Papers by Keyword: Bainitic Ferrite

Abstract: The microstructures, mechanical properties and retained austenite characteristics of TRIP-aided steels with three different heat treatments were studied in this paper. The results indicated that the designed annealing treatments resulted in completely different matrices and the morphologies of second phase, and a significant difference in mechanical properties. The TAM steel was found to have fine annealed martensite lath matrix and inter lath acicular retained austenite, and possessed an excellent combination of strength and elongation which attributed to the highest retained austenite volume fraction and carbon concentration. For TPF steel, the higher instability and lower carbon content of retained austenite and the soft matrix resulted in the lowest ultimate tensile strength and total elongation. While in TBF steel, the stability of retained austenite was lower than that in TAM steel but higher than that in TPF steel. The ultimate tensile strength of TBF was significantly higher than the TAM and TPF steels, but the ductility of TBF steel was lower than TAM steel.

Abstract: An attempt has been made in this research work to develop strong and tough bainitic steels in shorter transformation durations of less than three hours leading to ease of production for steel industries making these steels. High carbon medium alloy steel with high amounts of silicon, cobalt and aluminum was taken up for this study. The steel samples were austempered at 473, 523, 573, and 623K for 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 minutes and then characterized by optical metallography, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction investigations. Microstructure containing plates of bainitic ferrite and substantial amounts of retained austenite placed in between the bainitic ferrite laths was produced. The steel after austempering had hardness in the range 450 – 720 HV at 30 kg load, tensile strength of about 560-620 MPa and room temperature notch impact toughness of about 10J with very less ductility. The details of alloy design and making, metallurgical and mechanical characterizations are discussed.

Abstract: Thermomechanical controlled processing is a very important way to control the microstructure and mechanical properties in low carbon, high strength steel. This is especially true in the case of bainite formation, where the complexity of the austenite-bainite transformation makes the control of the processing important. In this study, a low carbon, high manganese steel containing niobium was investigated to better understand the roles of austenite conditioning and cooling rates on the bainitic phase transformation. Specimens were compared with and without deformation, and followed by seven different cooling rates ranging between 0.5°C/s and 40°C/s. The CCT curves showed that the transformation behaviors and temperatures are very different. The different bainitic microstructures which varied with austenite deformation and cooling rates will be discussed.

Abstract: Austenite/ferrite phase transformations in Fe-xCu-10Ni alloys, 0<x<15 (mass%), are studied under two different cooling conditions, ice-brined quenching or slow cooling in the dilatometer. The influence of copper addition and cooling rate on the microstructure of the alloys is studied. Metallographic examinations of quenched samples show that metastable transformations occur during cooling. As for Fe-Ni alloys, it is impossible to stabilize the high temperature phase (γ_FeNi) in the Fe-Ni-Cu alloys. Dilatometry measurements of the γ → α transformation temperature with a cooling rate of 2°C/min also indicate a metastable phase formation despite the low cooling rate. For all alloys, a mixture of massive and lath ferrite is observed, one being predominant depending on the cooling conditions and composition. It is shown that the cooling rate has nearly no influence on the microstructure of alloys with a small amount of Cu unlike the alloys containing more Cu. In all alloys containing Cu, nanometric γ_Cu precipitates, much finer in the quenched samples, are detected in the ferrite grains.

Abstract: A 0.79C-1.5Si-1.98Mn-0.98Cr-0.24Mo-1.06Al-1.58Co (wt%) steel was isothermally heat treated at 350°C bainitic transformation temperature for 1 day to form fully bainitic structure with nano-layers of bainitic ferrite and retained austenite, while a 0.26C-1.96Si-2Mn-0.31Mo (wt%) steel was subjected to a successive isothermal heat treatment at 700°C for 300 min followed by 350°C for 120 min to form a hybrid microstructure consisting of ductile ferrite and fine scale bainite. The dislocation density and morphology of bainitic ferrite, and retained austenite characteristics such as size, and volume fraction were studied using Transmission Electron Microscopy. It was found that bainitic ferrite has high dislocation density for both steels. The retained austenite characteristics and bainite morphology were affected by composition of steels. Atom Probe Tomography (APT) has the high spatial resolution required for accurate determination of the carbon content of the bainitic ferrite and retained austenite, the solute distribution between these phases and calculation of the local composition of fine clusters and particles that allows to provide detailed insight into the bainite transformation of the steels. The carbon content of bainitic ferrite in both steels was found to be higher compared to the para-equilibrium level of carbon in ferrite. APT also revealed the presence of fine C-rich clusters and Fe-C carbides in bainitic ferrite of both steels.

Abstract: The in-situ X-ray diffraction observations of the bainitic transformation of silicon alloyed steels were performed using the high temperature X-ray diffraction technique. The experimental results have shown that the volume fraction and carbon content of austenite remains a constant value which indicate that the transformation is almost finished after the early stages of austempering transformation. Asymmetry diffraction peaks are obtained for samples at the early stage of transformation due to a heterogeneous distribution of carbon in different regions of austenite and thus exists two types of austenite: low-carbon austenite (γLC) and the high-carbon austenite (γHC). The experimental results supports that the bainite growth is by a non-diffusive mechanism when austempering temperature is in the lower bainite transformation temperature.

Abstract: Ultra high-strength TRIP-aided steel consisting of bainitic ferrite matrix and interlath retained austenite films (TBF steel) possesses high toughness and fatigue strength, as well as high resistance against hydrogen embrittlement. In this study, to improve further these mechanical properties, the effects of hot forging and subsequent isothermal transformation holding process (FIT process) on microstructure, retained austenite characteristics, tensile properties and toughness of the TBF steel with chemical composition of 0.4%C, 1.5%Si, 1.5%Mn, 0.5%Cr, 0.2%Mo, 0.05%Nb and 0.5%Al (mass%) were investigated. The FIT process brought on an excellent combination of tensile strength of 1350-1550 MPa and Charpy impact absorbed value of 100-110 J/cm2 in the developed TBF steel, exceeding so much that of SCM440 steel. The excellent combination was mainly caused by (i) refined mixed structure of bainitic ferrite and retained austenite and (ii) the increased mechanical stability of retained austenite due to the FIT process.

Abstract: In the present study, focused ion beam (FIB) technique was applied to make site-specific TEM specimens and to identify the 3-dimensional grain morphologies of bainitic microstructure in low carbon HSLA steels such as granular bainite, acicular ferrite and bainitic ferrite. Granular bainite consisted of fine subgrains and 2nd phase constituents like M/A or pearlite located at grain and subgrain boundaries. Acicular ferrite was characterized by an aggregate of ramdomly orientated and irregular shaped grains. The high angle boundaries between adjacent acicular ferrite grains caused by intragranular nucleation during continuous cooling process. Bainitic ferrite revealed uniform and parallel lath structure within the prior austenite grain boundaries and its’ packet size could effectively decreased by the formation of intragranular acicular ferrite.

Abstract: Dynamic continuous stiffness measurement (CSM) nanoindentation method was applied to measure nanohardness in low carbon microalloying steel. The matrix hardness for quenched phase and acicular ferrite calculated through analysis of curves is less fluctuated than the raw results, which shows that the analysis of the curves is helpful for determining matrix hardness.