Papers by Keyword: Microalloyed Steel

Abstract: Niobium is added to carbon steels in small amounts (< 0.1weight %), thus being called a microalloying element, to increase mechanical strength and toughness. When added to steel, niobium is partly soluble in the matrix and another part combines with carbon and nitrogen forming a family of Nb_xC_yN_z precipitates (niobium carbides, nitrides or carbonitrides), where the values ​​of x, y, z depend on the temperature and the chemical composition of the steel. The solubility equations for niobium in austenite available in the literature only provide the niobium content that could be solubilized at a given temperature. But when niobium is added above the solubility limit, the excess niobium will not only form the Nb_xC_yN_z family of precipitates. This is what the proposed model calculates. The proposed model is easy to apply and provided results are very close to those determined experimentally by different researchers, who used different techniques such as atom probe, or matrix dissolution with precipitate filtration, for example. Although the proposed model has been used to calculate niobium in solution in austenite, the same can be applied to any other precipitate, such as carbides, nitrides or carbonitrides of vanadium and titanium, for example.

Abstract: The influence of molybdenum, and molybdenum with niobium addition on the phase transformation behaviour of a developed low-carbon CrNiMnB ultrahigh-strength steels, was investigated. Gleeble 3800 thermomechanical simulator was employed to simulate the hot-rolling process and to get the dilatation curves. After austenitization at 1250 °C for the complete dissolution of carbides, specimens received 0.6 total strain (i.e., 0.2 at 1100 °C and 2 x 0.2 at 900 °C) followed by cooling at various cooling rates (CRs) in the range of 2-60 °C/s. The final microstructures were investigated using laser scanning confocal microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and hardness measurements. Then the continuous cooling transformation diagrams were constructed based on the dilatation curves, microstructure, and hardness values. The electrolytic extraction method was used to assess the elements' distribution and the composition of the forming precipitates. The addition of Mo increased the hardenability, decreased the transformation temperatures, and promoted the formation of low-temperature transformation products i.e., martensite and bainite ferrite, at different CRs and inhibit the formation of polygonal ferrite. The formation of coarse precipitates neglected the effect of Mo+Nb addition, decreased the hardenability and expanded the region of BF formation to high CRs. The variation in the hardness with microstructural changes was discussed.

Abstract: A thermal microstructure model of laminar cooling of X70 microalloyed steel skelp was developed to predict the effect of the laminar cooling temperature profile on the through thickness skelp microstructure. Plant trials using infrared video imaging were undertaken to establish the laminar cooling conditions prevalent in the industrial cooling system. The infrared video temperature measurements were used to develop a finite element thermal model of the skelp transiting the entire laminar cooling system. Dilatometer testing of the X70 steel with cooling rates ranging from 1 °C/s to 120 °C/s was undertaken to develop the CCT curve and to quantify austenite decomposition. The predicted thermal profile from the finite element model and the phase transformation behaviour were combined into a thermal microstructural model capable of predicting the phases that would develop through the skelp thickness as a function of the laminar cooling profile. The predicted through thickness microstructures were verified from electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) phase analysis of industrially produced API X70 skelp.

Abstract: The present research work focuses on the study of the microstructure evolution, corrosion resistance, and mechanical properties of GG25 grey cast iron and AISI 4140 microalloyed steel dissimilar brazing joints, using a eutectic type Ag-based filler metal. The welding zone microstructure study was carried out through optical (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), in conjunction with an energy-dispersive X-ray detector (EDS). Joints’ mechanical properties were investigated through tensile tests, as well as detecting the Vickers microhardness across the microstructure’s zones. For the assessment of the joints’ corrosion resistance, potentiodynamic polarization tests were performed in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution, at various temperatures. The corrosion products evaluation was carried out by both X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). According to the results, sound brazing joint was attained, presenting an average tensile strength and ductility of about 230 MPa and 20 %, respectively.

Abstract: Niobium is added to carbon steels in small amounts (< 0.1weight %), thus being called a microalloying element, to increase mechanical strength and toughness. When added to steel, niobium is partly soluble in the matrix and another part combines with carbon and nitrogen forming a family of Nb_xC_yN_z precipitates (niobium carbides, nitrides or carbonitrides), where the values of x, y, z depend on the temperature and the chemical composition of the steel. The effects of niobium dissolved in the matrix or as precipitates are distinct and sometimes antagonistic. Thus, two samples of the same carbon steel microalloyed with niobium may differ in: microstructure, ferritic grain size or interlamellar spacing of the pearlite, depending on the thermomechanical processing to which they were submitted, which will result in different mechanical properties. In order to make good use of the possible beneficial effects of adding niobium to carbon steels, it is necessary to clearly understand its complex physical metallurgy. To analyze the effects of niobium, six steels were used (0.2/0.4/0.8 C/ 1 Mn, with and without the addition of 0.03 Nb, weight %). Using an ARL ion microprobe, with oxygen ions and mass spectroscopy reading on niobium steel, after partial isothermal transformation at 700 oC, we observed the partition of niobium between ferrite and austenite. Thus, the formation of ferrite is slower, shifting the TTT curve to longer times and separating the pearlite and bainite bays. The same occurs in continuous cooling transformation, where the diffusional components (ferrite, pearlite and bainite) are formed at lower temperatures and with a longer time. With pearlite forming at lower temperatures, there is a decrease in the interlamellar spacing, increasing its hardness and, consequently, the mechanical strength. Niobium also forms carbonitrides, and these finely precipitated particles anchor the grain boundary, making it difficult to move and thus producing a smaller austenitic grain size than in steel without the addition of niobium, increasing mechanical strength and toughness of steel.

Abstract: The present work investigated the effects of Al, Si, and N content on the impact toughness of the coarse-grained heat-affected zone (CGHAZ) of Ti-containing low-carbon steel. Simulated CGHAZ of differing Al, Si, and N contents were prepared, and Charpy impact toughness was determined. The results were interpreted in terms of microstructure, especially martensite-austenite (M-A) constituent. All elements accelerated ferrite transformation in CGHAZ but at the same time increased the amount of M-A constituent, thereby deteriorating CGHAZ toughness. It is believed that Al, Si, and free N that is uncombined with Ti retard the decomposition of austenite into pearlite and increase the carbon content in the last transforming austenite, thus increasing the amount of M-A constituent. Regardless of the amount of ferrite in CGHAZ, its toughness decreased linearly with an increase of M-A constituent in this experiment, indicating that HAZ toughness is predominantly affected by the presence of M-A constituent. When a comparison of the effectiveness is made between Al and Si, it showed that a decrease in Si content is more effective in reducing M-A constituents.

Abstract: The MMS-200 thermal simulation testing machine was used to study the static softening behavior of low carbon high niobium microalloyed steel. The effect of niobium to the static recrystallization softening behavior of the microalloy steel had been analyzed by establishing the kinetics model of static recrystallization and the micro-morphology of precipitates. The results indicated that: the static softening behavior of the tested steel significantly influenced by the deformation temperature and the interval pass time of the rolling processing. At relatively high deformation temperature and long interval pass time, the ratio of static softening was increased. Then the deformation temperature was lower to 950°C, and the static softening behavior of the test steel was ceased. But when the deformation temperature was higher than 1000°C, the static softening behavior of the test steel completely occurred. The activation energy of the test steel was 325·mol^-1 by the established model calculated.

Abstract: The Heavy-Haul railroad wheels started to use higher wear resistance steels microalloyed with niobium, vanadium, and molybdenum [1]. During continuous cooling, these elements depress the temperature of the pearlite formation, producing smaller interlamellar spacing that increases the hardness of the steel, besides to favor the precipitation hardening through the formation of carbides [2, 3]. Also, they delay the formation of difusional components like pearlite and bainite during isothermal transformation. The effects of these alloy elements on microstructure during isothermal transformation were studied in this work using a Bähr 805A/D dilatometer. Three different compositions of class C railway wheels steels (two microalloyed and one, non microalloyed) were analyzed in temperatures between 200 and 700 °C. The microstructure and hardness for each isothermal treatment were obtained after the experiments. Comparing with non microalloyed steel (7C), the vanadium addition (7V steel) did not affect the beginning of diffusion-controlled reactions (pearlite and bainite), but delayed the end of these reactions, and showed separated bays for pearlite and bainite. The Nb + Mo addition delayed the beginning and the ending of pearlite and bainite formation and also showed distinct bays for them. The delays in diffusion-controlled reactions were more intense in the 7NbMo steel than in 7V steel. The V or Nb + Mo additions decreased the start temperature for martensite formation and increased the start temperature for austenite formation.

Abstract: Three novel low carbon microalloyed steels with various additions of Mo, Nb and V were investigated after thermomechanical processing simulations designed to obtain ferrite-bainite microstructure. With the increase in microalloying element additions from the High V- to NbV- to MoNbV-microalloyed steel, the high temperature flow stresses increased. The MoNbV and NbV steels have shown a slightly higher non-recrystallization temperature (1000 °C) than the High V steel (975 °C) due to the solute drag from Nb and Mo atoms and austenite precipitation of Nb-rich particles. The ambient temperature microstructures of all steels consisted predominantly of polygonal ferrite with a small amount of granular bainite. Precipitation of Nb-and Mo-containing carbonitrides (>20 nm size) was observed in the MoNbV and NbV steels, whereas only coarser (~40 nm) iron carbides were present in the High V steel. Finer grain size and larger granular bainite fraction resulted in a higher hardness of MoNbV steel (293 HV) compared to the NbV (265 HV) and High V (285 HV) steels.

Abstract: This paper presents a summary of a preliminary research aimed at producing ultrafine-grained (UFG) and heterogeneous microstructure in microalloyed steel and testing these materials under dynamic loading conditions (strain rates 800 s^-1 and 1800s^-1). The UFG and bimodal-structures, due to grain size, structural composition or morphology of structural components, were produced by an advanced thermomechanical processing, namely rolling in: hot, two-phase and cold-hot combined conditions. The advantage of bimodal microstructures is their maximization of mechanical behavior under extreme loading conditions due to promoted accumulation and interactions of geometrically necessary dislocations. The dynamic work-hardening behavior has been studied as a function of solute atoms and fine-scale, second-phase particles in the UFG and bimodal-structures. The substantial complexity of the phenomena, which occur through the evolution of microstructure and texture in response to dynamic loading, presents formidable challenges to theoretical model development of plastic deformation of UFG and bimodal-structures. Such an extraordinary work hardening provides an attractive strategy to develop optimal combination of mechanical properties i.e. strength/ductility ratio. A multi-scale analysis capable of including material behavior in different scales should be applied to discuss mechanical response of mentioned above microstructures and to help to analyze their influence on mechanical behavior under dynamic loading. The investigation was performed for a material of common application: high strength microalloyed steel X70. The experimental results show that strain rate sensitivity of the heterogeneous microstructures obtained by various thermomechanical rolling routes are significant, but not by a similar magnitude with the microstructure compositions and increasing strain rate.