Phase and structural transformations when forming a welded joint from rail steel. Report 2. Isothermal diagram of decomposition of supercooled austenite of R350LHT rail steel

An isothermal diagram of decomposition of supercooled austenite of R350LHT steel was constructed based on the results of dilatometric, metallographic and hardness analysis of this decomposition during continuous cooling and under isothermal conditions. When comparing the thermokinetic and isothermal diagrams, it was found that the thermokinetic diagram plotted during continuous cooling shifts downward and to the right in comparison with the isothermal diagram. This result is fully consistent with the known regularities. During the research, the critical points of R350LHT steel were determined: Ас1 = 711 °С; Мn = 196 °С. This isothermal diagram was used to determine the temperature of the minimum stability of overcooled austenite, which was 500 °C. Under isothermal conditions, pearlite-type structures appear in the temperature range from 700 to 600 °C. At 550 °C, a mixture of pearlitic and bainitic structures is formed. In the temperature range from 500 to 250 °C, bainitic structures are formed: at 500 – 400 °C – upper bainite; at 350 ° C – a mixture of upper and lower bainite; at 300 – 250 °С – lower bainite. Almost in the entire studied temperature range of overcooled austenite isothermal decomposition, an increase in the hardness of the transformation products is observed with a decrease in the holding temperature from 246 HV (at 700 °C) to 689 HV (at 250 °C). However, at a temperature of 500 °C, a slight drop in hardness occurs, which is apparently caused by the appearance of retained austenite during the development of bainitic transformation.

Phase and structural transformations when forming a welded joint from rail steel. Report 1. Thermokinetic diagram of decomposition of supercooled austenite of R350LHT rail steel

A thermokinetic diagram of decomposition of supercooled austenite of R350LHT steel was constructed based on the results of its dilatometric, metallographic and hardness analysis during continuous cooling and in isothermal conditions. It was found that cooling at a rate of 0.1 and 1 °C/s causes the austenite decomposition in R350LHT steel by the pearlite mechanism. After cooling at a lower rate, the pearlite structure is coarser and has lower hardness (289 HV). This is due to the higher temperature range of transformation, in which diffusion processes associated with the transformation of austenite into pearlite occur more actively. In the range of rates from 5 to 10 °C/s, the austenite decomposition occurs according to the pearlite and martensitic mechanism, which leads to the formation of a pearlite-martensite structure. When the austenite of the steel under study is cooled at a rate of 30 and 100 °C/s, the austenite transforms according to the martensitic mechanism, and a martensitic structure with high hardness is formed. With an increase in the cooling rate of R350LHT steel, an increase in hardness is observed from 289 (at 0.1 °C/s) to 864 – 0 896 HV (at 100 and 30 °C/s, respectively). The conducted studies allow the boundaries of the search for optimal parameters of welding and heat treatment modes of the investigated rail steel to be narrowed. To obtain the required structures and physical and mechanical properties (austenite of R350LHT steel undergoes decomposition by the pearlite mechanism), cooling should be carried out at a rate of no more than 1 °С/s.

Phase transformations occurring during the formation of a welded joint from rail steel

The results of dilatometry, metallography and hardness testing of the decomposition process of supercooled austenite of R350LHT steel are presented. During continuous cooling and in isothermal conditions, continuous cooling transformation diagrams of supercooled austenite decomposition of steel R350LHT are constructed.

The Effect of Cooling Conditions on Martensite Transformation Temperature and Hardness of 15% Cr Chromium Cast Iron

The research reported in the paper concerned the conditions of cooling high-chromium cast iron with about 15% Cr content capable to ensure completeness of transformation of supercooled austenite into martensite in order to obtain high hardness value of the material and thus its high resistance to abrasive wear. For testing, castings were prepared with dimensions 120 mm × 100 mm × 15 mm cast in sand molds in which one of cavity surfaces was reproduced with chills. From the castings, specimens for dilatometric tests were taken with dimensions 4 mm × 4 mm × 16 mm and plates with dimensions 50 mm × 50 mm × 15 mm for heat treatment tests. The dilatometric specimens were cut out from areas subject to interaction with the chill. The austenitizing temperature and time were 1000 °C and 30 min, respectively. Dilatograms of specimens quenched in liquid nitrogen were used to determine martensite transformation start and finish temperatures TMs and TMf, whereas from dilatograms of specimens quenched in air and in water, only TMs was red out. To secure completeness of the course of transformation of supercooled austenite into martensite and reveal the transformation finish temperature, it was necessary to continue cooling of specimens in liquid nitrogen. It has been found that TMs depended strongly on the quenching method whereas TMf values were similar for each of the adopted cooling conditions. The examined cooling variants were used to develop a heat treatment process allowing to obtain hardness of 68 HRC.

DECAY OF SUPERCOOLED AUSTENITE OF LOW-CARBON PIPE STEEL WITH THE USE OF GLEEBLE 3500 COMPLEX

The promising direction in improving the strength properties of low-carbon steels is the use of controlled rolling providing formation of structures with prevalence of a bainite component. Analysis of the references has shown that now there are no detailed researches which allow to approve what morphological type of bainite provides the most optimal properties. In this regard in the present work the influence of cooling rate on the structure, properties, and structuralphase transformations of low-carbon complex-alloyed pipe steel containing 0.062 % C; 1.80 % Mn; 0.12 % Mo; 0.032 % Cr, 0.90 % Ni and other elements (Al, Cu, V, Nb, Ti) was studied. The dilatometric method was used to construct the CCT diagram of the decay of supercooled austenite of low-carbon complex-alloyed pipe steel. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of microstructure was carried out and hardness after various speeds of cooling was determined. There were identified the cooling rates providing bainite structures and increase in the strength properties of steel with specified composition. At a cooling rate since 0.05 to 6 °C/s, along with ferrite, a globular bainite is formed in the microstructure, consisting of bainitic α-phase and “islands” of martensite-austenite component ranging in size from 1 – 6 μm. At a cooling rate of 6 °C/s, conversion to reed bainite is observed, along with the borders of which the carbides and residual austenite are located. At cooling rates of more than 16 °C/s, bainite becomes bag-rack. With an increase in cooling rate from 50 to 150 °C/s, the average width of the bainite α-phase rails decreases from 2.22 to 1.32 μm.

On some prospects for further development of Academician V.N. Antsiferov ideas in the field of structural powder materials

The paper discusses the further development of some ideas of V.N. Antsiferov and the scholar school created by him in obtaining structural powder materials and products. The prospects for obtaining concentration-inhomogeneous steels and trip-steels are noted. The great potential lies in the control of the thickness and volume of the zone of deformation martensitic transformation occurring during fracture. It is advisable to continue the preparation of fullerene- and nitrogen-containing powder compositions and to study the structural heredity of powder steels. The possibility of the synthesis of fullerene-containing phases during the liquidphase sintering of the iron–cast iron and iron–graphite compositions and their subsequent redistribution in the bulk of the material during dynamic hot pressing is worth noticing. Producing nitrogen-containing steels by mechanical activation of powders followed by sintering in dissociated ammonia is advisable to use for obtaining not only wear-and corrosion-resistant materials, but also heat-resistant ones. The studies on the decomposition of supercooled austenite in powder steels of various doping systems with different technological backgroung (sintered, hot-deformed, infiltrated, etc.) are promising. The potential for development is the research of hot-deformed concentration-inhomogeneous materials, obtained, in particular, on the basis of powders of the Distaloy type. The techniques developed by the Antsiferov’s school are significant. The most important one is the method for determining the concentration variation coefficient, as well as a magnetometric complex and a mathematical model, which makes it possible to predict the decomposition of supercooled austenite. Antsiferov’s works can be used for obtaining lean powder steels with the lower bainite structure, which provides the optimal combination of strength and toughness.