scholarly journals Effect of Austenitization Conditions on the Transformation Behavior of Low Carbon Steel Containing Ti–Ca Oxide Particles

Materials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 1070 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao Wang ◽  
Xin Wang ◽  
Jian Kang ◽  
Guo Yuan ◽  
Guodong Wang

Inclusion-induced acicular ferrite (AF) nucleation has been used for microstructure refinement in steel. Austenitization conditions have a significant influence on AF nucleation ability. In this paper, the effects of austenitization temperature and holding time on the transformation behaviors of low carbon steel containing Ti–Ca oxide particles were studied. A thermal treatment experiment, high temperature in situ observation, and calculation of Mn diffusion were carried out. The results indicate that small austenite grain size under low austenitizing temperature promoted grain boundary reaction products. With an increase in austenitizing temperature, the nucleation sites transferred to intragranular particles and AF transformation was improved. The inclusion particles in the Ti–Ca deoxidized steel were featured by an oxide core rich in Ti and a lesser amount of Ca and with MnS precipitation on the local surface, which showed a strong ability to promote AF nucleation. At a low austenitizing temperature, Mn diffusion was limited and the development of Mn-depleted zones (MDZs) around inclusions was not sufficient. The higher diffusion capacity of Mn at a high austenitizing temperature promoted the formation of MDZs to a larger degree and increased the AF nucleation ability. Boron segregation at large-sized austenite grain boundaries played an important role in AF transformation. Austenite grain size, Mn-depleted zone development, and boron segregation at grain boundaries were the decisive factors influencing the transformation behaviors under different austenitization conditions for the test steel.

Materials ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 2241
Author(s):  
Chi-Kang Lin ◽  
Hsuan-Hao Lai ◽  
Yen-Hao Su ◽  
Guan-Ru Lin ◽  
Weng-Sing Hwang ◽  
...  

In this study, the effect of austenite grain size on acicular ferrite (AF) nucleation in low-carbon steel containing 13 ppm Mg is determined. The average austenite grain size was calculated using OM Leica software. Results show that the predicted and experimental values of austenite grain size are extremely close, with a deviation of less than 20 µm. AF formation is difficult to induce by either excessively small and large austenite grain sizes; that is, an optimal austenite grain size is required to promote AF nucleation probability. The austenite grain size of 164 µm revealed the highest capacity to induce AF formation. The effects of the maximum distance of carbon diffusion and austenite grain size on the microstructure of Mg-containing low carbon steel are also discussed. Next, the pinning ability of different inclusion types in low-carbon steel containing 22 Mg is determined. The in situ observation shows that not every inclusion could inhibit austenite grain migration; the inclusion type influences pinning ability. The grain mobility of each inclusion was calculated using in situ micrographs of confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM) for micro-analysis. Results show that the austenite grain boundary can strongly be pinned by Mg-based inclusions. MnS inclusions are the least effective in pinning austenite grain boundary migration.


Metals ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 988 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liangyun Lan ◽  
Zhiyuan Chang ◽  
Penghui Fan

The simulation welding thermal cycle technique was employed to generate different sizes of prior austenite grains. Dilatometry tests, in situ laser scanning confocal microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were used to investigate the role of prior austenite grain size on bainite transformation in low carbon steel. The bainite start transformation (Bs) temperature was reduced by fine austenite grains (lowered by about 30 °C under the experimental conditions). Through careful microstructural observation, it can be found that, besides the Hall–Petch strengthening effect, the carbon segregation at the fine austenite grain boundaries is probably another factor that decreases the Bs temperature as a result of the increase in interfacial energy of nucleation. At the early stage of the transformation, the bainite laths nucleate near to the grain boundaries and grow in a “side-by-side” mode in fine austenite grains, whereas in coarse austenite grains, the sympathetic nucleation at the broad side of the pre-existing laths causes the distribution of bainitic ferrite packets to be interlocked.


2014 ◽  
Vol 922 ◽  
pp. 316-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antti J. Kaijalainen ◽  
Sakari Pallaspuro ◽  
David A. Porter

The direct quenching of low-carbon steel has been shown to be an effective way of producing ultra-high-strength, tough structural steels in the as-quenched state without tempering. However, in the present study, the influence of tempering at 500 °C has been studied in order to evaluate the possibilities of widening the range of strengths that can be produced from a single base composition. The chosen composition was 0.1C-0.2Si-1.1Mn-0.15Mo-0.03Ti-0.002B. In order to compare direct quenching with conventional quenching, two pre-quench austenite states were studied: a thermomechanically rolled, non-recrystallized, pancaked austenite grain structure and a recrystallized, equiaxed grain structure. Quenched and quenched-and-tempered microstructures were studied using FESEM and FESEM-EBSD. The as-quenched microstructures of the reheated and quenched and direct quenched specimens were fully martensitic and martensitic-bainitic, respectively. In both cases, tempering made the needle-shaped auto-tempered carbides of the as-quenched materials more spherical. In the case of the direct quenched (DQ) material, tempering led to a notable increase in the size of the grain boundary carbides. Prior austenite grain size and effective grain size after quenching were larger in the case of reheated and quenched material (RQ). Tempering had no effect on effective grain size. The crystallographic texture of the DQ material showed strong {112}<131> and {554}<225> components. The RQ material also contained the same components, but it also contained an intense {110}<110> and {011}<100> components. The effects of these microstructural changes on tensile, impact toughness and fracture toughness are described in part II.


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