect of the tempering temperature of these steels was studied. The tempering temperature is most relevant for secondary hardening carbide precipitation, which lowers the chromium content of the matrix with detrimental influence on the corrosion properties. The carbide precipitation and chromium distribution was characterized by means of energy filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM).     

Industrial Experience with Case Hardening of Stainless Steels by Solution Nitriding

SolNit^R is a novel heat treatment to case harden stainless steels with nitrogen instead of carbon. The calculated equilibrium pressure of N2 corresponds well with the nitrogen content in the steel surface. The process is carried out in vacuum furnaces with pressurized gas quenching. Numerous parts of different stainless steels have been successfully SolNit^R treated in industry leading to superior properties in respect to hardness/strength and corrosion resistance     

V对含氮马氏体不锈钢组织和力学性能的影响

为提升含氮马氏体不锈钢在高温下服役性能,设计了两种试验钢(一种添加0.12%V (质量分数),一种不加V),采用冲击、拉伸试验机、洛氏硬度计、Thermo-Calc软件、OM、SEM、TEM研究了添加微量的V对含氮马氏体不锈钢组织和力学性能的影响。结果表明,在较高温度450～550℃下回火,添加0.12%V较不加V的含氮马氏体不锈钢硬度提高了0.6～1.9 HRC,冲击吸收能量提高了1.2～3.8 J。1050℃淬火、-73℃冷处理、530℃回火后,添加0.12%V钢的塑韧性得到较大提升,断裂方式改变为韧-脆混合断裂,原奥氏体晶粒尺寸由16.48μm减小为11.12μm,未溶第二相的种类和分布由沿着原奥氏体晶界呈断链状分布的短棒状M₂₃C₆碳化物转变为弥散分布的球状碳化物和碳氮化物。通过细化晶粒和均匀分布的球状碳化物、碳氮化物,使得含氮马氏体不锈钢的强度和塑韧性均得到提升。     

高强高韧FV520B马氏体钢的时效工艺优化

通过在600,630,680,700和720℃保温1 h空冷,以及在630℃短时时效后炉冷和空冷的热处理,研究了不同时效温度、时效时间以及冷却方式对沉淀硬化马氏体不锈钢FV520B的组织和力学性能的影响.结果表明,630℃短时时效后钢中即可析出一定量的逆转变奥氏体,且钢中的析出相尺寸较小并弥散分布,由此提出了一种沉淀强化马氏体不锈钢的热处理工艺优化,即FV520B钢经630℃短时时效并炉冷后.可以获得较佳的高强度和高韧性组合.     

TRIP高强度钢板组织与成形性能的实验研究

TRIP钢板是一种具有相变诱发塑性特点的新型高强度钢板。本文简要回顾了 TRIP钢板的研究进展, 重点对一种低碳硅锰系TRIP700钢板的强度极限、延伸率、成形极限曲线进行了试验研究, 并用扫描电镜方法分析了该TRIP钢在变形过程中微观组织的变化。结果表明, 该低碳硅锰系TRIP钢板兼有高强度和高韧性的特点, 其拉深成形性与深冲钢板St14相当, 其良好的成形性与变形中奥氏体相的相变现象是密切相关的。     

Tempering characteristics of two low-alloy steels used for naval applications

Tempering characteristics of two high-strength low-alloy steels (HY-80 and HX-80) with carbon contents of 0.14 and 0.07%, respectively, have been investigated by transmission electron microscopic analysis. Mechanical properties such as hardness, and tensile and impact properties of these two steels were correlated with microstructural features. It was observed that the major factors contributing to the equivalent strength, better toughness, and weldability of microalloyed HX-80 steel compared to HY-80 steel include judicious selection of tempering temperature, lower carbon content, and finer grain size.     

节镍型双相不锈钢的研究进展

高氮低镍双相不锈钢具有较高的强度和优良的耐局部腐蚀性能。同时,以低成本的锰、氮代替昂贵的镍可以大大降低生产成本。分析了锰、氮代镍的一些冶金学问题,并对目前国内外节镍型双相不锈钢的研究进展作了大致的介绍。     

新型低碳马氏体弹簧钢35SI2CrVB的研究

传统中、高碳弹簧钢在性能、生产和使用上存在许多缺点,为适应汽车工业发展的需要,研究了碳含量较低的新型低碳马氏体弹簧钢35Si2CrVB。经与传统弹簧钢60Si2MnA相比较,该钢不仅有高的强度、塑韧性,良好的综合力学性能,而且具有低的脱碳敏感性、高的淬透性和高的弹减抗力等。显微组织观察发现,由于35Si2CrVB钢的含碳量降低,其淬火组织发生了变化,几乎全是具有高位错密度的板条状马氏体,而且只有极少量孪晶结构的片状马氏体。     

抗地震用建筑结构钢的显微组织及成分设计

地震波谱分析表明，地震区建筑结构用钢受震时的主要失效形式是高应力低周疲劳损伤和断裂。提高建筑结构钢的抗震性，应在保证钢材具有较高强度的同时，提供其塑性和韧性。低碳微合金铁素体晶粒超细化钢、双相钢和低合金相变诱发塑性钢都具有良好的抗震性。本文对钢的抗震性、显微组织和成分设计进行了简要阐述。     

Controlling Carbide Evolution to Improve the Ductility in High Specific Young’s Modulus Steels

A high specific Young’s modulus steel could be achieved by introducing a large fraction of kappa-carbides (κ-carbide), and its ductility was improved by efficiency divorced eutectoid transformation (DET) treatment. For this steel, carbon and aluminum contents affect not only the carbide fraction, but also the type and morphology of carbides, and consequently the mechanical properties. In this work, the alloy was designed by considering both the carbide morphology and Young’s modulus, and the carbides in the high specific Young’s modulus steels were adjusted by controlling carbon content in a suitable range for achieving a good combination of strength and ductility. The detailed microstructure evolution process during DET reaction was studied, and it was found that a higher austenitizing temperature and the cooling rate lower than 300 ℃ h^-1 are suitable. The blocky carbides could be avoided by designing the carbon content in a limited content range. The microstructure-property relationship of the experimental steels was also discussed for giving an impetus to the future development of high specific Young’s modulus steels.     

Fabrication and Microstructural Control of Nano-structured Bulk Steels： A Review

There exist strong interests of developing nano-grained steels because of the outstanding properties including high strength/weight ratio, wear resistance, excellent toughness, and favorable cellular activity. This article reviews the main fabrication process and microstructural control of nano-structured steels over the last decades. Severe plastic deformation is considered as an effective route of obtaining the nano-grained microstructures. The process of cold-rolling and annealing of martensitic steel is a viable method to obtain bulk nano-structured low carbon steel, while the final thickness of the cold-rolling plate is limited. According to the theoretical results of the thermal simulation studies, a novel alloy design combined with the rapid transformation and rolling process is proposed to successfully fabricate nano-grained high strength bulk steel. The refinement mechanisms are expected to be taking advantage of increase in the transformation nucleation sites and inhibiting the grain coarsening. Moreover, corresponding mechanical properties are summarized.