Role of carbon and nitrogen content on microstructural homogeneity in thin slab direct rolled microalloyed steels

Abstract

This paper analyses the effect of carbon and nitrogen content on the austenite microstructural homogeneity before transformation in the thin slab direct rolling of Nb and Nb–V microalloyed steels. The study was made with the help of a microstructural hot working model adapted to the metallurgical peculiarities associated with thin slab direct rolling. The results show that an increase in carbon content from 0·04 to 0·09% in 0·05%Nb microalloyed steels requires a significant increase in the initial rolling temperature in order to avoid the presence of isolated as cast austenite grains prior to transformation. Similarly, an increase in nitrogen content from 30 to 120 ppm does not imply changes as drastic as in the case of carbon. In both situations the changes required in the rolling temperature can be explained by the interaction between post-dynamic softening mechanisms and strain induced precipitation kinetics. In this context, the incidence of different final gauge thicknesses on microstructural homogeneity is evaluated.     

Corrosion fatigue characterisation of sintered multiphase stainless steels

Abstract

Multiphase stainless steels are produced for their attractive properties of mechanical strength and corrosion resistance relative to their austenite–ferrite structure. The manufacture of these steel by powder metallurgy technology presents some advantages in terms of low cost and formability of complex shapes. Mechanical and corrosion resistances are not at the level of the wrought steels due to their porous nature. In this work the fatigue and corrosion fatigue behaviour of some sintered steels obtained by sintering from 316L and 434L base powders has been studied for characterisation and comparison. The sintered steels were fatigue tested in two different environments: air and NaCl aqueous solution. The tests performed indicate that the chemical and microstructral composition has no great influence on fatigue behaviour in comparison with the manufacturing technology (sintering). This is most evident in the more aggressive environment, like seawater, in which these steels could be advantageously used. The analysis of fracture surfaces using SEM microscopy shows a peculiar crack propagation characterised by cleavage, stress intensification due to porosity, and features of localised ductility on sintering necks and base powder particles.     

Effect of vapour phase hydrogen peroxide,as a decontaminant for civil aviation applications,on microstructure,tensile properties and corrosion resistance of 2024 and 7075 age hardenable aluminium alloys and 304 austenitic stainless steel

Abstract

A response to the chemical or biological contamination of aircraft requires the use of a suitable decontaminant. Among possible chemical decontaminants, vapour phase hydrogen peroxide appears to be a likely candidate in terms of a combination of efficacy, low environmental impact and potential for materials compatibility. The present paper examines the effect of hydrogen peroxide, both in the vapour phase and as a liquid concentrate on two common structural materials used in aviation, namely 2024 and 7075 age hardenable aluminium alloys and on 304 austenitic stainless steel, the latter as employed in galley and lavatory surfaces. The present paper characterises both the effects of hydrogen peroxide on the microstructure of the materials and the impact that decontamination has on the tensile properties and corrosion resistance of these materials. Microstructural effects are both relatively small in magnitude and confined to a region immediately beside the exposed surface. No systematic effect is found on either the tensile properties or the post-exposure corrosion resistance of the three alloys examined. These observations are encouraging in terms of the use of vapour phase hydrogen peroxide for decontamination applications.     

A model based creep equation for 9Cr–1Mo–0·2V (P91 type) steel

Abstract

The isothermal constant stress creep tests data for a 9Cr–1Mo–0·2V (P91 type) steel were submitted for a phenomenological analysis in order to obtain the relevant creep equation for such steel. Namely, the minimum creep strain rate of P91 type steel cannot be described by the simple Arrhenius type power law constitutive model. The incorporation of the threshold stress concept in the analysis of creep data leads to a modified power law, which satisfactorily describes the creep behaviour of the examined P91 steel. However, the threshold stress is not a good material parameter, as it often varies with temperature and/or applied stress. This adds uncertainty to the extrapolation of the creep rates into ranges where experimental data are not available. Besides the fact that the physical foundation for a threshold stress is questionable from a scientific point of view, this is a serious practical limitation of the modified power law creep equation. The second creep equation proposed in the present paper is the improved stress dependent energy barrier model. The improvement of the standard model is based on two assumptions: first, on the hypothesis that the application of a stress also affects the energy barrier to be overcome when a local region transitions from the initial to the final state, and second, by applying a simple power function of stress instead of a hyperbolic sin function in the model based equation. The obtained value of stress exponent, n=5·5, is too high for entirely climb controlled creep. The apparent activation energy of approximately 510 to 545 kJ mol^?1, which is considerably higher than the activation energy for lattice diffusion, is the stress dependent activation energy of the slowest, dominant rate controlling process of the supposed multiple creep mechanisms.     

Effects of hot deformation and accelerated cooling on microstructural evolution of low carbon microalloyed steels

Abstract

Using a Gleeble 1500 hot simulator, the effects of hot deformation parameters and accelerated cooling conditions on the microstructural characteristics of low carbon microalloyed steels were investigated by means of compression tests. It was found that the grain refinement effect of single pass reduction in the recrystallisation or unrecrystallisation temperature ranges is weaker than that of two pass reduction in the recrystallisation and unrecrystallisation temperature ranges. However, four pass deformation in the recrystallisation and unrecrystallisation temperature ranges could result in rather fine grained microstructures and, when coupled with moderately high cooling rate, partially acicular ferrite microstructure could be obtained. With the increase of cooling rate, the microstructure becomes finer and the content of acicular ferrite increases. Under similar deformation and cooling conditions, the specimens with relatively high carbon content have more refined microstructures.     

Reactive sintering in Fe-Co system

Abstract

Low porosity powder metallurgy compacts have been manufactured from treated elemental iron and cobalt powders sintered at 1150°C under an H_2(g) atmosphere. Their microstructures consist of an interconnected mixed oxide network which encapsulates both the iron and cobalt phases. The production technique employed is an innovative process termed reacto-thermitic sintering (RTS), which leads to near full density and near net shape parts utilising conventional uniaxial compaction and mesh belt furnace practices. The RTS technique relies on microscale exothermic reaction between small quantities of added elemental Al and oxides present on the surface of the bulk powder, together with the bulk powder itself. This results in the production of a transient liquid phase which freezes rapidly and consolidates the compact without slumping. In order to generate an interconnected mixed oxide network, experiments were designed such that the Al powder reacts with the cobalt and the surface of the iron powder which is artificially doped with Fe and Cr oxides.

Differential thermal analysis (DTA) and energy balance calculations revealed that the Al and the oxide coating reaction does not proceed directly. Instead the main contribution to the exothermic process is the reaction between Al and Co/Fe. The system does not exhibit true RTS behaviour and the interconnected network of mixed Al, Cr, and Fe oxides is created by subsequent reaction of Co-Al and Fe-Al intermetallics with the artificial Fe-Cr oxide coating on the Fe. The microstructure obtained exhibits negligible porosity with the metallic particles on the whole fully encapsulated by the oxide.     

New method to prepare iron particles with different morphologies: a way to get high green strength metal compacts

Abstract

Metaliron powders of well controlled size and morphology were synthesised by thermal decomposition under hydrogen of precipitated ferrous oxalates. Green compacts were prepared by uniaxial pressing of metal powders at 290 MPa. The bending green strengths of compacts were measured.

The precipitation of β-FeC₂O₄.2H₂O oxalate from ammonium oxalate gives rise to the formation of spherical particles by aggregation ofelongated grains. Thermal decomposition of this oxalate from 400 to 500°C under hydrogen permits metal iron particles with a rough surface to be obtained. Decomposition occurring above 500°C induces a smoothness of the particle surface. Metal particles synthesised at 500°C show both surface roughness and micrometer sized primary grains.This specific microstructure has allowed the highest value ofcompact green strength (31·7 MPa) to be obtained.

Acicular shaping of the β-FeC₂O₄.2H₂O particles precipitated from oxalic acid involves, after decomposition, an increase in the surface roughness and shape irregularity of the metal particles, owing to an entanglement of the elementary grains. An exceptional value (about 60 MPa) for the metal compact green strength was thus obtained for this type of powder.     

Effects of heat treatment processes on microstructure and properties of 2·25Cr–1Mo–0·25V HSLA steels

Abstract

In the present paper, the effects of the heat treatment processes with two conditioning treatments and four quenching–tempering processes on the mechanical properties of 2·25Cr–1Mo–0·25V high strength low alloyed (HSLA) steel are investigated. The results show that the conditioning treatments have obvious effects on the low temperature impact energy but little effect on the tensile strength. The elevation of the final austenitising temperature increases the strength, whereas it results in the decrease in the low temperature impact energy due to the coarse microstructure. The results of the fracture surfaces analysis further make sure that the fracture surfaces of tensile specimens all exhibit ductile characters with a lot of dimples. However, the fracture surfaces of impact specimens exhibit two typical fracture characters, i.e. the ductile and brittle fracture surface corresponding to the fine and coarse microstructures respectively. In addition, the elongation and reduction in area seem to be insensitive to the heat treatments. Meanwhile, the impact fracture mode is more sensitive to the grain size and not to the low temperature impact energy.     

New viscoplastic model to simulate hot isostatic pressing

Abstract

Most of the numerical simulation software on the hot isostatic pressing (hipping) process is based on viscoplastic modelling of densification, such as the well known Abouaf's model. These constitutive equations are generally obtained from a viscoplastic potential depending on Green's equivalent stress. An implicit coupling between isotropic and deviator parts is therefore only defined by an equivalent stress. A new viscoplastic formulation proposed by Stutz introduces an explicit coupling between isotropic and deviator parts of the stress state, allowing then more flexibility to take into account the experimental results achieved from isotropic, die compaction, and creep tests. This paper deals with the presentation of this new formulation which has been implemented in the finite elements software PreCAD, and the subsequent changes observed in numerical simulations. These simulations achieved with PreCAD software, are compared with an experiment on a complex part manufactured by CEA Grenoble.