B-added low carbon steels exhibit excellent hardenability. The reason has been frequently attributed to B segregation at prior austenite grain boundaries, which prevents the austenite to ferrite ...transformation and favors the formation of martensite. The segregation behavior of B at prior austenite grain boundaries is strongly influenced by processing conditions such as austenitization temperatures and cooling rates and by alloying elements such as Mo, Cr, and Nb. Here an local electrode atom probe was employed to investigate the segregation behavior of B and other alloying elements (C, Mn, Si, and Cr) in a Cr-added Mo-free martensitic steel. Similar to our previous results on a Mo-added steel, we found that in both steels B is segregated at prior austenite grain boundaries with similar excess values, whereas B is neither detected in the martensitic matrix nor at martensite–martensite boundaries at the given cooling rate of 30K/s. These results are in agreement with the literature reporting that Cr has the same effect on hardenability of steels as Mo in the case of high cooling rates. The absence of B at martensite–martensite boundaries suggests that B segregates to prior austenite grain boundaries via a non-equilibrium mechanism. Segregation of C at all boundaries such as prior austenite grain boundaries and martensite–martensite boundaries may occur by an equilibrium mechanism.
•Segregation behavior of B was investigated in a quenched Mo-free martensitic steel using atom probe tomography.•Site-specific APT sample preparation from prior austenite grain boundaries was applied using FIB milling.•B is segregated at the prior austenite grain boundaries by a non-equilibrium mechanism.•No Mo drag effect on the B segregation exists under the current heat treatment conditions.•C is segregated at all grain boundaries through an equilibrium mechanism.
This study investigates the high strain-rate tensile properties of a cold-rolled medium-Mn steel (Fe–12Mn–3Al-0.05C % in mass fraction) designed to have a multi-phase microstructure and positive ...strain-rate sensitivity. At the intercritical annealing temperature of 585 °C, increasing the annealing time from 0.5 h to 8 h increased the phase volume fraction of ultrafine-grained (UFG) austenite from 2% to 35% by reversion. The remainder of the microstructure was composed of UFG ferrite and recovered α′-martensite (the latter resembles the cold-rolled state). Servo hydraulic tension testing and Kolsky-bar tension testing were used to measure the tensile properties from quasi-static strain rates to dynamic strain rates (ε˙ = 10-4 s-1 to ε˙ = 103 s-1). The strain-rate sensitivities of the yield strength (YS) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) were positive for both annealing times. Tensile properties and all non-contact imaging modalities (infrared imaging and digital image correlation) indicated an advantageous suppression of Lüders bands and Portevin Le Chatelier (PLC) bands (a critical challenge in multi-phase medium-Mn steel design) due to the unique combination of microstructural constituents and overall composition. Fracture surfaces of specimens annealed for 0.5 h showed some instances of localized cleavage fracture (approximately 30 μm wide areas and lath-like ridges). Specimens annealed for 8 h maintained a greater product of strength and elongation by at least 2.5 GPa % (on average for each strain rate). The relevant processing-structure-property relationships are discussed in the context of recommendations for design strategies concerning multi-phase steels such that homogeneous deformation behavior and positive strain-rate sensitivities can be achieved.
Display omitted
Ultrafine grained steels show little room temperature tensile ductility compared with coarse grained samples of the same compositions. In order to increase the ductility, the work hardening rate of ...various ultrafine grained steels with different carbon contents was studied. The increase in the amount of finely dispersed cementite particles leads to an improved work hardening rate, which is sufficiently large to balance the negative effect of grain refinement on ductility.
Atom probe tomography (APT) has been increasingly used to investigate hydrogen embrittlement in metals due to its unique capacity for direct imaging of H atoms interacting with microstructural ...features. The quantitativeness of hydrogen measurements by APT is yet to be established in views of erroneous compositional measurements of bulk hydrides and the influence of spurious hydrogen, e.g. residual gas inside the analysis chamber. Here, we analyzed titanium deuteride (approx. 65.0 at%-66.6 at% D) in lieu of hydride to minimize the overlap with residual gas, both with laser pulsing and high-voltage (HV) pulsing. Strategies were deployed to prevent H pick-up during specimen fabrication, including preparing specimens at cryogenic temperature. The measured composition of deuterium by APT with laser pulsing decreases significantly with the applied laser pulse energy, which is interpreted with regards to the strength of the corresponding surface electrostatic field, as assessed by the evolution of charge-state ratio. In contrast, compositional analyses with HV pulsing are roughly independent of the applied experimental parameters, although approx. 15 at%-20 at% off the nominal composition. Aided by plotting paired mass-to-charge correlations, the mechanisms of composition bias in both pulsing modes are discussed. A special emphasis is placed on the local variations of the measured composition as a function of the local electric field across the specimen's surface, which is not uniform due to asymmetric heat distribution related to the localized laser absorption and the faceted nature of surface caused by the crystallographic structure. Our investigations demonstrate the challenges of quantitative analysis of solute deuterium by APT but nevertheless provide insight to achieving the best possible experimental protocol.
The evolution of microstructure and texture of a 0.2%C–Mn steel during large strain warm deformation and subsequent annealing has been investigated. The process of grain subdivision during warm ...deformation is essential for the formation of ultrafine grains in such a material. The study reveals that pronounced recovery instead of primary recrystallization is required to obtain a large fraction of high-angle grain boundaries (HAGBs) as a prerequisite for the development of ultrafine grains in the course of warm deformation. The prevalence of primary recrystallization instead of recovery is not generally beneficial in this context since it reduces significantly the dislocation density and removes the substructure which is important for the gradual formation of subgrains and, finally, of ultrafine grains which are surrounded by HAGBs. Consistently, the texture of the ultrafine grained 0.2%C–Mn steel observed after large strain warm deformation and subsequent annealing, consists primarily of the α-(〈110〉∥RD) texture fiber which indicates strong recovery. The γ-(〈111〉∥ND) texture fiber which is typical of recrystallized rolled ferritic steels does not appear. The process occurring during the deformation and subsequent annealing can, therefore, be interpreted as a pronounced recovery process during which new grains are created without preceding nucleation.
Display omitted
Phase transformations provide the most versatile access to the design of complex nanostructured alloys in terms of grain size, morphology, local chemical constitution etc. Here we ...study a special case of deformation induced phase transformation. More specifically, we investigate the atomistic mechanisms associated with dynamic strain-induced transformation (DSIT) in a dual-phased multicomponent iron-based alloy at high temperatures. DSIT phenomena and the associated secondary phase nucleation were observed at atomic scale using atom probe tomography. The obtained local chemical composition was used for simulating the nucleation process which revealed that DSIT, occurring during load exertion, proceeds by a diffusion-controlled nucleation process.
The formation of submicron structural defects within austenite (γ), ε- and α′-martensite during cold rolling was followed in a 17.6 wt.% Mn steel. Several probes, including XRD, EBSD, and ...ECCI-imaging, were used to reveal the complex superposition of the strain hardening mechanisms of these phases. The maximum amount of ε-martensite is observed at a strain of ε = 0.11. At larger strains, the amount of ε decreases suggesting that it precedes the α′-formation (γ → ε → α′). Stacking faults and twins are the main planar defects noticed in ε-martensite. The remaining γ is finely subdivided by stacking faults and twins up to ε = 0.22. From ε = 0.51 on, twinning and multiplication of dislocations are the principal strain hardening mechanisms in austenite. Deformation is accommodated in α′ by the rearrangement of dislocation tangles into dislocation cells plus shear banding at ε = 1.56. During cold rolling, austenite develops a Brass-type texture component, which can be associated to mechanical twinning. ε-martensite presents its basal planes tilted ∼24° from the normal direction towards the rolling direction. The α′-martensite develops and strengthens both, the bcc α- and γ-texture fibers during cold rolling.
Here we present an approach to design a ferrite-based quadplex microstructure (ferrite/martensite/carbide/austenite) using a lean alloyed Mn–Si–Cr–Al ultrahigh carbon steel. The material has 1500MPa ...tensile strength and 11% elongation. The thermomechanical processing includes two main steps, namely, first, the formation of a ferrite plus carbide duplex microstructure by warm rolling below Ae1; and second, annealing just above Ae1 for a short time (~20min). The quadplex microstructure consists of 57vol% ultrafine ferrite (mean grain size ~1.5µm), 29vol% martensite, 12vol% spherical carbide and 2vol% austenite. Fracture analysis after tensile deformation reveals a mixed ductile and brittle failure mode without necking. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and dilatometry tests were conducted to map the microstructure characteristics and the contribution of each phase to the overall deformation.
Duplex and triplex microstructures consisting initially of ferrite plus carbide or of martensite, ferrite plus carbide, respectively, can undergo strain induced austenite formation during ...superplastic deformation at 30K below Ae1 (Ae1: equilibrium pearlite–austenite transformation temperature) and low strain rate (e.g. 2×10−3s−1). The effect leads to excellent superplasticity of the materials (elongation ~500%, flow stress <50MPa) through fine austenite grains (~10µm). Using a deformation temperature just below Ae1 leads to a weak driving force for both, carbide dissolution and austenite formation. Thereby a sufficient volume fraction of carbides (1–2µm, 15vol%) is located at austenite grain boundaries suppressing austenite grain growth during superplastic deformation. Also, void nucleation and growth in the superplastic regime are slowed down within the newly transformed austenite plus carbide microstructure. In contrast, austenite grains and voids grow fast at a high deformation temperature (120K above Ae1). At a low deformation temperature (130K below Ae1), strain induced austenite formation does not occur and the nucleation of multiple voids at the ferrite–carbide interfaces becomes relevant. The fast growth of grains and voids as well as the formation of multiple voids can trigger premature failure during tensile testing in the superplastic regime. EBSD is used to analyze the microstructure evolution and void formation during superplastic deformation, revealing optimum microstructural and forming conditions for superplasticity of Mn–Si–Cr–C steels. The study reveals that excellent superplasticity can be maintained even at 120K above Ae1 by designing an appropriate initial duplex ferrite plus carbide microstructure.
Steels with higher strength, ductility and improved fatigue behavior are required for light-weight structures in the transportation industry. It is shown that for martensitic steels the combination ...of microalloying and an optimized thermomechanical treatment (TMT) results in increased strength and improved ductility. Proper conditioning of the austenite by deformation either refines the austenitic grains or generates a dislocation substructure that is inherited to the martensite structure. In contrast to simply quenched and tempered martensite with no prior deformation, the thermomechanically processed martensite exhibits a more refined structure with refined blocks and is free of grain boundary carbides. Addition of vanadium is beneficial in controlling the austenite grain size during austenitization and for the stabilization of the austenite defect structures that are produced by deformation. It enables to use higher deformation temperatures for TMT, i.e. lower rolling forces can be applied in an industrial process. It is possible to increase the strength and ductility of conventionally heat treated Si–Cr steel by addition of vanadium or by TMT, but the highest improvement is achieved through the combination of both. In this study, an increase of more than 600
MPa in the ultimate tensile strength and an improvement of 40% in the reduction area are reported.
PDF
