Abstract
The precipitation occurring in a Nb-stabilized ferritic stainless steel, containing initially Nb(C, N) carbonitrides and Fe3Nb3X precipitates, was investigated during aging treatments performed between 923 K and 1163 K (650 °C and 890 °C) by combining different techniques, (thermoelectric power (TEP), scanning/transmission electron microscopy (SEM/TEM), and atom probe tomography (APT)), in order to determine the precipitation kinetics, the nature and morphology of the newly formed precipitates as well as the chemistry of the initial Fe3Nb3X precipitates, where X stands for C or N. The following composition was proposed for these precipitates: (Fe0.81 Cr0.19)3 (Nb0.85 Si0.08 Mo0.07)3 (N0.8 C0.2), highlighting the simultaneous presence of N and C in the precipitates. With regard to the precipitation in the investigated temperature range, two main phenomena, associated with a hardness decrease, were clearly identified: (i) the precipitation of Fe2Nb precipitates from the niobium initially present in solution or coming from the progressive dissolution of the Fe3Nb3X precipitates and (ii) the precipitation of the χ-phase at grain boundaries for longer aging times. From the TEP kinetics, a time–temperature–precipitation diagram has been proposed.
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