Effect of Mo in Combination with Nb on Austenite Grain Size Control in Vacuum Carburizing Steels

Abstract Vacuum carburizing with high pressure gas quenching is increasingly employed to reduce near-surface intergranular oxidation (IGO) and reduce quenching distortion. Vacuum carburizing can be conducted at higher operating temperatures, as high as 1100°C, to reduce the processing times and increase furnace productivity. However, processing at elevated temperatures may result in excessive austenite grain coarsening, leading to the degradation of fatigue performance. Microalloying to form small carbonitride precipitates is one effective method to limit austenite grain growth during carburizing. In this study, the effects of microalloying a carburizing steel with molybdenum (Mo) and niobium (Nb) on microstructural grain refinement in the core have been investigated. Additions of Nb alone are found to provide some control of abnormal austenite grain growth. Additions of Mo in combination with Nb provide enhanced resistance to austenite grain growth, especially at high carburizing temperatures up to 1050 °C. The enhanced control is attributed to solute and precipitation effects.

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Interfacial studies in Nb3Sn superconductors

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100087264 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 49 ◽

pp. 590-591

Author(s):

Ernest L. Hall ◽

Lee E. Rumaner ◽

Mark G. Benz

Keyword(s):

Grain Size ◽

Grain Boundaries ◽

Flux Pinning ◽

Size Control ◽

High Magnetic Fields ◽

Type Ii ◽

Reaction Interface ◽

Liquid Diffusion ◽

Type Ii Superconductor ◽

Grain Size Control

The intermetallic compound Nb3Sn is a type-II superconductor of interest because it has high values of critical current density Jc in high magnetic fields. One method of forming this compound involves diffusion of Sn into Nb foil containing small amounts of Zr and O. In order to maintain high values of Jc, it is important to keep the grain size in the Nb3Sn as small as possible, since the grain boundaries act as flux-pinning sites. It has been known for many years that Zr and O were essential to grain size control in this process. In previous work, we have shown that (a) the Sn is transported to the Nb3Sn/Nb interface by liquid diffusion along grain boundaries; (b) the Zr and O form small ZrO2 particles in the Nb3Sn grains; and (c) many very small Nb3Sn grains nucleate from a single Nb grain at the reaction interface. In this paper we report the results of detailed studies of the Nb3Sn/Nb3Sn, Nb3Sn/Nb, and Nb3Sn/ZrO2 interfaces.

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Grain Size Evolution and Mechanical Properties of Nb, V–Nb, and Ti–Nb Boron Type S1100QL Steels

Metals ◽

10.3390/met11030492 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 492

Author(s):

Jan Foder ◽

Jaka Burja ◽

Grega Klančnik

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Heat Treatment ◽

Grain Size ◽

Hot Forging ◽

Size Control ◽

High Strength ◽

Fatigue Properties ◽

Titanium Addition ◽

Austenite Grain Size ◽

Size Evolution

Titanium additions are often used for boron factor and primary austenite grain size control in boron high- and ultra-high-strength alloys. Due to the risk of formation of coarse TiN during solidification the addition of titanium is limited in respect to nitrogen. The risk of coarse nitrides working as non-metallic inclusions formed in the last solidification front can degrade fatigue properties and weldability of the final product. In the presented study three microalloying systems with minor additions were tested, two without any titanium addition, to evaluate grain size evolution and mechanical properties with pre-defined as-cast, hot forging, hot rolling, and off-line heat-treatment strategy to meet demands for S1100QL steel. Microstructure evolution from hot-forged to final martensitic microstructure was observed, continuous cooling transformation diagrams of non-deformed austenite were constructed for off-line heat treatment, and the mechanical properties of Nb and V–Nb were compared to Ti–Nb microalloying system with a limited titanium addition. Using the parameters in the laboratory environment all three micro-alloying systems can provide needed mechanical properties, especially the Ti–Nb system can be successfully replaced with V–Nb having the highest response in tensile properties and still obtaining satisfying toughness of 27 J at –40 °C using Charpy V-notch samples.

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Effect of Prior Austenite Grain Size on Crystallographic Characteristics and Low‐Temperature Toughness of a Quenched Low Carbon Low Alloy Steel

steel research international ◽

10.1002/srin.202100274 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

X.N. Xu ◽

Y. Tian ◽

Q.B. Ye ◽

R.D.K Misra ◽

Z.D. Wang

Keyword(s):

Grain Size ◽

Prior Austenite ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Low Alloy Steel ◽

Austenite Grain Size ◽

Austenite Grain ◽

Crystallographic Characteristics ◽

Prior Austenite Grain Size ◽

Low Temperature Toughness ◽

Prior Austenite Grain

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A New Systematic Approach Based on Dilatometric Analysis to Track Bainite Transformation Kinetics and the Influence of the Prior Austenite Grain Size

Metals ◽

10.3390/met11020324 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 324

Author(s):

David San-Martin ◽

Matthias Kuntz ◽

Francisca G. Caballero ◽

Carlos Garcia-Mateo

Keyword(s):

Heat Treatment ◽

Grain Size ◽

Prior Austenite ◽

Bainitic Transformation ◽

Transformation Rate ◽

Transformation Kinetics ◽

Austenite Grain Size ◽

Austenite Grain ◽

Prior Austenite Grain Size ◽

Prior Austenite Grain

This investigation explores the influence of the austenitisation heat treatment and thus, of the prior austenite grain size (PAGS), on the kinetics of the bainitic transformation, using as A case study two high-carbon, high-silicon, bainitic steels isothermally transformed (TIso = 250, 300, 350 °C), after being austenised at different temperatures (γTγ = 925–1125 °C). A methodology, based on the three defining dilatometric parameters extracted from the derivative of the relative change in length, was proposed to analyse the transformation kinetics. These parameters are related to the time to start bainitic transformation, the time lapse for most of the transformation to take place and the transformation rate at the end of the transformation. The results show that increasing the PAGS up to 70 µm leads to an increase in the bainite nucleation rate, this effect being more pronounced for the lowest TIso. However, the overall transformation kinetics seems to be weakly affected by the applied heat treatment (γTγ and TIso). In one of the steels, PAGS > 70 µm (γTγ > 1050 °C), which weakly affects the progress of the transformation, except for TIso = 250 °C, for which the enhancement of the autocatalytic effect could be the reason behind an acceleration of the overall transformation.

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