Low-Cycle Fatigue and Fracture Behavior of Aluminized Stainless Steel AISI 321 for Solar Thermal Power Generation Systems

The microstructure, low-cycle fatigue property, and fracture behavior of as-received and aluminized steel were investigated at room temperature, respectively. The results reveal that the aluminized layer is mainly composed of three layers: (I) the external Al2O3 layer, (II) the transition Fe-Al mesophase layer, and (III) the diffusion layer with AlFe and AlCrFe phase. The microhardness of as-received steel lower than that of aluminized steel until the distance from aluminized layer is greater than 150 μm. Compared to the original steel, the aluminized steel exhibits lower stress amplitude and fatigue life, which is correlated to the surface integrity. According to the Coffin-Manson relationship, the fatigue-ductility coefficients for as-received and aluminized steel is 4.347 and 3.528, respectively. Fractographic analysis reveals that the fatigue cracks tend to nucleate at the coating and propagate through the grain boundaries apace.

Effect of Laser Shock Processing and Aluminizing on Microstructure and High-Temperature Creep Properties of 321 Stainless Steel for Solar Thermal Power Generation

The aluminized layer of 321 stainless steel was treated by laser shock processing (LSP). The effects of constituent distribution and microstructure change of the aluminized layer in 321 stainless steel on creep performance at high temperature were investigated. SEM and EDS results reveal that aluminized coating is mainly composed of an Al2O3 outer layer, the transition layer of the Fe-Al phase, and the diffusion layer. Additionally, LSP conducted on coating surface not only improves the density of the layer structure, resulting in an increment on the bonding strength of both infiltration layer and substrate, but also leaves higher residual compressive stress in the aluminized layer which improves its creep life effectively. Experimental results indicate that the microhardness of the laser-shocked region is improved strongly by the refined grains and the reconstruction of microstructures. Meanwhile, the roughness and microhardness of aluminized steel are found to increase with the laser impact times. On the other hand, the intermetallic layers, whose microstructure is stable enough to inhibit crack initiation, reinforce strength greatly. The anticreep life of aluminized sample with three times LSP was increased by 232.1% as compared to aluminized steel, which could attribute to the increased dislocation density in the peened sample as well as the decrease of creep voids in size and density.

Superhydrophobic Cerium-Based Coatings on Al-Mg Alloys and Aluminized Steel

Aluminum-magnesium (Al-Mg) alloy and aluminum-coated steel (aluminized steel) are typically used for the manufacturing of baking trays and molds. For these applications, these materials must be modified to develop release and hydrophobic properties. With this aim, the bare substrates are typically coated with low-surface energy materials such as fluoropolymers, elastomers, or sol-gel layers. In this work, some alternative strategies to prepare these functional surfaces are presented. We used three-step processes involving (i) micro-texturing, (ii) nano layer deposition through immersion and electrodeposition, and (iii) hydrophobization. The raw substrates were sanded or sandblasted at the micro scale, accordingly. Texturization at the nano scale was achieved with a cerium layer formed by electrodeposition or solution immersion. The cerium layers were hydrophobized with fatty acids. The wetting properties of the samples were studied with tilting-plate and bouncing drop methods. We measured the surface roughness of the samples by contact profiling and analyzed their surface morphology using a field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The elemental chemical composition of the samples was analyzed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The wettability results indicated that the best performance for the Al-Mg substrates was reached by sandblasting and later immersion in a cerium nitrate solution. For aluminized steel substrates, the best results were obtained with both electrodeposition and immersion methods using a cerium chloride solution.

EFFECT OF DIFFUSION PROCESS ON COATING IN HOT-DIPPED ALUMINIZED STEEL

Aluminized steels possess excellent corrosion resistance due to the formation of Al-Fe solution phases and intermetallic compounds in coatings. Ni was added to baths to further improve the corrosion resistance of the coatings at high temperature. Here, the role of Ni in the formation of coatings and the effect of diffusion process on the developing of coatings were investigated. 45 steels were immersed in Al-Ni baths (Al-1mass% Ni, Al-3mass% Ni, and Al-5mass% Ni) and diffusion-treated at 1023 and 1123[Formula: see text]K for 20, 40 and 100[Formula: see text]min, respectively. The coatings of samples were analyzed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) along with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). X-ray diffraction (XRD) was further used to confirm the types of phases that formed during diffusion treatment. The formations of intermetallic coating layers were also analyzed via the diffusion path. More continuous Al3Ni layer and compact coating were obtained with diffusion treatment at 1023[Formula: see text]K for 40[Formula: see text]min.