Papers by Author: Yvan Houbaert

Abstract: Recent studies have shown the possibility to induce time-dependent phase transformations during isothermal treatment between the martensite start (M_S) temperature and martensite finish (M_f,) temperature, i.e. after initial martensite formation. Such treatments result in specific complex microstructures consisting of bainite, martensite and retained austenite, depending on the holding temperature and time. However, the nature of the isothermal transformations below M_S is not completely understood and issues like isothermal formation of martensite and bainite formation are still under discussion. The purpose of this study is to investigate the phase transformations from austenite, subsequent to initial martensite formation, during isothermal treatments at different temperatures of HSLA steel. The microstructure development was monitored by means of dilatometry and microstructural characterization of the transformation products by Optical Microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscope, Electron Backscatter Diffraction and X-ray diffraction. The phase transformations and complex competition and interactions between the different transformation mechanisms are discussed.

Abstract: Hot dipping is a coating technique used in industry for galvanizing machine elements and steel profiles for construction or automotive applications. However, an alternative use of this process might be to improve specific properties. For instance, in order to improve the magnetic properties of electrical steels, it may be desirable to increase the Si and/or Al content. A possible and alternative route to realize this is by the application of an Al-Si-rich coating on the steel substrate using a hot dipping process, followed by a diffusion annealing treatment in order to distribute the Al/Si more evenly in the steel. The obtained distribution depends on the annealing parameters and can be both beneficial and detrimental for the magnetic properties. In the present work, Fe-Si substrates were hot dipped in different Al-Si baths. Subsequently, the samples were annealed at 1100°C during 20 minutes and concentration profiles were measured with scanning electron microscope energy dispersive spectroscopy line scans. The experimental results were analyzed using a specifically designed simulation model in order to determine the Al and Si diffusion coefficients. This model uses an inverse algorithm to determine interdiffusion coefficients that arise in a macro ternary diffusion system.

Abstract: There currently is a strong interest in using ‘as-hot rolled’ steels instead of ‘heat treated’ steels within the field of microalloyed steels with superior strength and improved ductility. However, mechanical and microstructural characterization of these steels is less elaborated. The present work is an effort in that direction, focusing on the evaluation of the impact of a variable Nb and C content on the microstructure and mechanical properties for seven hot rolled microalloyed steels and deriving an empirical relation between the mechanical properties and the Nb/C ratio.

Abstract: A homogenous intensity distribution along the cube texture fibre is important to achieve an easy magnetization in non-oriented electrical steels. Several alternatives have been discussed in literature to achieve this goal namely, tertiary recrystallization (surface energy controlled), decarburization annealing, two step cold rolling (strain induced boundary migration), twin-roll thin strip casting (directional solidification), phase transformation (surface energy anisotropy) and columnar grains formation (selective grain growth). In the present study, a hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy was deposited on the surface of cold rolled Fe-Si steels with a hot dipping simulator and subsequently annealed at 1000°C for different times. This procedure was developed previously in order to enrich the substrate with Al and/or Si and consequently improve their resistivity. Of specific interest was the formation of columnar grains in the low Fe-Si steel after annealing. These columnar grains were found to grow from the surface towards the centre of the substrate. The microstructure and texture in the columnar grains were significantly different than those in the middle of the material. Therefore, the evolution of these features during processing was studied in detail in this work.

Abstract: Hot dip galvanizing has proven to provide excellent protection against corrosion of steel for a wide range of applications. Coatings of Zn-Al alloys on steel sheet give a high corrosion resistance due to the corrosion prevention by zinc and the passivation by Al. Many important industrial processing steps require a reliable procedure for process verification. Verification on production or pilot lines is neither economical nor efficient. Simulators for the HDP (Hot Dip Process) allow laboratory scale simulations of the (hot dip) coating and of the consequent annealing processes occurring in industrial production lines, serving for process and product improvement and development. To improve and further develop the production and the final coating properties, hot dipping experiments are performed in a HDP simulator using different substrates, bath compositions and hot dipping parameters. The results obtained by these simulations are transferable to the production process of real continuous galvanizing lines. Important industrial steps of the process can be simulated in the HDPS with a high variability of parameters.

Abstract: Steels alloyed with Si and Al are used as core material in flux carrying machines, they are commonly called electrical steels, divided into grain oriented and non-oriented when a material without magnetic anisotropy or not is desired and used in transformer and electrical motors, respectively. The appearance of brittle ordered structures when Si+Al content in steel is above 4 m.-% does not always make its industrial production easy. Therefore hot dipping in a Al-Si bath followed by a diffusion annealing was found to be a productive way of steels with high Si and/or Al concentration and to overcome the creation of fragile structures during deformation processes, such as rolling. The formation of different layered Al-(Si)-Fe intermetallics on the steel substrate depends on diverse processing parameters such as bath temperature and composition, immersion time, preheating of the steel substrate and its composition and cooling down to room temperature. This contribution reports the diffusion kinetics of Fe2Al5 products obtained during the hot dipping process in an Al iron saturated and a hypoeutectic Al – 5 m.-% Si baths of ultra low carbon steel and Fe-substrates with 3 m.-% Si, annealed and cold rolled to different thicknesses. The preheating of the samples and bath temperatures were varied between 670 to750°C. Dipping times between 1 to 600 sec. were applied. The different layers and compounds formed were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), using Back Scattered Electron (BSE) detector and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). The influence of the substrate and bath chemical composition on the growth kinetics of the Fe2Al5 intermetallics was investigated assuming a parabolic law. Si addition retards the growth kinetics and, as result, raises the activation energy from 71.3 to 159.8 kJmol-1, the obtained results are in agreement with the literature.

Abstract: In order to improve the magnetic properties of electrical steels, it may be desirable to increase the Si and/or Al content of the steel. A possible and alternative route to realize this is through the application of an Al-Si-rich coating on the steel substrate using a hot dipping process, followed by a diffusion annealing treatment. Previously, a series of compositions were used for dipping, namely: pure Al, Al + 10wt% Si (hypo-eutectic composition) and Al + 25wt% Si (hypereutectic composition). After these dipping experiments, and the subsequent evaluation of the coating and its formed intermetallic phases, the use of a hypo-eutectic Al-Si-bath was recommended for further investigation, because of certain advantages: i.e. hypo-eutectic concentrations allow lower dipping temperatures and reduce the formation of ordered Fe-Si-structures that cause brittleness in the coating and substrate. The present work reports on the results obtained on materials that were hot dipped in a hypo-eutectic Al-Si bath. An Al + 1wt%Si bath was used to coat electrical steel substrates with different silicon contents with dipping times, varying between 0 to 20 seconds, after a preheating of the samples to a temperature of 700°C. A thorough characterization of the formed intermetallics was made by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Three different compounds were identified as Fe2Al5, FeAl3 and a nearly pure Al phase.

Abstract: The magnetic properties in electrical steels are strongly dependent on the crystallographic texture as well as other microstructural features such as grain size. Both, texture and grain size, are determined by the thermo-mechanical history of the material. This work regards a set of different thermo-mechanical paths applied on two types of non-oriented electrical steels containing 2.4% and 3.0%Si, respectively. The evolution of grain size, microstructure morphology and texture throughout processing were studied in detail by optical microscopy, X-Ray diffraction and Electron BackScatter Diffraction (EBSD). The impact of the texture on the magnetic properties was evaluated. This was done by the calculation of the magnetic anisotropy energy and the A parameter, i.e. a parameter defined in scientific literature that describes the magnetic "quality" of the texture, which can be correlated with the magnetic properties of the materials. Finally, the influence of further laser cutting on the crystallographic texture will be examined as well.

Abstract: The use of heavy gauge steel sheets for structural applications very often requires a combination of high yield strength and adequate toughness. The most cost effective way to realize a high yield strength and a high ductility in a low alloyed steel is grain refinement. In industrial practice, this refinement is realized by controlled processing. This process consists of controlling the slab reheating temperature, applying a large amount of hot deformation below the non-recrystallization temperature (Tnr) and accelerated cooling. A better knowledge of Tnr could optimize the process and the best mechanical properties could be reached against the lowest cost. Tnr can be raised by the addition of microalloying elements such as Nb. Nb can retard the static recrystallization of austenite at low temperatures either by solute drag or by precipitation pinning. In this study, the recrystallization behavior of five Nb-microalloyed model alloys with various Nb contents, was evaluated by double hit compression tests. Further, the precipitation state of the materials was investigated experimentally by Inductively Couples Mass Spectroscopy and X-ray Diffraction. The construction of recrystallization-time-temperature diagrams and precipitation-time-temperature diagrams showed that both mechanisms, i.e. recrystallization and precipitation, strongly influence each other.

Abstract: The crystallographic texture and grain size have a strong influence on the magnetic properties of FeSi alloys. These microstructural parameters are determined by the thermo-mechanical processing of the material. Here, some recent results on FeSi-alloys with variable Si-content and without phase transformation are presented. Hot rolling conditions were varied in broad interval of parameters and afterwards, the samples were cold rolled and annealed. After the different processing steps, the samples were characterized by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Electron BackScatter Diffraction (EBSD) in order to evaluate the texture, grain size and the homogeneity of the structure through the thickness. This allowed to study the evolution of the intensity of the favourable magnetic texture components during processing.