Fe Cr Research Articles

In situ 3D crystallographic characterization of deformation-induced martensitic transformation in a metastable Fe–Cr–Ni austenitic alloy by X-ray microtomography

Excellent strength–ductility balance in metastable Fe–Cr–Ni austenitic alloys stems from phase transformation from austenite (fcc structure) to αʹ martensite (bcc structure) during deformation, namely deformation-induced αʹ martensitic transformation (DIMT). Here, DIMT in a metastable Fe–17Cr–7Ni austenitic alloy was detected in situ and characterized in three dimensions (3D) by employing synchrotron radiation X-ray microtomography. This technique utilizes refraction contrast, which is attributable to the presence of phase boundaries between the parent austenite and the newly formed αʹ martensite phase. By combining microtomography and position-sensitive X-ray diffraction, we succeeded in crystallographically identifying multiple αʹ martensite phases continuously transformed in four groups from a single parent austenitic phase.

Role of heat treatment conditions in the high-temperature deformation behavior of laser-powder bed fused Fe–Cr–Ni–Al maraging stainless steel

The present research investigates the high-temperature behavior of laser powder bed fused (LPBF) Fe–Cr–Ni–Al maraging stainless steel (equivalent to PH13–8Mo). Fully dense PH13–8Mo samples are printed using an EOS M290 printer, and the effect of different heat treatments on high-temperature behavior and microstructure development is investigated. The material is studied under as-printed (AP), austenitized aged (AA, austenitized at 900 °C for 1 h followed by aging at 530 °C for 3 h), and direct-aged (DA, aged at 530 °C for 3 h) conditions. Uniaxial compression tests are conducted using a Gleeble® 3500 thermal-mechanical simulator at 400 °C and 500 °C at a quasi-static strain rate of 0.0001 s−1 to a final true strain of 0.2, while the microstructure characterization is performed using Electron Backscatter Diffraction and Transmission Electron Microscopy. At room temperature, the AA sample shows the highest hardness (strength), but at temperatures of 400 °C and 500 °C, the DA sample possesses the highest strength. Interestingly, the AP sample exhibits comparable strength to the DA sample at 500 °C, which could indicate for applications at these high temperatures, LPBF-PH13-8 Mo does not require any heat treatment.

Thermally activated dislocation motion in hydrogen-alloyed Fe–Cr–Ni austenitic steel revisited via Haasen plot

Enhancement of thermally activated dislocation motion by solute hydrogen (H) has been envisaged in Fe–Cr–Ni austenitic steel through accelerated stress relaxation and a prolonged creep duration. Nevertheless, differences in the imposed stress/strain between the compared non- and H-charged samples at the starts of these mechanical transients, as well as involvements of other obstacles (e.g., alloying elements and forest dislocations), mask the essential effects of H. We performed stress relaxation and strain rate jump tests at multiple stress/strain for Type310S austenitic steel with ∼7600 at ppm H at 296 K. The measured strain rate sensitivity (SRS) was evaluated via a methodology so-called Haasen plot. By screening the latent factors above, primary role of H was revisited: they work as short-range obstacles, hindering the dislocation movement. Multiple H atoms potentially participate in each thermal activation event, giving rise to a stress-equivalent activation volume and a proportionality between H concentration and yield strength.

Effect of deformation twinning on the early oxidation behaviour of 316L steel exposed to liquid lead-bismuth eutectic

Twins were introduced into 316L austenitic stainless steel by shot peening treatments. The twinned 316L was then exposed along with pristine 316L to oxygen-saturated liquid lead-bismuth eutectic at 550 °C for 120 h. We observed that the inner oxide layer on the pristine 316L consisted of Fe–Cr spinel and reticulated nickel-rich phases, whereas that on the twinned 316L consisted of Fe–Cr spinel and Cr2O3 without the nickel-rich phases. The factor contributing to the different microstructure and composition of the oxide layer on pristine and twinned 316L is that the twin boundaries provide additional channels for Cr diffusion into the oxide front, allowing the formation of Cr2O3 and high Cr dense Fe–Cr spinel. As a result, the Ni rich phases do not have sufficient space to exist and are pushed back into the Cr poor steel matrix.

Microstructural development and mechanical behavior of a near-eutectic high entropy alloy Al1.8CrCuFeNi2 fabricated by hot isostatic pressing

In this study, a near-eutectic high entropy alloy Al1.8CrCuFeNi2 was processed by hot isostatic pressing (HIP). It is shown that the as-HIPed alloy demonstrates excellent formability and shows uniform and refined B2 grains. Large Cr0.7Fe0.3 precipitates were found at the grain boundaries while nano-sized Cu, Cu3Ni and Fe–Cr particles were uniformly distributed within the grain interior. The fine structure and various precipitates lead to high compressive strength of ∼1800 MPa and good hardness of ∼470 HV. B2 matrix and intergranular Cr0.7Fe0.3 deformed mainly via dislocation slipping while intragranular Fe–Cr particles showed complex interaction with dislocations to impede dislocation motion. Moreover, the Fe–Cr nano-precipitates also deformed with the formation of stacking faults, which may further enhance the alloy. The high strength could be due to the activation of multiple deformation and strengthening mechanisms and mainly attributed to the precipitate strengthening.

Kinetics of Annealing of Deformation Defects in the Model Alloy Zr–Sn–Fe–Cr

Kinetics of Annealing of Deformation Defects in the Model Alloy Zr–Sn–Fe–Cr

High-temperature corrosion resistance of Fe–Cr–Mo amorphous coating for water wall protection of USC boiler

High-temperature corrosion resistance of Fe–Cr–Mo amorphous coating for water wall protection of USC boiler

Reaction Between Hot-Dip Aluminized Coating on Fe–Cr–B Cast Steel and Molten ZnCl2 Salt

Reaction Between Hot-Dip Aluminized Coating on Fe–Cr–B Cast Steel and Molten ZnCl2 Salt

Microstructural and mechanistic insights into the Tension–Compression asymmetry of rapidly solidified Fe–Cr alloys: A phase field and strain gradient plasticity study

Rapid solidification in Additively Manufactured (AM) metallic materials results in the development of significant microscale internal stresses, which are attributed to the printing induced dislocation substructures. The resulting backstress due to the Geometrically Necessary Dislocations (GNDs) is responsible for the observed Tension–Compression (TC) asymmetry. We propose a combined Phase Field (PF)-Strain Gradient J2 Plasticity (SGP) framework to investigate the TC asymmetry in such microstructures. The proposed PF model is an extension of Kobayashi’s dendritic growth framework, modified to account for the orientation-based anisotropy and multi-grain interaction effects. The SGP model has consideration for anisotropic temperature-dependent elasticity, dislocation strengthening, solid solution strengthening, along with GND-induced directional backstress. This model is employed to predict the solute segregation, dislocation substructure and backstress development during solidification and the post-solidification anisotropic mechanical properties in terms of the TC asymmetry of rapidly solidified Fe–Cr alloys. It is observed that higher thermal gradients (and hence, cooling rates) lead to higher magnitudes of solute segregation, GND density, and backstress. This also correlates with a corresponding increase in the predicted TC asymmetry. The results presented in this study point to the microstructural factors, such as dislocation substructure and solute segregation, and mechanistic factors, such as backstress, which may contribute to the development of TC asymmetry in rapidly solidified microstructures.

Effects of adding Cu on the microstructure and properties of in-situ alloyed Fe–Cr–Co permanent magnets by laser powder bed fusion

Effects of adding Cu on the microstructure and properties of in-situ alloyed Fe–Cr–Co permanent magnets by laser powder bed fusion

Features of the Stress–Strain State of 3D Metal Objects Produced by Additive Microplasma Deposition of the Powder of a Fe–Cr–Ni–B–Si System

Features of the Stress–Strain State of 3D Metal Objects Produced by Additive Microplasma Deposition of the Powder of a Fe–Cr–Ni–B–Si System

Secondary phases characterization by SANS and XAS of an ODS ferritic steel after thermal aging at 873 K

An ODS steel with nominal composition Fe–14Cr–2W–0.4Ti-0.3Y2O3 (wt.%) was produced by mechanical alloying and compacted by hot isostatic pressing (HIP) followed by hot cross rolling (HCR). To check the effects of thermal aging at relevant temperatures of operation in fusion power plants, the alloy was thermally aged at 873 K for 2000 h. In this work, small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) techniques are used for the advanced characterization of secondary phases and the oxide nanoparticle dispersion. SANS results show that the oxide nanoparticles remain stable after the thermal aging treatment. Composition of the oxide nanoparticles was identified as Y2TiO5 or Y2Ti2O7 by SANS, while non-stoichiometry was found by XAS analysis. Laves phase precipitation after the thermal aging treatment is further confirmed by SANS, from the magnetic anisotropic contribution to the scattering intensity associated to this metallic phase, and by XANES.

Effects of radial bending stress on hot corrosion behaviour of dissimilar martensitic heat-resistant steel weldments in ultra-supercritical unit

The influences of the applied radial bending stresses on the corrosion behaviour of dissimilar weldments of two types of martensitic heat-resistant steel (F92/Co3W2) are investigated with NaCl–Na2SO4 deposited salts at 620 °C and 24 h employing a four-point bending jig. The applied external stress exhibits no obvious influence on corrosion products, which mainly consist of Fe2O3, Fe3O4, and FeCr2O4. However, the stress tends to aggravate the corrosion degree, and the weldments with stress addition yield more mass gain and greater corrosion scale thickness. Such phenomenon is more serious in the parent F92, implying F92 is more sensitive to the corrosion environment with stress. The corrosion scale of weldments without stress shows typical double-layer structure: outer Fe–O layer and inner Fe–Cr–O layer, while the weldments with bending stresses show interesting multi-layers (10 or more layers) with Fe-oxide and Fe, Cr-oxide alternately appearing. The mechanism for hot corrosion behaviour and the influence of hot corrosion on the local mechanical properties of different welding zones with and without stresses are further discussed.

Nanoindentation creep mechanism of gradient ultrafine lamellar γ+Ni5Zr eutectic using electromagnetic levitation coupled with fall casting

A quaternary Ni50Fe20Cr20Zr10 eutectic alloy was designed based on the Ni–Fe–Cr alloy, and the gradient ultrafine lamellar γ+Ni5Zr eutectic was achieved by means of electromagnetic levitation coupled with fall casting (EML-FC). The temperature field, the process of interface migration, microstructural characteristics and the nanoindentation creep property of the alloy were systematically analyzed. During the rapid solidification, since the conical surface served as the main heat dissipation channel, the solid-liquid interface moved from the conical surface towards the top of the cone axis. The gradual decrease in cooling rate from 105 to 103 K s−1 along this direction led to the formation of the gradient ultrafine lamellar γ + Ni5Zr eutectic with the size from 59 ± 12 to 140 ± 36 nm. The nanoindentation creep behavior and mechanism were analyzed by estimating the strain rate sensitivity and activation volume. As the interlamellar spacing of the eutectic decreased, the nanohardness and creep resistance of the alloy gradually increased owing to an increase in grain boundary density and the enhancement of coupling effect between dislocation and grain boundary. In addition, the creep behavior of alloy was sensitive to the loading rate. Increasing the loading rate led to an increase in strain rate sensitivity from 7.69 × 10−3 to 18.89 × 10−3 and a decrease in activation volume from 29 to 12 b3. This special eutectic structure and its improved nanohardness and creep resistance properties offered a potential opportunity to explore a new generation of alloys for the hot-end components of 972 K ultra-supercritical fossil-fired power plants.

Nanoindentation responses of Fe–Cr alloys from room temperature to 600 °C

In this work, the evolution of nanomechanical properties was studied systematically as a function of temperature, chemical, and microstructural complexity of different Fe-based alloys. Experiments were performed at different temperatures (room temperature, 200 °C, 400 °C, 600 °C) using the nanoindentation technique on low activation Fe9Cr–1WVTa (Eurofer97), model Fe–9Cr–NiSiP, Fe–9Cr alloys, and pure iron samples, followed by microstructural observations. The results show varying softening and hardening effects depending on the experimental temperature, demonstrating Portevin-Le-Chatelier effect, i.e., dynamic strain aging phenomenon in model alloys. Sources of the dynamic strain aging instabilities were traced back to the interaction between dislocations and alloying elements such as interstitial carbon and substitutional chromium. The materials undergo dynamic recovery and recrystallization below the regions of high-temperature indentation depending on the pre-indentation dislocation density and the alloy composition. Our findings help in the understanding of the structure and mechanical property relationship in complex Eurofer97 alloy at high-temperatures for potential nuclear applications as structural materials.

Ultrahigh surface hardness and excellent hardness gradient induced by ultrafine dual-carbides in a novel stainless bearing steel

A novel alloy composition design (Fe–14Cr–13Co–5Mo–2Ni–1W–1V-0.16C-0.12Nb-0.074Si-0.027Mn, wt. %) was proposed for modification on that of the conventional CSS-42L stainless steel. The present homogeneous structure without carburizing displays an excellent synergy of yield strength and fracture toughness, which should improve the performance of the corresponding case-carburized steels under the contact/bending fatigue conditions. An ultrahigh surface hardness (71 HRC) and an excellent hardness gradient along the depth are achieved in the present case-carburized gradient structure. Higher surface hardness at a temperature range of 200–400 °C is also observed in the present case-carburized gradient structure, as compared to the other case-carburized advanced bearing/gear steels, such as the M50 steel, the M50NiL steel and the conventional CSS-42L steel. Besides the previously reported M6C carbides in the case-carburized conventional CSS-42L steel, M7C3 carbides are newly discovered in the present case-carburized gradient structure due to the novel chemical design. The ultrahigh surface hardness at both room and high temperatures and the excellent hardness gradient distribution in the present case-carburized gradient structure should be attributed to the increased amount of dual-carbides, as well as the ultrafine dual-carbides embedded in the ultrafine martensite matrix. The superior mechanical properties of the present case-carburized gradient structure should be desirable for real bearing/gear applications.

In-situ deformation inhomogeneity and damage evolution of mixed-grain structure with tempered sorbite/bainite in Fe–Cr–Mo–Mn steel

The inhomogeneous tempered sorbite/bainite (TS/B) with various morphologies and orientations play a significant role in deformation coordination and damage evolution. In this paper, the influence of distinct morphologies and orientations of the mixed-grain structure with TS/B on the deformation heterogeneity were extensively investigated by in-situ tensile testing. Furthermore, a multi-scale model of dislocation density-based crystal plasticity (CP) coupled with the phase field method (PFM) was developed to illustrate the damage nucleation and its evolution via the representative volume element (RVE) modelling. The results shows that mixed-grain structure with TS/B exhibits non-homogeneous deformation during the tensile process, and the coarse grains bear the main plastic deformation, resulting in cross-slip traces and the wrinkling phenomenon at the grain boundary and the interior of coarse grains. Furthermore, the activation of slip systems was determined through slip trace analysis, and the slip transfer behavior between adjacent microstructure was analyzed. According to the critical resolved shear stress (CRSS), the {123}<111> slip system was determined to be the most activated slip system during the in-situ deformation. Hard-orientated lath-shaped B (M1) is more prone to accumulate low angle grain boundaries (LAGBs) than hard-orientated TS (M2) and soft-orientated granular B (M3), resulting in higher orientation rotation degree and geometrically necessary dislocations (GNDs) density of M1 than M2 and M3. The M1 exhibits the nucleation of damage during the initial deformation stage. In addition, compared with the M2 and M3, the Schmid factor (SF) of M1 dominates the transformation from hard orientation to soft orientation and the higher value of damage factor (φ) of M1 results in the more activated slip systems and local damage at high strain levels. This study provides new insights into elucidate the effects of TS/B morphologies and orientations on deformation heterogeneity and damage evolution in large-scale forged spindles for offshore wind power.

Effect of Anisotropy on Residual Stress Measurement of 316L Stainless Steel by Ultrasonic Surface Wave

Fe–Cr alloys are widely used in power, petroleum, and manufacturing industries for their good resistance to corrosion and oxidation at high temperatures. Ultrasound is the only nondestructive method so far to measure the residual stress of in-service components. However, for parts with material anisotropy, such as materials processed by rolling, the measurement accuracy is highly restrained. In this paper, a rolled 316L stainless steel sample is used to study the influence of texture on the measurement of residual stress by ultrasonic surface wave. The experimental results show that the propagation velocity of surface waves in the sample has anisotropic characteristics. The wave velocity parallel to the rolling direction (0°) is the maximum, and the wave velocity perpendicular to the rolling direction (90°) is the minimum, thereby affecting the measurement accuracy. It is found that reducing the frequency of surface waves can reduce the influence of anisotropy. Therefore, a low-frequency method and modified formula are used to improve the measurement accuracy. The maximum error in the rolling direction is reduced from 21.3 to 3.6 MPa, and the maximum relative error is also reduced from 45.4 to 9.0%. The modified formula can further reduce the influence of anisotropy, with the maximum error value further reduced to 2.3 MPa, the maximum relative error reduced to 4.9%, and the surface wave detection accuracy effectively improved.

Achieving Exceptional Strength-Ductility Synergy via Nano-precipitation Hardening in a Ni–Fe–Cr–Co–Al Alloy

Achieving Exceptional Strength-Ductility Synergy via Nano-precipitation Hardening in a Ni–Fe–Cr–Co–Al Alloy

Superior radiation resistance of ODS-RAFM steels revealed by Positron annihilation spectroscopy study

Oxide-dispersion-strengthened (ODS) reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steels are considered as most promising structural materials for fusion reactors and other advanced nuclear systems due to its excellent irradiation resistance under high dose irradiations. However, the extreme complex synergistic effect between transmuted helium/hydrogen and displacement damage which most seriously affects the structure and mechanical properties of ODS-RAFM steels is very difficult to understand, especially the role of hydrogen still remains unclear. Taking advantage of very sensitive to small vacancy clusters of Positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) method, we conducted irradiation defect study on ODS-RAFM, RAFM and its corresponding model alloy Fe–9Cr and α-Fe to investigate their anti-swelling properties at the early stage of irradiation with hydrogen-helium synergism and the mechanism. Three distinct irradiation schemes including (1) single Fe ion beam, (2) simultaneous Fe and He (named Fe + He) ion beam, (3) subsequent H ion injection after Fe + He (named Fe + He/H) ion beam irradiation were performed. Hydrogen-helium synergistic effects on vacancy evolution within these steels were explored combining the first-principles calculation. The implantation of He was observed to significantly increase defect concentration among all four steels, while H exhibited interestingly complexity on affecting the evolution of helium bubbles. The H post-injection increased defect concentration obviously in the materials with abundant sinks, but improved poorly in ones with rare sinks. Through the systematic study of the interactions between H, He, and vacancies, it was revealed that even at the early irradiation stage, ODS-RAFM steels has already exhibited excellent irradiation resistance compared to other alloys across three irradiation schemes.