Effect of Cr2AlC particle on the dispersion strengthening of CLF-1 steel

Abstract

In this study, a novel type of MAX phase carbide particle (Cr2AlC) was utilized to improve the dispersion strengthening effect on CLF-1 steel. By analyzing the mechanical alloying process of carbide dispersion strengthened steel (CDS steel) as well as the morphology change of powder particles during this whole process, the dispersion strengthening effect of Cr2AlC particle on CLF-1 steel was investigated. The results of micro hardness, tensile strength and microstructure of the sintered CDS steels demonstrated that mechanical alloying can significantly improve the tensile properties of CDS steel. The matrix without any carbide particle demonstrated higher yield strength (1078 MPa) and tensile strength (1343 MPa) than RAFM steels fabricated by means of melting, such as CLF-1, CLAM, EUROFER-97 and F82H. Similar to the oxide dispersion strengthened steel (ODS steel), four kinds of CDS steels (“base”, “+Al4C3”, “+Ti3SiC2” and “+Cr2AlC”) exhibited non-uniform grain characteristics. Cr2AlC particle exhibited the highest dispersion strengthening effect compared with Al4C3 and Ti3SiC2 due to its smaller particle size and higher density.