Abstract
The objective of the present work is to study the root causes for the cracking and material detachment from the external surface of a 10 metric tons high-strength low-alloy steel ingot after solidification and annealing processes. Failure analysis investigations were conducted on different samples from the cracked areas as well as from non-cracked ones. A combination of optical and electron microscopies, x-ray diffraction, and microhardness techniques were used to study and analyze the nature, morphology, and composition of the different microstructural components in the cracked regions. Thermodynamic software, Thermo-Calc® was used to corroborate and interpret the experimental findings with the existing theories. The results indicated a strong intergranular character of the cracks accompanied by the presence of second-phase particles at prior austenite grain boundaries. Segregation of chromium and manganese was demonstrated through local chemical analysis of the grain boundaries. It was concluded that a rapid cooling rate combined with the weakening of grain boundaries was at the origin of crack initiation.
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