Materials Science Forum Vol. 1016

Abstract: This study investigates the effect of thermal aging on the microstructure and tensile properties of a 15-15Ti austenitic stainless steel in the baseline operating conditions of a sodium fast reactor, in the range between 400°C and 600°C. Samples that were aged at up to 600°C for 1000 hours exhibit no evidence of material recovery. Thus, after aging heat treatments, micro-hardness measurements do not decrease, and TEM analyses do not show any modification of the dislocation network. However, TEM examinations have indicated a new threshold for the precipitation of nanometric titanium carbides after an isothermal treatment at 500°C for about 5000 hours. Concerning the tensile properties, the aged states present a gain both in strength and in ductility compared to the initial cold-worked state. The large gain in ductility is observed for all of the temperatures tested (between 20°C and 400°C) and occurs concomitantly with an increase in the strain hardening rate of the material. One plausible hypothesis to explain this improvement of the mechanical behaviour relies on the nanometric titanium carbides formed during the aging process. These precipitates could act as obstacles that impede the motion of existing dislocations, thereby contributing an additional strain hardening mechanism, which would lead to greater strength and also delay the onset of strain localization.

Abstract: The authors have developed the in situ neutron diffraction technique focusing on bainite transformation during austempering. Thanks to the features of time-of-flight type neutron diffraction, textures, phase fractions and lattice parameters can be simultaneously measured at high temperature. In this paper, the design of experimental equipment and analytical approach are mainly described.

Abstract: Indefinite-chill materials are used as shell materials for cast work rolls for surface-critical applications in hot rolling mills. Besides a smooth surface quality, a low sticking tendency and low sensitivity against incidents in the rolling mill, the work rolls need the highest wear resistance possible. The microstructure of the indefinite-chill material consists of various carbides (cementite up to 40 area-%) and up to 5 area-% of graphite embedded in tempered martensite. To increase the wear resistance of this material group, the comparably soft cementite has to be replaced by more wear resistant carbides such as MC, M₂C or M₆C. This can be achieved by increasing the amount of carbide forming elements such as Nb, V, Mo, W or Cr. Nevertheless it is important to maintain a certain amount of graphite in the microstructure to avoid sticking to the rolled material and to lower the sensitivity against mill incidents. It is well known that high amounts of carbide forming elements limit the graphite precipitation and therefore a sophisticated alloying concept is required for this material type. Not only the effects of matrix elements such as Si, Mn, Ni and Co but also the effects of Cr, Mo, W, Nb and V were studied in an intensive research project. This work gives an insight in the results of the project based on the example of the effects of Si and Cr on the phase amounts and the composition of the cementite phase.

Abstract: Geometric aspects of the shear processes in hexagonal metals are analysed. They can be divided into three groups: those localized essentially between neighbouring atomic planes, occurring in narrow slabs along particular atomic planes, or covering a large crystal volume. Obviously, dislocation glide and deformation twinning are principal types of such processes. On the geometrical level, the dislocation slip as well as twin propagation are controlled by Schmid factors. Since the sample loaded by external stress can sometimes give way to fracture (cleavage) under tensile stress, it has to be also mentioned. The main aim of this work is to show only on geometrical grounds for which sample orientation which process is more likely to occur. More complex shear processes that take place during double twinning are also briefly considered. In polycrystals, the shear phenomena lead to texture formation when the processes that control the behaviour of materials may be those that act in a similar way in single crystals.

Abstract: Quenching and partitioning produces advanced high-strength steels that utilise transformation-induced plasticity for improved strength and deformability. Microstructures of these steels consist mainly of tempered martensite and carbon-enriched retained austenite. A novel processing route of direct-quenching and partitioning (DQP) facilitates carbon partitioning from supersaturated martensite to untransformed austenite directly from the quench-stop temperature in a decelerated cooling that simulates slow cooling of a coiled strip. A major advantage of DQP steels is that they keep both the costs and emissions down by inexpensive alloying and energy-efficient processing. In this study, we investigate the microstructures of 0.2C and 0.4C laboratory hot-rolled DQP steels with comparison to a direct-quenched variant with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy as the main research technique. We show that the structures of DQP steels have frequent nanotwinned regions and can contain three different crystal structures with characteristic length scales ranging from few nm to ~200 nm. This is in remarkable contrast to the traditional lath-martensitic microstructure of the as-quenched material. Density functional theory calculations provide further insight into these findings with the calculated results of energetics, and show that carbon helps in stabilising the newly found omega phase. These results give further insight to the aspects that must be considered when assessing their effect on essential mechanical properties like strain hardening and toughness.

Abstract: 3D printed parts and components operate under specific conditions in demanding applications thus requiring additional surface functionality. From the tribological point of view, as-printed surfaces need to enhance their wear resistance or be able to control friction when sliding against other components. The overall focus is to develop a smart approach for functional component optimization through tribo-technical / technological optimization. In this work, the development of a hybrid 3D-printing process was realized by: (i) a combination of production technologies (hybridization), and (ii) customized surfaces by laser processing (functionalization). The focus is set on the increase in the wear resistance by the presence of hard and wear resistant particles embedded in a metallic matrix. For controlled friction behavior self-lubricating layers were deposited on the surfaces.

Abstract: The evaporation of volatile chromium species from ferritic stainless steels (FSSs) used as interconnect is well-known as degradation source for planar solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stacks. This work presents a feasibility study to quantify chromium evaporation from FSSs. It is based on measuring carbon dioxide produced by an intermediate reaction. Cr evaporated is collected by sodium carbonate forming sodium chromate and carbon dioxide. Measuring the resulting carbon dioxide allowed to quantify online the amount of reacted chromium with the carbonates. The post-experiment quantification of sodium chromate confirmed the applicability of the proposed method.

Abstract: The interplay of various hardening and softening processes during explosive welding and post-processing annealing have been analysed in titanium/copper bimetallic sheets using scanning electron microscopy and microhardness measurements. Severe plastic deformation and intermetallics’ formation are typical processes leading to hardening, whereas dynamic/static recrystallization and the transformation of amorphous phases into crystalline ones lead to softening. In the as-welded state the interfacial layers of both parent sheets are severely deformed. However, they can undergo intense recrystalization in areas near large melted zones. Inside the melted zones a wide variety of chemical compositions can be detected, however, most of the phases do not appear in the Ti-Cu equilibrium phase diagram. The post-processing annealing at 973 K for 1 h leads to full recrystallization of severely deformed layers of parent sheets and transforms the non-equilibrium phases forming melted zone into the equilibrium TiCu₄ and Ti₃Cu₄ ones via spinodal decomposition. Simultaneously, the growth of four intermetallic layers: Ti₂Cu, TiCu, Ti₃Cu₄, TiCu₄ situated along the whole interface was detected.

Abstract: The dependence of friction and wear behavior on nanosodium titanate whisker and aramid pulp in a designed resin-based brake material was systematically analyzed. Higher contents of aramid pulp enhanced the hardness of the brake materials. In addition, the maximum impact energy of the material reached 0.392 J/cm² where the ratio of aramid pulp to sodium titanate whisker is 0.75. At same time, the friction coefficient was stable between 0.38 and 0.45, and the wear rate was 5%. The samples with higher contents of nanosodium titanate whiskers and aramid pulp showed more uniform furrows, fewer delaminated craters, more moderate layers transfer and more stable contact plateaus.

Abstract: While the role of Nb in flat rolling of low carbon steels has been investigated in many works, the information about the use of Nb in rebar rolling of higher carbon grades is more limited. Rebar rolling presents differences relative to flat rolling that can affect the role of Nb, such as the application of higher number of rolling passes, higher strain rates, lower interpass times, and, consequently, enhanced adiabatic heating. Increasing the number of passes can contribute to austenite grain refinement. However, the high finishing temperatures in rebar rolling can lead also to significant austenite grain growth and microstructural heterogeneity development before phase transformation. This phenomenon will directly influence the final grain size and can also lead to the appearance of second hard phases in the final product. One of the options to avoid austenite grain growth is to add microalloying elements that retard grain growth kinetics, either in solid solution or as precipitates. This can open new roles for the application of Nb in rebar rolling. To analyze this, in this work laboratory torsion tests were performed with two 0.2%C steels microalloyed with two different Nb contents (0.029% and 0.015%). Soaking temperatures from 1100°C to 1250°C were applied to obtain different amounts of Nb in solid solution before grain growth study. The study shows that not only finish rolling temperature and cooling time, but also reheating temperature and the amount of Nb remaining in the form of undissolved precipitates are important factors controlling austenite grain growth.