Effect of Sulfur Content on the Inclusion and Mechanical Properties in Ce-Mg Treated Resulfurized SCr420H Steel

To clarify the effect of sulfur on inclusions and mechanical properties of Ce-Mg treated resulfurized SCr420H steel. Laboratory experiments were conducted to prepare steels with sulfur contents as 0.01%, 0.06%, and 0.132%. Inclusion evolution in liquid steel, MnS precipitation during solidification, and tensile test results of steel after quenching and tempering were investigated. The results showed that due to the limitation of mass transfer in molten steel, composite inclusion that Ce-O-S wrapped by Ce-Ca-Mg-Al-Si-O, which was named transition state inclusions, can form quickly after adding Ce-Mg lump to the molten steel. As the homogenization of molten steel, the difference of sulfur content in steel can lead to the transition state inclusions transformed into different inclusions. With the increase of sulfur content, the quantity of MnS increased significantly, and the morphology of MnS transformed from “stick” to “dendritic + fishbone”, and then to “fishbone”. Tensile test results and fracture analysis indicate that the decline of inclusion spacing as the increase of sulfur content leads to a shorter physical path of crack propagation in steel. Therefore, the increase of sulfur content can bring about a decrease in the strength and plasticity of the steel. From the perspective of inclusion control, making the MnS inclusion precipitate more dispersive and increasing the distance between inclusions can be considered as a method for preventing the decline of mechanical properties in steel with high sulfur content.

Methodology of hydrogen embrittlement study of long-term operated natural gas distribution pipeline steels caused by hydrogen transport

A methodology of experimental research on hydrogen embrittlement of pipe carbon steels due to the transportation of hydrogen or its mixture with natural gas by a long-term operated gas distribution network is presented. The importance of comparative assessments of the steel in the as-received and operated states basing on the properties that characterize plasticity, resistance to brittle fracture and hydrogen assisted cracking is accentuated. Two main methodological peculiarities are pointed out, (i) testing specimens should be cut out in the transverse direction relative to the pipe axis; (ii) strength and plasticity characteristics should be determined using flat tensile specimens with the smallest possible thickness of the working part. The determination of hydrogen concentration in metal, metallographic and fractographic analyses have been supplemented the study. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology has been illustrated by the example of the steel research after its 52-year operation.

Effect of Deformation on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Medium Carbon Steel During Heat Treatment Process

The current research of the Q-P and Q-P-T process has been focused on controlling the heating temperature and holding time, or adding alloy elements into the steel to induce precipitation strengthening and improve the strength and plasticity of the steel. In this article, based on a quenching-partitioning-tempering (Q-P-T) process combined with a hot deformation technology, a deforming-quenching-partitioning-tempering (D-Q-P-T) process was applied to medium carbon steel. The effect of the heat treatment parameters on the microstructure and mechanical properties of experimental steel under deformation was studied. Through use of a scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and tensile tests, the optimal heat treatment conditions for realizing high strength and plasticity that meet the safety requirements were obtained. The mechanism for the D-Q-P-T process to improve the strength and plasticity of experimental steel was discussed. A multiphase composite structure of lath martensite and retained austenite was obtained. Compared with the Q-P-T process, use of the D-Q-P-T process can increase the strength of steel by 57.77 MPa and the elongation by 5%. This study proposes a method to improve the strength and plasticity of steel.

Effect of Cold Rolling on the Microstructure and Mechanical Behaviors of High-Nitrogen and Low-Nickel Alloy

The effects of different cold rolling deformations on the microstructure and mechanical properties of high nitrogen and low nickel alloys were investigated. The microstructure of high nitrogen alloys with different rolling deformations were characterized by EBSD and TEM. The tensile mechanical properties of the high nitrogen alloys at room temperature were tested. The results showed that the microstructure of the cold rolled high nitrogen alloy with deformation of 0% to 70% shows a twinning process. The twin thickness of the high nitrogen alloy without deformation is micron degree. When the rolling deformation is over 50%, the average thickness of the deformation twin is 23nm. When the rolling deformation increases to 70%, the average thickness of the twin is 14nm. When the rolling deformation increases from 0% to 70%, the cold rolled high nitrogen alloy exhibits high strength (1001-2236 MPa) and excellent plasticity (5.9%-64.1%). It is beneficial to have a good combination of strength and plasticity after rolling deformation.

The Deformation Behaviors and Mechanism of the High-Temperature Mechanical Properties of a Ni48W35Co17 Alloy

Investigations of the plastic deformation mechanisms of Ni-W-based heavy alloys varying with increasing temperatures are very important for the development of hot forming processes and applications at elevated temperatures. In this study, the continuous variation of strength and plasticity of a novel Ni-W-based heavy alloy with increasing temperatures was investigated. The tensile strength of a Ni48W35Co17 sample at 600 °C was 471 MPa, which was 47% lower than that at 100 °C. A variation in an abnormal decrease in elongations at temperatures from 400 °C to 800 °C was found in this alloy. The elongation rate of the sample tensile at 600 °C was 19%, which was 73% lower than that at 100 °C. A microstructural analysis revealed that the number of twins in the sample tensile at a temperature higher than 600 °C increased considerably compared with the sample tensile at lower temperatures, indicating that the dislocation slips were suppressed during the high-temperature stretching process. The precipitates of the NiW phase were found in the 600 °C tensile sample, which was not clearly observed in the 400 °C tensile sample, suggesting that dislocation slips were affected by the formation of these precipitates. Moreover, the orientation relationship between the matrix and NiW phase was (200)Ni//(240)NiW and [001]Ni//[001]NiW. The tiny precipitated phase was the main reason for the plasticity decrease of the alloy with the temperature increase.

Effect of Solution Temperature on the Microstructure and Properties of TB10 Titanium Alloy Bars

This paper studies the effect of solution temperature on the microstructure and mechanical properties of TB10 titanium alloy bars. The results show that the microstructure is composed of β phase and primary α phase (αp) when solution treatment is below the phase transition temperature. With the increase of the solution temperature, the β phase grain size in the microstructure increases, the thickness of the grain boundary decreases, and the number and size of the αp phase decrease, so that the strength of the alloy decreases and the plasticity increases. When the solution treatment temperature is 800°C, the reticulated grain boundary αp phase causes the plasticity to drop rapidly. When the solution treatment temperature is above the phase transition point, as the solution temperature rises, the β phase re-nucleates and grows, the grain size increases, the number of αp phase decreases. The super-cooled β phase grains induce martensite phenomenon due to stress, which eventually causes the strength and plasticity to decrease.