Solid State Phenomena Vols. 172-174

Abstract: A detailed analysis of the evolution of industrial Dual Phase (DP) steel microstructures is carried out as a function of various annealing and tempering conditions. Advanced characterization techniques such as Parallel Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (PEELS) in the TEM and high spatial resolution Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (NanoSIMS) are employed in order to provide qualitative and quantitative measurements of local carbon concentration in the martensite. For certain annealing and tempering conditions, it is observed that local variations in carbon levels have occurred inside the individual martensite islands. These carbon variations strongly influence the damage behaviour of the steel. During tensile tests, a clear dependence of the damage mode on the local martensite carbon content is observed. Better knowledge of the relationship between the microstructure evolution at the sub-grain level and the damage behaviour can facilitate the design of DP steels with improved damage resistance.

Abstract: This work is part of a collaborative study between CEA-Saclay and LMT-Cachan on the numerical simulation of multi-pass GTA-Welding of thick specimens made of X10CrMoVNb9-1 (ASTM 387 or “T91”) steel. The final objective of this paper is to exhibit the prediction capabilities of an improved version of the Thermo-Metallurgical-Mechanical "TMM" model for X10CrMoVNb9-1 martensitic steel (initially developed by G.-M. Roux). In this paper, focus is made on the modelling of the martensite tempering due to the complex thermal loadings induced by the multi-pass process. Herein, it has been chosen to study the tempering kinetics via the evolution of the free carbon content or, conversely, the carbides precipitation overall fraction, growth and dissolution. Thermo-Electric Power (TEP) measurements as well as hardening measurements have been used to investigate the tempering phenomenon. Measurements are fast to perform and are not very sensitive to the geometry of the material (in opposite to resistivity measurements). A phenomenological tempering model was developed and identified from several tests at constant tempering temperatures ranging from 550°C up to 750°C. The improved TMM model including this tempering model was used to perform the 2D finite element analysis of the 16-pass GTA welding process of a narrow groove butt-weld. The predictions are favourably compared with the “real” microstructure.

Abstract: The paper analyzes the magnetic properties and stability of austenite, athermal martensite, and deformation martensite that form in Ni27Ti2AlMoNb steel subjected to glow discharge assisted nitriding, and also of nitrogen austenite (S phase with various lattice constants) which occurs when the nitriding process is conducted below the temperature A_s. The analysis of these structural components and their morphology was performed using a magnetic force microscope (MFM), whereas the phase composition of the nitrided layers produced on this steel was determined by X-ray diffraction.

Abstract: High strength zinc-coated steels are used for automotive applications when high corrosion resistance and weight reduction are required. Resistance spot welding is the main method to assembly auto body. Steel sheets are held together under pressure exerted by copper alloy electrodes which concentrate welding current and clamp the sheets together. But welding of high strength coated steels reduces the electrode life. Even if electrode deterioration is a well-known problem, the understanding and modelling of the complex deterioration modes at different regions of the electrode is still limited. Developing a comprehensive thermo-electrical-metallurgical-mechanical model that describes the sequential deterioration is thus lacking. This work is a preliminary study which specifically addresses microstructural evolution modelling in age hardened CuCr1Zr electrode alloy. Evolution of precipitation is simulated using two models: a Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kologoromov model and the Myhr and Grong model. In both cases a calibration procedure based on hardness data was involved. Short isothermal heat treatments were used to develop a ‘master curve’ which captures the precipitate evolution. Preliminary results about the comparison of the two models are presented.

Abstract: The paper presents the results of studies on the microstructure, chemical composition and mechanical properties of the Ni/SnAuCu/Ni interconnections obtained due to the conventional soldering at 300 °C for different times and subsequent aging at 150 °C. The EDX microanalysis allowed to detect at the Ni/solder interface the (Ni,Cu,Au)₃Sn₄ phase which transformed to (Cu,Ni,Au)₆Sn₅ after longer time of soldering. In the central part of the interconnection AuSn₄ brittle phase was present. This phase was responsible for the significant decrease of the shear strength in the joints subjected to aging at 150 °C for 1000h, 1500 hours. The fracture behavior of such joints appeared to be caused partly by the coalescence of the microvoids in the bulk solder, cleavage of η-phase grains and decohesion at the interface.

Abstract: Phase field modeling of precipitation kinetics in Al – Zr – Sc and Al – Zr – Ti ternary alloys has been performed. The free energy was evaluated using the Thermo-calc data. Our simulations showed that L1₂ precipitates in Al – Zr – Sc alloy consists of Sc rich zone of in core and Zirconium rich zone at the precipitate / matrix interface. In Al – Zr – Ti system, Al₃ (Zr-Ti) precipitates are homogeneous and no segregation is observed. Phase-field simulation results are compared with 3D APT data.

Abstract: As a representative type of high Cr ferritic heat-resistant steels, T91 steels (ASME SA-213 T91/P91) has been recognized as the preferable materials and widely used in high-temperature structural components such as header and main steam pipe in advanced power plants. For the service condition is tempered martensites, its corresponding microstructure and mechanical performance are mainly adjusted by the tempering treatment. After exploring the size and number of MX and M₂₃C₆ precipitating particles and the width of martensitic lath as a function of tempering temperature, it is recognized that the high tempering temperature leads to an increase of secondary hardening effect, while the low tempering temperature brings a high dislocation density and a small martensitic lath. Hence, a two-step tempering treatment was developed after the traditional normalizing process, in which the T91 steels sample was firstly tempered at a low temperature in order to form some precipitates and then tempered at a high temperature. Those firstly-formed precipitates would pin the dislocations and martensitic laths on the subsequent tempering process, which finally leads to more precipitates, higher dislocation density and smaller martensitic lath width than that obtained from the traditional tempering process.

Abstract: A finite element approach is used to simulate the precipitation of Ni₃(Al,Ti) intermetallics in nickel-based superalloys containing a low volume fraction of spherical g’ precipitates, in which precipitation occurs following nucleation and growth mechanisms. Classical differential equations of nucleation and growth are implemented in the software Comsol (formerly Femlab), to compute the number of precipitates per unit volume and their mean size. Another originality of the model is the use of thermodynamic quantities coming from phase diagram computations (Thermo-Calc), like the temperature variation of the equilibrium g’ volume fraction, and the evolution of the concentration of g’ forming elements (Al, Ti) in the matrix with the volume fraction of precipitates. Once adjusted to experiment in the case of isothermal ageings, the model can be used to simulate precipitation during complex thermal histories. Finally, automatic heat treatment optimisation procedures are proposed and tested, which can reduce heat treatment times by a factor of more than five.

Abstract: In order to examine the decarburization behavior in the hot stamping (HS) method, the dependence of the microstructure evolution on the annealing temperature was experimentally studied using a Fe-0.21 mass% C-1.3 mass% Mn-0.2 mass% Si steel. The steel was isothermally annealed in the temperature range of T = 773-1173 K for various times of t = 100-12800 s in an ambient atmosphere. Here, the steel possesses the ferrite (α) + cementite (θ) two-phase microstructure at T = 773-923 K, the α + austenite (γ) two-phase microstructure at T = 1013-1073 K, and the γ single-phase microstructure at T = 1093-1173 K. During annealing at T = 1013-1073 K for t = 1600 s, however, the α layer with a uniform thickness is formed at the surface of the steel due to decarburization and gradually grows into the inside. Such formation of the a layer was not clearly observed at T 973 K and T 1093 K. Thus, the formation of the α layer hardly occurs under the HS annealing conditions. At T = 1033 K, the thickness of the α layer is mostly proportional to the square root of the annealing time. Such a relationship is called the parabolic relationship. Furthermore, the grain size of the α layer monotonically increases with increasing annealing time. Hence, the parabolic relationship guarantees that the growth of the α layer is controlled by volume diffusion.

Abstract: This study attempts to incorporate the effect of elastic deformation in a previously proposedmodel for the nucleation and growth of precipitates. We adapt the KWN-model by Robson to incor-porate the effect of strain energy arising from elastic deformation on the homogeneous nucleation andgrowth of NbC particles in a High Strength Low Alloy (HSLA) steel at constant temperature. Simula-tions of the nucleation and growth of NbC particles in an HSLA steel on the cylindrical region showthat the incorporation of elastic strain energies has a noticeable impact on the process. The derivedquantities of homogeneous nucleation and growth, such as the particle number density and the meanparticle radius, show a clear spatial correlation with the calculated strain energy.