The Formation Energy of Martensite Nuclei and the Phase Transition Kinetics under the Action of an External Magnetic Field

The formation energy of martensite nuclei in the austenite matrix is calculated. Nanoclusters with ferromagnetic order, which exist in austenite above the Curie temperature, reduce the formation energy of a critical martensite nucleation center when exposed to an external magnetic field. The data obtained are explained by the magnetic separation of the initial phase under the action of a magnetic field. A fluctuation increase in nanovolumes with a ferromagnetic order in austenite increases the energy in a atoms group of the matrix phase with a parallel spins arrangement. As a result, the nucleation rate of the martensite phase increases and the martensitic transformation proceeds more completely.

Effects of Induction Heating in the ESP Line on Microstructural Evolution and Nb Dissolution Behavior of Nb-Ti Micro-Alloyed Steel

The thermo-mechanical control processing of Nb-Ti micro-alloyed steel by induction heating in the endless strip production (ESP) line was analyzed to better understand the microstructural evolution and Nb precipitation and dissolution behavior in austenite during rapid heating to high temperatures. The Nb-Ti micro-alloyed steel consisting of 0.05 wt% C and 0.05 wt% Nb was processed through simulated rough rolling at 1050 °C followed by rapid isothermal reheating at 1150 °C. The austenite coarsening behavior and the Nb dissolution behavior at different holding times were compared, and the coarsening kinetics of austenite grains and the dissolution kinetics of precipitates were investigated. It was found that during induction heating, the size of austenite grains gradually increased with the isothermal time, and the amounts of precipitates were greatly reduced. Round precipitates of (Ti, Nb) (C, N) and square precipitates of Ti (C, N) gradually dissolved into the austenite matrix with the holding time. The Nb content in the solution increased from 0.0137 to 0.0299 wt% as the holding time increased from 1 to 40 s; therefore, about 59.8% of the total Nb content dissolved into the austenite matrix during the induction heating process.

Cyclic annealing versus continuous annealing of 20 wt.% chromium white cast iron

To destabilize as-cast microstructure of 20 wt.% chromium white iron, cyclic annealing involving repeated austenitization for short duration of 0.6 h at 900, 950, 1000, 1050 and 1100 °C followed by forced air cooling is conducted as an alternative to continuous annealing requiring austenitization for longer period of 4–6 h at the said temperatures followed by furnace cooling. Continuous austenitization destabilizes the austenite matrix through precipitation of secondary carbides and transforms the alloy depleted austenite to pearlite on furnace cooling, thereby reducing the as-cast hardness from HV 669 to HV466. In contrast, repeated austenitization not only destabilizes the austenite matrix through precipitation of secondary carbides followed by its transformation to martensite on forced air cooling, but also causes disintegration of longer eutectic carbides to shorter segments with subsequent increase in hardness to as high as HV 890. Notched impact toughness after both continuous and cyclic annealing remains uniformly at 12.0 J as compared to as-cast value of 6.0 J. Besides, an unexpected rise in abrasive wear resistance after cyclic annealing treatment makes the alloy superior than that obtained by continuous annealing treatment as practiced in industries.

Hydrogen Embrittlement and Hydrogen Trapping Behaviour in Advanced High Strength Steels

Modern advanced high strength steels (AHSS) for the automotive sector often contain retained austenite which promotes remarkable combinations of strength and ductility. These high strength steels may however be subject to a risk of hydrogen embrittlement. For the current contribution, hydrogen trapping and embrittlement behaviour were investigated in AHSS compositions having different levels of retained austenite. Hydrogen permeation tests revealed that hydrogen diffusion was slower for increased levels of retained austenite, being controlled most likely by reversible trapping at austenite-matrix interfaces. External hydrogen embrittlement tests via step loading also revealed that resistance to hydrogen was lower for increased levels of retained austenite. It was suggested that during step loading the hydrogen accumulated at austenite-matrix interfaces, leading to cracking when the applied stress was high enough.

Wire Arc Deposition Additive Manufacturing and Experimental Study of 316L Stainless Steel by CMT + P Process

The cold metal transfer plus pulse (CMT + P) process was performed to produce a 316L vertical wall through the single-channel multi-layer deposition method. The microstructure of different regions on deposited samples was observed by an optical microscope and a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The phase composition of the as-deposited wall was checked by X-ray diffraction, and the element distribution in the structure was analyzed by an energy-dispersive spectrometer. The tensile strength and microhardness of samples were tested, and the fracture morphology was observed by an SEM. Finally, the electrochemical corrosion characteristics of the as-deposited wall in different regions along the building direction were tested. Results from the experiments indicated that the microstructure of metallography showed a layer band. The metallurgical bounding between layers was carried out by dendrite remelting and epitaxial growth. Along the building direction, the alloy of different regions solidified in an ferritic-austenitic (FA) manner, and due to having undergone different heat histories, their SEM microstructures were significantly distinct. The ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and yield strength (YS) of the vertical specimens were higher than those of the horizontal specimens, displaying obvious anisotropy. Due to a large amount of precipitation of precipitated phases in terms of intermetallic compounds in the middle and upper regions, the tensile strength and microhardness along the building direction showed a trend of first decreasing and then increasing. In the bottom region, a small amount of ferrite precipitated in the austenite matrix, while in the middle of the as-deposited wall, the amount of ferrite gradually increased and was distributed in the austenite matrix as a network. However, due to the heat accumulation effect, the ferrite dissolved into austenite in large quantities and the austenite showed an obvious increase in size in the top region. A stable passivation film was caused by a relatively low dislocation density and grain boundary number, and the middle region of the arc as-deposited wall had the best corrosion resistance. The large consumption of chromium (Cr) atoms and material stripping in the top region resulted in the integrity of the passivation film in this region being the weakest, resulting in the lowest corrosion resistance.

Microstructural Influence on Mechanical Properties of a Lightweight Ultrahigh Strength Fe-18Mn-10Al-0.9C-5Ni (wt%) Steel

This study evaluates the role of thermomechanical processing and heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a hot rolled, annealed, and aged Fe-18Mn-10Al-0.9C-5Ni (wt%) steel. The steel exhibited rapid age hardening kinetics when aged in the temperature range of 500–600 °C for up to 50 h, which has been shown in other work to be the result of B2 ordering in the ferrite and κ-carbide precipitation within the austenite matrix. The ultimate tensile strength increased from 1120 MPa in the annealed condition to 1230 MPa after 2 h of aging at 570 °C. Charpy V-notch toughness was evaluated at −40 °C in sub-sized specimens with a maximum in the annealed and quenched condition of 28.5 J in the L-T orientation.

Effect of Temperature and Time on Decomposition of δ-ferrite in Austenitic Stainless Steel

Microstructure of austenitic stainless steel is primarily monophasic, i.e. austenitic. However, precipitation of the δ-ferrite in the austenite matrix is possible depending on the chemical composition of steel. δ-Ferrite is stable on room temperature but it transforms into σ-phase, carbides and austenite during heat treatment. In this work, the results of analysis of influence of temperature and time on decomposition of δ-ferrite are presented. Magnetic induction method, microstructure and hardness analyses were used for testing the degree of decomposition of the δ-ferrite. Analysis of results showed that increase in temperature and time increases the degree of decomposition of δ-ferrite.

A microstructure-based constitutive model accounting for rate dependence of superelastic NiTi alloy under cyclic deformation

In this work, a micromechanical constitutive model based on single crystal is proposed to account for the rate dependence and functional degradation of superelastic NiTi. Correspondence variant pair is treated as ellipsoid inclusion embedded in austenite matrix, and the stress distribution is obtained through Mori–Tanaka homogenization. Two inelastic mechanisms, that is, martensitic transformation and transformation-induced plasticity, are taken into consideration. Slipping is modeled to originate from austenite–martensite interface and is transferred between austenite and martensite. The heat equilibrium equation and thermodynamic driving force are deduced from the first law of thermodynamics and Clausius–Duhem inequality, respectively. Via the introduction of dominant <111> texture and Taylor approximation, the single crystal model is extended to polycrystalline version. The calibration and numerical implementation procedures for the model are systemized. The effects of key prescribed material parameters are discussed. Simulation results are validated against the experimental data. It is found that simulated thermomechanical responses agree with experimental observations reasonably.