Abstract
Atom Probe Tomography (APT), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and 3D mechanical calculations in complex geometry and anisotropic strain fields were employed to study the role of minor elements in the precipitation process of silicon and chromium nitrides in nitrided Fe–Si and Fe–Cr alloys, respectively. In nitrided Fe–Si alloys, an original sequence of Si3N4 precipitation was highlighted. Al–N clusters form first and act as nucleation sites for amorphous Si3N4 nitrides. This novel example of particle-simulated nucleation opens a new way to control Si3N4 precipitation in Fe–Si alloys. In nitrided Fe–Cr alloys, both the presence of iron in chromium nitrides and excess nitrogen in the ferritic matrix are unquestionably proved. Only a certain part of the so-called excess nitrogen is shown to be explained by the elastic accommodation of the misfit between nitride and the ferritic matrix. The presence of immobile excess nitrogen trapped at interfaces can be highly suspected.
Highlights
The automotive industry is constantly looking for ways to reduce the weight of vehicles without sacrificing safety, performance, or durability
The materials investigated in the present study are ferritic Fe–5at.% Cr and Fe–3at.% Si alloys
Fe–5at.% Cr samples were nitrided in gaseous atmosphere at 590 ◦ C for 12 h
Summary
The automotive industry is constantly looking for ways to reduce the weight of vehicles without sacrificing safety, performance, or durability The development of both high-strength and low-density steels is a timely and appropriate answer to this challenge. The diffusing nitrogen interacts with iron and/or alloying elements to form nitrides The presence of these nanometre scale nitrides will affect the structural properties such as density, strength, as well as corrosion and wear resistance [6]. It is expected that iron, which is in even greater quantity, and trace nitride forming elements such as Al, Ti, or V, will strongly affect the precipitation process This is the main topic of this paper, in which we will focus on two important aspects. The study of both the iron content of nanometre nitrides and the so-called “excess nitrogen” in nitrided Fe–Cr alloys
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