Low Alloy Steel Research Articles

Effect of Heat Treatment on Impact Transition Temperature of High Strength Low Alloy Steel (HSLA) Steel Rods

Effect of Heat Treatment on Impact Transition Temperature of High Strength Low Alloy Steel (HSLA) Steel Rods

Influence of Alloy Addition on Mechanical Properties of Low Alloy Steel in Powder Metallurgy Gears

Influence of Alloy Addition on Mechanical Properties of Low Alloy Steel in Powder Metallurgy Gears

Microstructure Evolution and Mechanical Properties of Ta-Cladded Ni-Cr-Mo Low Alloyed Steel via Explosive Welding

The effects of welding variables (stand-off distance and explosive thickness) on the interfacial microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of explosively welded Ta alloy to Ni-Cr-Mo low alloyed steel have been investigated. Regardless of welding conditions (a stand-off distance of 3-5 mm and explosive thickness of 40-80 mm), the Ta/steel interface consistently exhibited a wavy configuration. This wavy interface facilitated the formation of vortex, resulting in strong interlocking. The height of the vortex increased with a larger stand-off distance at a fixed explosive thickness of 60 mm. Similarly, increasing the explosive thickness at a stand-off distance of 3 mm also resulted in a greater vortex height. The explosive weldability window, plotting the collision angle (<i>β</i>) against the collision point velocity (<i>v<sub>c</sub></i>), was successfully established for the dissimilar Ta and steel plates. The upper limit prediction with <i>N</i>=0.11, as proposed by Wittman, best matched the experimental results. This guided the determination of the optimal condition, which was a standoff distance of 3 mm and an explosive thickness of 40 mm. A vortex melted zone (VMZ) was identified, which resulted from the dynamic intermixing of Ta and steel, combined with localized melting caused by high-energy collisions and heat accumulation. The VMZ surrounded by a highly deformed Ta alloy, showed the highest hardness. Near the interface on the steel side, a fine recrystallized grain structure was observed. No significant inter-diffusion was detected at the wavy Ta/steel interface. The tension-shear properties of the wavy interface, which was subjected to loading parallel to interface, showed a good balance of strength and ductility, confirming the soundness of Ta/steel interface.

Exploring Through-Thickness Residual Stress Distribution in Double V-Groove Multipass Welds of High-Strength Low-Alloy Steel and the Impact of Mechanical Restraints

Exploring Through-Thickness Residual Stress Distribution in Double V-Groove Multipass Welds of High-Strength Low-Alloy Steel and the Impact of Mechanical Restraints

Dynamic Deep Learning to Predict Mechanical Properties of High-Strength Low-Alloy Steels

Dynamic Deep Learning to Predict Mechanical Properties of High-Strength Low-Alloy Steels

Effect of Interlayer Temperature on Microstructure and Properties of High-Strength Low-Alloy Steel Manufactured Using Submerged-Arc Additive Manufacturing (SAAM)

Controlled interlayer temperature has a profound impact on both the microstructure and mechanical properties of the deposited components. In this study, thin-walled structures made of high-strength low-alloy steel were fabricated using the submerged-arc additive manufacturing process. The effects of varying temperature on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the components were studied. The results showed that the cooling rate within T8/5 decreased as the interlayer temperature increased, which caused the microstructure to transition from a fine-grained structure dominated by bainitic ferrite and granular bainite to a coarse-grained structure dominated by polygonal ferrite. The measurement of mechanical properties showed that due to the influence of the fine-grained structure, the components with low interlayer temperatures exhibit excellent hardness, high strength, and outstanding ductility and toughness. Furthermore, a faster cooling rate disrupts the stability of carbon diffusion, resulting in the development of increased quantities of residual austenitic films within the components with controlled low interlayer temperatures. This augmentation in residual austenite films strengthens the components’ ductility and toughness, enabling the deposited components to exhibit exceptional impact toughness in low-temperature environments.

Mechanistic understanding of banded microstructure and its effect on anisotropy of toughness in low carbon-low alloy steel

In this study, the relationship between the anisotropy of toughness and microstructure in low carbon low alloy steel treated by quenching and tempering (QT) heat treatment was investigated with the aid of scanning electron microscope, electron back-scattered diffraction and transmission electron microscope combined with energy disperse spectroscopy techniques. Results show that the impact toughness of the quenched steel plate along the longitudinal and transverse directions are little different. However, after tempering, the longitudinal impact toughness of QT steel plate is improved by 88%, while the transverse impact toughness is slightly decreased, leading to a significant anisotropy of toughness. Microstructural characterizations reveal that banded microstructure with coarse grain size exists along longitudinal direction (i.e., rolling direction) of steel plate, which is attributed to co-segregation of Mn and C and the resulting uneven recrystallization during hot rolling. After tempering, fine and dispersed carbides are precipitated in matrix microstructure, but high-density coarse carbides are formed within banded microstructure. It is suggested that the coarse grains and high-density coarse carbides significantly deteriorate the resistance against crack propagation along banded microstructure, leading to the anisotropy of toughness of QT steel plate. The findings of this study will aid to design metallurgical processes including chemical composition design, hot rolling, and heat treatments to eliminate the anisotropy of toughness of low alloy steels with high strength and toughness.

Thermodynamic calculation-assisted design of 500 MPa high performance steel by machine learning

In order to rationally design Q500 low-alloy wind power steel with stable microstructure and properties within a large cooling rate range, this study proposed a design system that utilizes thermodynamic database, machine learning (ML), and the multi-objective genetic optimization algorithm (MOGA). Thermodynamic calculation has been used to obtain a large amount of data on phase fractions and mechanical properties for various chemical composition at different cooling rates. By comparing the predictive capabilities of different ML models, the deep neural network (DNN) and MOGA were combined to design Q500 wind power steel. Subsequently, three groups of designed chemical compositions were appropriately selected for verification. The results indicate that the yield strength of the experimental steel was over 500 MPa, and the maximum error in microstructure and mechanical property prediction was 5.0%. The prediction results demonstrated the rationality of the composition design framework. Meanwhile, the method of combining the material database and ML proposed in this study can also be applied to the design of other low-alloy steels.

Non-destructive ultrasonic measurement of residual stress in metallic materials

<p>The relationship between the applied stress σ, and the measured shear wave birefringence <b>B</b> was measured in the laboratory for several low alloy steel. The birefringence response was measured with a dual polarization electromagnetic transducer comparing the time of flight for the two polarizations, in the rolling direction and the transverse direction. This stress-birefringence relationship showed a linear dependence and can be described with the relation σ = <b>K</b> * <b>B</b> + σ<sub>0</sub>. The slope of this relationship when applying a tensile stress in the transverse direction of the sample, <b>K</b>, was measured to − 1280 MPa/<b>B</b>(%) and was independent of material chemistry, whereas the position/offset of the curves, i.e., σ<sub>0</sub> , varied in between steel grades, assumed to be due to microstructural texture. A non-contact EMAT probe has been installed in a levelling mill at SSAB Special Steel in Oxelösund, Sweden, to measure the residual stress dependence on the levelling process, in daily production of steel plates. The EMAT probe has been provided by Nordinkraft AG, Remchingen, Germany. This single EMAT probe has been applied along the centerline of plates. Measurements have been made on more than 2000 plates. The responsive or reactive residual stress was successfully measured and calculated for all plates using the above stress-birefringence relationship, showing typical residual stress difference values on the production plates after levelling in the range of less than ± 100 MPa.

Effect of heat input on the microstructure and performance of dissimilar welded joint between Q345B low-alloy steel and 2205 duplex stainless steel

Q345B/2205 dissimilar steel multi-layer multi-pass welded joints were prepared using gas metal arc welding (GMAW). The effects of heat inputs on the microstructures and properties of welded joints were studied. The morphology and composition distribution of Q345B base metal near the fusion line were investigated. The results showed that the welded joints under different heat inputs were all present “carbon depleted zone” and “carburized zones” on both sides of the Q345B base metal and transition layer interface. The microstructure of the “carburized zones” was composed of martensite phase and granular bainite phase. It was found that only the welded joints with heat inputs of 1.765 kJ/mm and 2.860 kJ/mm met the usage requirements. The corrosion behavior and characteristics of the welded joint with a heat input of 1.765 kJ/mm in a 3.5 wt % NaCl solution were investigated intensively. During the soaked process of 14 days, the total impedance value of the welded joint showed first increasing and then decreasing. The maximum value of 8.7 kΩ cm2 was obtained on the 5th day. As the soaked time increased, the corrosion products of the welded joint underwent the formation, thickening, cracking and detachment, which was the main reason of the change in the corrosion resistance. The research results of this article have significant implications for the application of low-alloy steel and stainless steel welded joints in engineering.

Experimental investigation on the post-fire mechanical properties of YSt-355FR (0.1 % Mo) low-alloyed fire-resistant steel

Fire-resistant steel (YSt-355FR (0.1 % Mo)) has become the most utilized structural steel due to its superior performance at elevated temperatures compared to traditional structural steel at both the material and structural levels. However, its performance after exposure to fire remains questionable. This study investigates the post-fire performance of cold-formed fire-resistant steel at the material level. A total of 132 steel coupons and 84 Charpy test specimens were exposed to temperatures ranging from 100°C to 1000°C. These temperature-exposed steel coupons were subjected to four different cooling conditions: furnace cooling (FC), air cooling (AC), water-jet cooling (WJC), and water cooling (WC). Tensile tests were performed on the cooled steel coupons to obtain post-fire stress-strain curves, from which the residual mechanical properties were determined. Charpy impact tests were also conducted on the cooled steel specimens to obtain impact energies and identify the fracture patterns. Key observations regarding the post-fire behavior of fire-resistant steel in terms of strength, deformability, stiffness, and toughness parameters were made. Both the exposure temperature and the cooling condition significantly influence the post-fire performance of fire-resistant steel. Fire-resistant steel demonstrates superior post-fire behavior compared to traditional structural steel. Constitutive equations were proposed to predict the mechanical properties of fire-resistant steel under various post-fire conditions, and a sound reliability analysis was performed to examine the reliability of the predicted design parameters compared to the test results. The findings presented in this paper are significant as no prior investigation has assessed the post-fire performance of fire-resistant steel; thus, they may encourage the steel construction industry to prefer fire-resistant steel over traditional structural steels and promote the reuse of temperature-exposed fire-resistant steel for sustainable construction.

Effects of water content on the corrosion behavior of NiCu low alloy steel embedded in compacted GMZ bentonite

Buffer material and metal disposal containers are the key engineering barriers in the geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste. The durability of disposal containers largely depends on the water content in buffer material. This work focused on investigating the corrosion evolution of NiCu low alloy steel in compacted GMZ bentonite with different water contents for 270 d by using weight loss, electrochemical measurements, and various methods for analyzing corrosion products. As the water content increased from 13% to 20%, the water in the bentonite transformed from an unsaturated to a critical saturated state, and the corrosion rate of NiCu steel clearly increased. In these two systems, the oxygen could migrate to the thin liquid film on the steel surface through the air pores in the bentonite in the gas phase and undergo cathodic reduction. Meanwhile, it oxidized the ferrous hydrolysis products into ferric corrosion products and formed a rust layer, which could block the diffusion of oxygen. At that moment, the cathodic process of NiCu steel corrosion changed to rust reduction. When the water content continually increased to 30% and 40%, the compacted bentonite was in a saturation state, and the corrosion rate of NiCu steel was significantly decreased. This was because most pores among the bentonite particles were occupied by a large amount of free water, which hindered the diffusion of oxygen and inhibited its cathodic reduction. Furthermore, it restrained the oxidation of ferrous corrosion products, which greatly weakened the cathodic depolarization of rust, leading to the cathodic process being dominated by the hydrogen evolution reaction.

Plastic strain effect on cleavage microcracks propagation in probabalistic statement. Part 1. Formulation of the problem and research methods

The first part considers the main physical and mechanical processes occurring under tension of round bars. The procedure is presented that allows one to describe the plastic strain effect on the critical brittle fracture stress in probabilistic statement. The main statements of Prometey model for prediction of fracture stress are also presented. The investigations are carried out for two materials: 2Cr–Ni–Mo–V steel used for WWER-1000 RPV in the thermally-embrittled state and low-alloyed low-strength steel of St3 grade taken as model material ruptured by cleavage up to plastic strain up to 50%.

Plastic strain effect on cleavage microcracks propagation in probabalistic statement. Part 2. Research results

The second part of the paper presents the results of uniaxial tension testing of smooth round bars of 2Cr–Ni–Mo–V steel in the thermally-embrittled state and St3 steel in the initial state. SEM examination of the fracture surfaces is carried out. The brittle fracture probability is calculated using the Prometey model presented in the first part of this article. It has been found that the plastic strain effect on the microcrack propagation probability is caused by two reasons: (1) the critical brittle fracture stress increase due to formation of new barriers for microcrack under plastic deformation, and (2) the working volume decrease due to the neck formation in tensile round bar. A unified set of parameters has been proposed to take into account the plastic strain effect on cleavage microcracks propagation probability for WWER-1000 RPV steel and low-alloyed low-strength steel.

Assessment of vanadium influence on the microstructure and mechanical behavior high-strength low-alloy steel welded joints

Assessment of vanadium influence on the microstructure and mechanical behavior high-strength low-alloy steel welded joints

Comparative Study of High-Cycle Fatigue and Failure Mechanisms in Ultrahigh-Strength CrNiMoWMnV Low-Alloy Steels

This study provides a thorough analysis of the fatigue resistance of two low-alloy ultrahigh-strength steels (UHSSs): Steel A (fully martensitic) and Steel B (martensitic–bainitic). The investigation focused on the fatigue behaviour, damage mechanisms, and failure modes across different microstructures. Fatigue strength was determined through fully reversed tension–compression stress-controlled fatigue tests. Microstructural evolution, fracture surface characteristics, and crack-initiation mechanisms were investigated using laser scanning confocal microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Microindentation hardness (HIT) tests were conducted to examine the cyclic hardening and softening of the steels. The experimental results revealed that Steel A exhibited superior fatigue resistance compared to Steel B, with fatigue limits of 550 and 500 MPa, respectively. Fracture surface analysis identified non-metallic inclusions (NMIs) comprising the complex MnO-SiO2 as critical sites for crack initiation during cyclic loading in both steels. The HIT results after fatigue indicated significant cyclic softening for Steel A, with HIT values decreasing from 7.7 ± 0.36 to 5.66 ± 0.26 GPa. In contrast, Steel B exhibited slight cyclic hardening, with HIT values increasing from 5.24 ± 0.23 to 5.41 ± 0.31 GPa. Furthermore, the martensitic steel demonstrated superior yield and tensile strengths of 1145 and 1870 MPa, respectively. Analysis of the fatigue behaviour revealed the superior fatigue resistance of martensitic steel. The complex morphology and shape of the NMIs, examined using the 3D microstructure characterisation technique, demonstrated their role as stress concentrators, leading to localised plastic deformation and crack initiation.

Experimental Study on Enhancement in the Tribological Behaviour of Military Grade Lubricant Using Titanium Dioxide Nanoadditives for Aerospace Applications

ABSTRACTThe coefficient of friction of low carbon chromium alloy steel with military grade lubricant was high, resulting in increased heat generation and temperature rise of the lubricant in the aircraft power transmission units such as engine gearbox, accessory gearbox and so on. To address this, the current research proposes the addition of TiO2 nanoparticles to MIL grade lubricant as an additive to enhance the tribological performance. In this experimental study, TiO2 nanolubricant was prepared using various surfactants for better suspension of TiO2 nanoparticles, and properties were evaluated for both base lubricant and nanolubricant. The tribological experiments were conducted using a four ball tester, a shear stability tester and a reichert tester. In a four ball test, TiO2 nanolubricant resulted in a 27.3% reduction in wear scar diameter by the addition of TiO2 nanoparticles to the base lubricant. In a shear stability test, TiO2 nanolubricant showed 80% better shear stability than the base lubricant. In the reichert test, the coefficient of friction was reduced by 13% with the TiO2 nanolubricant. The experimental findings demonstrated that the TiO2 nanoparticles, as an additive to a military grade lubricant, have superior tribological properties for aerospace applications.

Experimental and Numerical Characterization of Local Properties in Laser-Welded Joints in Thin Plates of High-Strength–Low-Alloy Steel and Their Dependence on the Welding Parameters

Laser welding on thin plates of high-strength steel is increasing in various industrial applications. The mechanical behavior of welded joints depends on their local properties, which in turn depend on the welding parameters applied to join the base material. This work characterizes the local properties of butt-welded joints of thin plates of high-strength–low-alloy (HSLA) steel. This study focuses on the effect of welding parameters on the microstructure, tensile response, microhardness, and weld bead profile. For this purpose, a factorial experimental design was formed, covering a heat input range from 53 to 75 J/mm. This study identified the main effects and interactions of welding speed and laser power on the weld bead profile and on its width. The microstructure, weld bead width, hardness, and tensile mechanical properties were significantly influenced by heat input. Furthermore, numerical simulations on real weld bead profiles revealed high values of the stress concentration factor and suggested a correlation with heat input.

Evaluation of fatigue damage of structural steel based on attenuation of laser-induced surface acoustic wave

ABSTRACT In this paper, the fatigue damage degree of low-alloy structural steel is evaluated by using the attenuation characteristics of laser-induced surface acoustic wave (SAW) during propagation. Taking the typical structural steel material Q345 as an example, a cracks model of fatigue damage is established, and the finite element method is used to solve the model. The results showed that the attenuation coefficient of SAW can reflect the depth and density of fatigue cracks. The surface measurement experiments of specimens with stress cycles of 0, 50000, 100000, 150000, and 200,000 showed that with the increase of stress cycles, the attenuation coefficient of SAW increases as a whole, indicating that it is feasible to evaluate the fatigue damage degree based on the attenuation of SAW. A method of applying tensile stress to the material to improve the sensitivity of fatigue damage evaluation is proposed. The tensile stress is used to offset the horizontal amplitude of the SAW, keeping the fatigue cracks in an open state and increasing the attenuation coefficient of SAW. The attenuation coefficient measurement experiment shows that this method is feasible.

Experimental studies and calculation of crack propagation at the nil ductility temperature of shipbuilding steel

Resistance to crack propagation in low-alloyed steels is verified by the experimental evaluation of ductile-to-brittle transition temperatures. Though, correlations of test results obtained according to used methods with the minimum design temperature of marine structures should be substantiated. The paper suggests a fracture mechanics based formula for the required nil ductility temperature (NDT). An original FEM simulation method with uniform mesh size is applied.