Improvement in Stress Corrosion Crack Growth Resistance of an Austempered Cast Steel by a Novel Two-Step Austempering Process

An investigation was carried out to examine the influence of microstructure on the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) growth behavior of an austempered high-carbon (1.00%), high-silicon (3.00%), and high-manganese (2.00%) cast steel. Compact tension specimens were prepared from this cast steel as per American Society for Testing Materials standard E-399 and were given four different heat treatments to produce different microstructures. The SCC behavior of these specimens was studied in 3.5% NaCl solution. The test results indicate the K_ISCCvalue of the material increases as the austenite content increases. Significant improvement in SCC resistance was achieved by using a novel two-step austempering process. Intergranular crack growth was observed in all these specimens.     

钢的等温加热奥氏体形成图（IHT）的计算机绘制软件

ＩＨＴ图是制定钢的热处理工艺的重要依据。本软件对所测数据进行分段抛物处理，实现珠拟合，用ＢＡＳＩＣ语言设计出具有在半对数坐标系下绘制ＩＨＴ图的软件，再与ＡＵＴＯＣＡＤ联接，在ＣＡＤ软件支持下，自动绘出精确、实用。美观的ＩＨＴ图，本文重点介绍了ＩＨＴ软件的设计原理，特点及工作环境。     

20MnVBH钢的奥氏体晶粒度及淬透性研究

研究了用电弧炉，平炉和非真空感应炉冶炼的２０ＭｎＶＢＨ钢的奥氏体晶粒度及淬透性。结果表明，有效钛是决定钢奥氏体晶粒度的主要参数；有效硼是决定该钢淬透性的主要参数。     

A computational study of austenite formation kinetics in rapidly heated steels

Surface hardening of steels involves rapid austenitization and subsequent quenching of the surface. The resulting extent of hardening largely depends on the rate of austenitization of the surface under the applied high heating rates. In the present work the kinetics of austenite formation in Fe-C alloys during rapid, non-isothermal heating conditions, characterized by high heating rates and short austenitization periods, were studied by means of computational simulation. Austenitization of lamellar pearlite/proeutectoid ferrite microstructures was simulated by assuming two kinetically distinct stages: i) dissolution of lamellar pearlite followed by ii) dissolution of proeutectoid ferrite. The two stages were simulated by two corresponding 1-D diffusion models employed in series. Numerical solution of the resultant moving-boundary diffusion problems provide calculated results regarding the dependency of vol. fraction austenite on thermal cycle parameters and on initial microstructural features of the steel. Analysis of calculated results showed that the vol. fraction of pearlite transforming to austenite during pearlite dissolution depended on maximum temperature, dwell time and pearlite interlamellar spacing. A functional relationship between these variables, consisting of a thermodynamic and a kinetic term, was established. On the other hand, the total vol. fraction of austenite forming in the steel, after both stages of austenitization, was found to follow a typical sigmoidal kinetic behaviour.     

Computer Simulation of IT-diagrams of Steel

PHASE transformation modeling is one of the mainchallenges in modeling of heat treatment[1].The mechanism of phase transformations is not fullyunderstood and interactive influence of differentelements,austenitizing temperature,etc.usually arenot taken in account.The mistakes in phase transformation calculationcould be extremely great if a model is based only ongrain size of prior austenite,austenitizing temperatureand elemental composition of steel.Phase transformation kinetic depends also o…     

Austenite stability in Fe–Mn–Si-based shape memory alloys

The stability of austenite in a number of Fe–Mn–Si-based shape memory alloys has been investigated. It was found that a grain boundary precipitate of BCC structure is formed over a wide range of alloy compositions and heat treatment temperatures. This grain boundary phase has been identified as the chi (χ) phase. Although up to 3 vol.% of the grain boundary precipitate was generated by isothermal aging in the range 500–800 °C, it was found not to markedly affect the mechanical properties or the shape memory effect. Nano-indentation indicated that the hardness and strength of the parent and precipitate phase are very similar, as are their compositions.     

倾斜板角度对亚共晶高铬铸铁半固态组织的影响

采用倾斜板冷却体法对亚共晶高铬铸铁进行半固态成形,研究了倾斜板角度对亚共晶高铬铸铁半固态组织的影响规律。结果表明:倾斜板角度过大或过小都将使得组织中的初生奥氏体较粗大、圆整度较小。当倾斜板角度较小时,金属液的流速相对较慢,枝晶与枝晶和枝晶与金属液间的冲刷、碰撞、剪切作用较小,晶粒易于长大,导致枝晶状初生奥氏体比较多。当倾斜板角度较大时,金属液流速相对较快,金属液在倾斜板上流动的时间相对较短,枝晶间以及枝晶与金属液间的冲刷、碰撞、剪切作用时间相对较短,导致枝晶状初生奥氏体也比较多。当倾斜板角度为45°时,制备的亚共晶高铬铸铁初生奥氏体的尺寸最小,圆整度最高。     

Effect of nitrogen and vanadium on austenite grain growth kinetics of a low alloy steel

Austenite grain growth kinetics in a steel containing 0.4% C, 1.8% Cr with different nitrogen contents (in the range 0.0038–0.0412%) and a micralloying addition of 0.078% V were investigated. The investigations were carried out in an austenitising temperature range of 840–1200 °C for 30 min. The results of investigations showed that N promotes the grain growth of austenite. The microalloying addition of vanadium protects the austenite grain growth because of carbonitride V(C,N) precipitation and the grain boundary pinning effect of undissolved particles of V(C,N). Using a thermodynamic model, the carbonitride V(C,N) content, undissolved at the austenitising temperature was calculated. At temperatures when a coarsening and dissolution of carbonitride occurs, the austenite grains start to growth. The effect of nitrogen on the type of chord length distribution of austenite grains was analysed.     

The effect of age-hardening mechanism on hydrogen embrittlement in high-nitrogen steels

The effect of age-hardening regime on peculiarities of hydrogen-assisted fracture and tensile properties in two high-nitrogen Fe-23Cr-17Mn-0.1C-0.6N and Fe-19Cr-22Mn-1.5V-0.3C-0.9N steels was studied. A large number of intergranular (austenite/austenite) and interphase boundaries (austenite/coarse particle) provides high fraction of trapping sites for hydrogen atoms in V-alloyed steel. This leads to a change in fracture regime from transgranular brittle mode in coarse-grained V-free steel to intergranular brittle fracture of hydrogen-assisted surface layers in fine-grained V-alloyed steel with coarse (V,Cr)(N,C) particles. The formation of cells (Cr₂(N,C) particles and austenite) along the grain boundaries due to discontinuous precipitate-hardening reaction facilitates predominantly interphase hydrogen-assisted fracture for both steels. The complex reaction of the particle-strengthening mechanisms including discontinuous precipitation with formation of austenite/Cr₂(N,C)-plates interfaces or homogeneous nucleation of coherent (V,Cr)(N,C) particles in austenite (age-hardening regime 700 °C, 10 h) promotes mainly transgranular cleavage-like fracture mode under hydrogen-charging. The structural scheme is proposed to describe a change in hydrogen-assisted fracture micromechanisms and tensile properties of the steels with different density and distribution of interphase and intergranular boundaries.     

The influence of intergranular and interphase boundaries and δ-ferrite volume fraction on hydrogen embrittlement of high-nitrogen steel

We study the effect of grain size of austenitic and ferritic phases and volume fraction of δ-ferrite, which were obtained in different solution-treatment regimes (at 1050, 1100, 1150 and 1200 °C), on hydrogen embrittlement of high-nitrogen steel (HNS). The amount of dissolved hydrogen is similar for the specimens with different densities of interphase (γ-austenite/δ-ferrite) and intergranular (γ-austenite/γ-austenite, δ-ferrite/δ-ferrite) boundaries. Despite, the susceptibility of the specimens to hydrogen embrittlement, depth of the hydrogen-assisted surface layers, hydrogen transport during tensile tests and mechanisms of the hydrogen-induced brittle fracture all depend on grain size and ferrite content. The highest hydrogen embrittlement index I_H = 32%, the widest hydrogen-affected layer and a pronounced solid-solution hardening by hydrogen atoms is typical of the specimens with the lowest fraction of the boundaries. Even though fast hydrogen transport via coarse ferritic grains provides longer diffusion paths during H-changing, the width of the H-affected surface layer in the dual-phase structure of the HNS specimens is mainly determined by the hydrogen diffusivity in austenite. In tension, hydrogen transport with dislocations increases with the decrease in density of boundaries due to the longer dislocation free path, but stress-assisted diffusion transport does not depend on grain size and ferrite fraction. The contribution from intergranular fracture increases with an increase in the density of intergranular and interphase boundaries.