Cementite Precipitation Research Articles

A dilatometric study on the influence of compressive stresses on the tempering of martensitic AISI 4140 steel - Evidence of transformation induced plasticity during cementite precipitation

Modern surface hardening processes intend among other to induce compressive residual stresses in the near-surface layers of the part. During subsequent tempering, these stresses can affect the phase transformations. Dilatometric tempering experiments starting from martensitic AISI 4140 were performed with a uniaxial compressive stress that simulates the compressive residual stresses mentioned above. An unexpected strain drop, increasing with the applied stress, was measured. It is argued that this effect is due to transformation induced plasticity caused by the Greenwood-Johnson effect. For an applied compressive stress of 358MPa, a strain decrease of 0.6% occurs which means that this has imperatively to be taken into account when tempering a hardened surface with compressive residual stresses.

Microstructural evolution and mechanical characterization for the A508–3 steel before and after phase transition

Nuclear power, as a reliable clean and economical energy source, has gained great attention from all over the world. The A508–3 steel will be introduced as the structural materials for Chinese nuclear reactor pressure vessels (RPVs). This work investigated the temperature–dependence microstructural evolution during high–temperature heat treatments, and built the relationship between the microstructure and mechanical properties for the steel before and after phase transition. The results show that the original steel consists of the bainite, allotriomorphic ferrite, retained austenite and few Mo–rich M2C carbides. The phase–transition temperature of the steel is determined to be 750 °C. The tensile tests performed at 20–1000 °C indicate that both of the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength decrease monotonously with increasing the temperature. Before phase transition, precipitation of cementite from the retained austenite and coarsening of cementite at the austenite–ferrite interphases should be responsible for their sharp decrease. After phase transition, the growth of austenite grain reduces the strength moderately. As for the elongation, however, it increases dramatically when the testing temperature is over 750 °C, due to the dissolution of cementite and formation of austenite. The obtained results will provide some fundamental data to understand and implement the In–Vessel Retention strategy.

Quantitative assessment of carbon allocation anomalies in low temperature bainite

Low temperature bainite is a mixture of ferrite and austenite with a high dislocation density and nanoscale precipitates produced by isothermal transformation of the austenite in high-carbon high-silicon steels. The mass balance for carbon is systematically unsuitable when considering only ferrite and austenite forming the structure, but no attempt has been made to evaluate the amount of carbon located at linear defects and precipitates. Additionally, bainitic ferrite has been recently shown to have a tetragonal crystal structure, allowing greater amounts of carbon in solid solution than those expected by the paraequilibrium phase boundaries. In order to quantify the contribution of all the carbon sinks, we have followed the evolution of carbon in ferrite and austenite, along with the precipitation of cementite and η–carbide, during the isothermal bainitic transformation at 220 and 250 °C by means of in-situ synchrotron high energy X-ray diffraction and complementary transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atom probe tomography (APT) analyses. This is the first time that the mass balance for carbon is successfully achieved by considering all the transformation products together with an estimation of the carbon segregated to linear defects.

Incomplete bainite transformation in Fe-Si-C alloys

Bainite isothermal transformation kinetics for Fe-(1.5% and 3%)Si-0.4%C alloys (mass%) was investigated at 400–500 °C and incomplete transformation phenomenon (ICT) of bainite transformation was observed at 450 °C for the 3Si alloy and at 400 °C for the two alloys. Unlike to the ordinary ICT reported in other alloy systems, cementite precipitation with Si partitioning took place from the beginning of ICT. Carbon enrichment in austenite during ICT was measured by three-dimensional atom probe and was found to be higher than T0 or T0′ prediction while significantly deviates from NPLE limits and PE predictions to lower carbon content. Theories for bainite transformation, such as T0 limit, solute drag and WBs limit, were examined based on the experimentally measured carbon content in austenite during ICT. T0′ limit theory is difficult to rationalize the much larger measured carbon content than T0′ prediction. In addition to solute drag effect and spike development in the NPLE mode, solute drag theory should incorporate dissipations caused by other sources in order to account for the estimated 1250–1700 J/mol deviation from PE predictions. In addition, WBs limit theory gives good descriptions on the carbon enrichment in austenite during ICT stage.

Shaping optimal zinc coating on the surface of high-quality ductile iron casting. Part I – Moulding technologies vs. zinc coating

Abstract Studies have demonstrated that in the process of hot dip galvanizing the decisive influence on the mechanism of zinc coating formation and properties has the quality of the mechanically untreated (raw) surface layer of the galvanized product. The terms “casting surface layer” denote various parameters of the microstructure, including the type of metal matrix, the number of grains and the size of graphite nodules, possible presence of hard spots (the precipitates of eutectic cementite) and parameters of the surface condition. The completed research has allowed linking the manufacturing technology of ductile iron castings with the process of hot dip galvanizing.

Effect of Post-Weld Heat Treatment on the Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of P-No. 1 Carbon Steels

This study aims to investigate the suitability of requirement for post-weld heat treatment(PWHT) temperature when different P-No. materials are welded, which is defined by ASME Sec. III Code. For SA-516 Gr. 60 and SA-106 Gr. B carbon steels that are typical P-No. 1 material, simulated heat treatment were conducted for 8 h at 610°C, 650°C, 690°C, and 730°C, last two temperature falls in the temperature of PWHT for P-No. 5A low-alloy steels. Tensile and Charpy impact tests were performed for the heat-treated specimens, and then microstructure was analyzed by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectrometry. The Charpy impact properties deteriorated significantly mainly due to a large amount of cementite precipitation when the temperature of simulated heat treatment was 730°C. Therefore, when dissimilar metal welding is carried out for P-No. 1 carbon steel and different P-No. low alloy steel, the PWHT temperature should be carefully selected to avoid significant deterioration of impact properties for P-No. 1 carbon steel. Key words: P-No. 1 carbon steel, Post-weld heat treatment, Impact toughness

Effect of silicon content on microstructure of low-alloy Q&P-Processed steels

Today’s requirements for the design of functional parts and components demand low weight and, at the same time, high strength. There are several heat treatment methods which can satisfy such requirements. These include TRIP heat treatment, long-time low-temperature austempering, and Q&P processing. It is the Q&P processing which delivers excellent results in terms of mechanical properties and light weight. It relies on stabilising retained austenite through partitioning of carbon between martensite and austenite. The carbon-enriched austenite then becomes a ductile constituent in the otherwise brittle martensitic matrix. A precondition for successful Q&P processing consists in sufficient silicon content in the steel, which precludes precipitation of undesirable cementite. Cementite would otherwise form as a result of enrichment of retained austenite with carbon. To ascertain the usefulness of higher silicon level in steel for Q&P processing, one can compare Q&P processes in steels with various levels of this element

High ductility of bainite-based microstructure of middle carbon steel 42SiMn

Heat and thermo-mechanical treatments with various processing parameters were applied to middle carbon low alloyed 42SiMn steel. The aim of the treatment was to obtain multiphase microstructure typical for TRIP (Transformation induced plasticity) steel and to achieve the best combination of ultimate tensile strength and ductility. TRIP steels typically possess about 5-15% of metastable retained austenite, which can transform to martensite during plastic deformation. The gradual phase transformation during loading postpones the onset of necking, thus increasing ultimate tensile strength and ductility at the same time. Manganese and silicon, used as the main alloying elements of the experimental steel, are employed to increase austenite stability and to hinder cementite precipitation during the treatment. All proposed methods of heat and thermo-mechanical treatment contain bainitic hold at 400 °C or 425 °C. The final microstructures were very complex, consisting of bainite, ferrite, very small areas of extremely fine perlite lamellas, about 10% of retained austenite and M-A constituent (austenitic islands partially transformed to martensite). Even though pearlite and martensite are undesirable microstructure in TRIP steel, the tensile strength ranged from 850 to 1065 MPa and ductility A5mm from 26 to 47 %.

Recovery of Ductility in Ultrafine-Grained Low-Carbon Steel Processed Through Equal-Channel Angular Pressing Followed by Cold Rolling and Flash Annealing

The low-carbon steel workpieces are deformed by equal-channel angular pressing at 293 K (20 °C) up to an equivalent strain of ~12 using route Bc, which results in the bulk ultrafine-grained (UFG) structure with high dislocation density and partial dissolution of cementite. The yield strength (YS) is enhanced from 208 (as-received) to 872 MPa and the tensile strength is increased from 362 to 996 MPa, but the material loses total elongation (TE) from 36.2 to 2.9 pct. Cold rolling of equal-channel angular pressed steel produces the refined structure of grain size 0.11 μm. The YS increases further to 924 MPa with a marginal gain in ductility due to the reappearance of the γ fiber component. Flash annealing the samples, which were equal-channel angular pressed followed by cold rolling, at 873 K (600 °C) results in 27 pct of micron-sized (9 µm) ferrite grains in submicron-sized (<1 µm) matrix with a reduced defect density and small amount of precipitation of cementite. TE increases from 2.9 to 23.3 pct. The material retains a YS of 484 MPa and tensile strength of 517 MPa, which are higher than those of the as-received material. The UFG grains are failed by cleavage, but the micron-sized grains display ductile fracture. The ductility of the flash-annealed material is recovered significantly due to bimodal grain size distribution in ferrite and the development of a good amount of γ fiber texture components. The major contribution toward recovery of ductility comes from the bimodal grain size distribution in ferrite rather the precipitation of cementite.

Effect of Microstructure before Intercritical Annealing on Mechanical Properties of 5% Mn Steel

Recently, 5% Mn steel has been focused on as one of the promising candidates for third generation AHSS by showing an excellent TS (Tensile Strength)-El (Elongation) relationship. The excellent TS-El relationship is brought about by a large volume fraction of retained austenite through the enrichment of austenite stabilizing elements such as C and Mn in retained austenite. The effect of the microstructure of mother hot band on the changes in microstructure and mechanical properties was compared with the intercritical annealing time in this study. The steel containing about 10% of retained austenite in a mother hot band exhibited a higher volume fraction of retained austenite and higher strength after intercritical annealing. On the other hand, the steel which did not contain retained austenite in a mother hot band exhibited excellent TS-El combination. The difference of work hardening behavior in these steels was analyzed and thought to be brought about by the difference of transformation behavior during deformation determined by the stability of retained austenite affected by Mn concentration. Although the precipitation of cementite was intended to effectively act as a nucleus of reverted austenite formation and to accelerate its formation, this affirmative result was not obtained. Since the volume fraction of cementite in a short annealing time is nearly the same in all hot rolling conditions, the higher volume fraction in hot band did not act to increase retained austenite during intercritical annealing.

Predicting the Transition between Upper and Lower Bainite via a Gibbs Energy Balance Approach

The transition temperature between upper bainite and lower bainite is calculated with an extended Gibbs energy balance model, which is able to quantitatively describe the evolution of carbon supersaturation within bainitic ferrite sheaves during the entire thickening process. The nucleation rate of intra-lath cementite precipitation on a dislocation is calculated based on of the degree of carbon supersaturation. Upper bainite and lower bainite are thus distinguished by the effective nucleation density and therefore a numerical criterion can be set to define the transition. The model is applied to Fe-xC-1Mn/2Mn/1Mo ternary alloys. Results show that the transition temperature increases with bulk carbon content at lower carbon concentration but decreases in the higher carbon region. This prediction agrees very well with the experimental observations in Mn and Mo alloyed systems. Moreover, the highest transition temperature and the carbon content at which it occurs in the Fe-xC-2Mn system are in good agreement with reported experimental data. The inverse “V” shaped character of the carbon concentration–transition temperature curve indicates two opposite physical mechanisms operating at the same time. An analysis is carried out to provide an explanation.

Modeling and Simulation of Q&amp;amp;P Steels

Two important objectives of the automotive industry are the decrease of the body-in-white weight and the improvement of the passenger safety. High strength steels (HSS) are widely used to achieve these objectives. Quenching and partitioning (Q&amp;P) has recently been proposed to achieve high strength steel grades for the third generation of advanced high strength steels (AHSS), which contain a considerable amount of retained austenite. Due to their microstructure these new steel grades combine a high tensile strength with good elongation values, as long as cementite precipitation is avoided. A model describing the involved phase transformations is presented. Special focus is put on the cementite precipitation and how it is influenced by silicon and aluminum additions.

Diffusion processes during cementite precipitation and their impact on electrical and thermal conductivity of a heat-treatable steel

The thermal conductivity of heat-treatable steels is highly dependent on their thermo-mechanical history and the alloying degree. Besides phase transformations like the martensitic upgamma rightarrow upalpha ^{prime } or the degree of deformation, the precipitation of carbides exerts a strong influence on the thermal conductivity of these steels. In the current work, thermal and electrical conductivity of a 0.45 mass% C steel is investigated during an isothermal heat treatment at 700 ^{circ }C and correlated with the precipitation kinetics of cementite. To include processes in the short-term as well as in the long-term range, annealing times from 1 s to 200 h are applied. This investigation includes microstructural characterization, diffusion simulations, and electrical and thermal conductivity measurements. The precipitation of carbides is connected with various microstructural processes which separately influence the thermophysical properties of the steel from the solution state to the short-term and long-term annealing states. In the early stages of cementite growth, an interstitial-dominated diffusion reaction takes place (carbon diffusion in the metastable condition of local equilibrium non-partitioning). Afterwards, substitutional-dominated diffusion controls the kinetics of the reaction. The electrical and thermal conductivity increase differently during the two stages of the carbide precipitation. The increment is associated to the binding of alloying elements into the carbides and to the reduction of the distortion of the martensitic matrix. Both factors increase the electron density and reduce the electron and phonon scattering. The correlation of the precipitation kinetics and the thermophysical properties are of general interest for the design of heat-treatable steels.

Modelling of transition from upper to lower bainite in multi-component system

A model for estimating the upper to lower bainite transition has been developed for the iron–carbon–manganese–chromium–silicon alloy system by comparing the time required to decarburise a supersaturated bainitic ferrite platelet and that needed for the start of cementite precipitation in the ferrite. The problem is treated as a competition between the decarburisation time and the kinetics of cementite precipitation. Lower bainite is induced when the latter process is faster. The time for forming a volume fraction of 0.01 of the equilibrium amount of cementite is taken as the precipitation start time. The model was calibrated using experimental data from the iron–carbon system, and verified with the iron–carbon–manganese–molybdenum system and an experimental steel currently being developed for high-strength applications.

Elucidation of the effects of cementite morphology on damage formation during monotonic and cyclic tension in binary low carbon steels using in situ characterization

The effects of the morphology and distribution of cementite on damage formation were studied using in situ scanning electron microscopy under monotonic and cyclic tension. To investigate the effects of the morphology/distribution of cementite, intergranular cementite precipitation (ICP) and transgranular cementite precipitation (TCP) steels were prepared from an ingot of Fe-0.017wt% C binary alloy using different heat treatments. In all cases, the damage incidents were observed primarily at the grain boundaries. The damage morphology was dependent on the cementite morphology and loading condition. Monotonic tension in the ICP steel caused cracks across the cementite plates, located at the grain boundaries. In contrast, fatigue loading in the ICP steel induced cracking at the ferrite/cementite interface. Moreover, in the TCP steel, monotonic tension- and cyclic tension-induced intergranular cracking was distinctly observed, due to the slip localization associated with a limited availability of free slip paths. When a notch is introduced to the ICP steel specimen, the morphology of the cyclic tension-induced damage at the notch tip changed to resemble that across the intergranular cementite, and was rather similar to the monotonic tension-induced damage. The damage at the notch tip coalesced with the main crack, accelerating the growth of the fatigue crack.

Induction Tempering vs Conventional Tempering of a Heat-Treatable Steel

An induction heat treatment is favorable compared to a conventional one mainly due to significant time and cost savings. Therefore, in this study, the microstructure property relationships during induction and conventional heat treatment of a heat treatable steel 42CrMo4 is investigated. The yield strength and hardness is slightly higher for the conventionally heat-treated steel, whereas the induction heat-treated condition exhibits a roughly 30 J/cm2 higher impact energy. In a previous investigation of the authors, it has been proved that the difference in yield strength originates from the smaller block size of the conventionally heat-treated steel, which was already present after hardening. In the present work, it can be shown that during tempering the martensitic blocks become equi-axed ferrite grains due to recrystallization as revealed by electron back scatter diffraction. Nevertheless, a larger grain size usually is less favorable for the impact toughness of steels. Therefore, another mechanism is responsible for the higher impact energy of the induction hardened and tempered steel. With the aid of transmission electron microscopy a finer distribution of cementite was observed in the induction heat-treated samples. The delay of recovery is the reason for the presence of finer cementite in case of the induction heat-treated steel. Here, the higher heating rates and shorter process times reduce the annihilation of dislocation and as a consequence provide more nucleation sites for precipitation of cementite during tempering. From the obtained experimental results, it is believed that the finer distribution of carbides causes the observed higher impact toughness.

Evolution of carbon distribution and mechanical properties during the static strain ageing of heavily drawn pearlitic steel wires

The static strain ageing of heavily cold-drawn pearlitic steel wires was investigated using both global techniques and local techniques (Atom Probe Tomography (APT)), in order to highlight how the cold-drawn destabilized microstructure returns to a more stable state during post-drawing treatments between 20°C and 150°C. The global techniques (thermoelectric power, differential scanning calorimetry) clearly showed that ageing occurs in three successive ageing stages and is due to a redistribution of the carbon atoms coming from the strain-induced cementite dissolution. The first ageing stage was unambiguously attributed to the carbon segregation to the defects, while the second and third stages were interpreted as being due to the precipitation of intermediate carbides (2nd stage) and cementite (3rd stage). The true strain was not found to significantly affect the ageing kinetics and mechanisms but appeared to play a role in the amount of carbon atoms involved in the different ageing stages. APT analyses confirmed that ageing is governed by the carbon depletion of strain-induced supersaturated ferrite. The strengthening mechanisms associated with the different ageing stages were also discussed.

Microstructure of Hot Rolled 1.0C-1.5Cr Bearing Steel and Subsequent Spheroidization Annealing

The effect of final rolling temperature and cooling process on the microstructure of 1.0C-1.5Cr bearing steel was studied, and the relationship between the microstructure parameters and subsequent spheroidization annealing was analyzed. The results indicate that the increase of water-cooling rate after hot rolling and the decrease of final cooling temperature are beneficial to reducing both the pearlite interlamellar spacing and pearlite colony size. Prior austenite grain size can be reduced by decreasing the final rolling temperature and increasing the water-cooling rate. When the final rolling temperature was controlled around 1103 K (830 °C), the subsequent cooling rate was set to 10 K/s and final cooling temperature was 953 K (680 °C), the precipitation of grain boundary cementite was suppressed effectively and lots of rod-like cementite particles were observed in the microstructure. Interrupted quenching was employed to study the dissolution behavior of cementite during the austenitizing at 1073 K (800 °C). The decrease of both pearlite interlamellar spacing and pearlite colony size could facilitate the initial dissolution and fragmentation of cementite lamellae, which could shorten the spheroidization time. The fragmentation of grain boundary cementite tends to form large-size undissolved cementite particles. With the increase of austenitizing time from 20 to 300 minutes, mean diameter of undissolved cementite particles increases, indicating the cementite particle coarsening and cementite dissolution occuring simultaneously. Mean diameter of cementite particles in the final spheroidized microstructure is proportional to the mean diameter of undissolved cementite particles formed during partial austenitizing.

Influence of Carbide Precipitation and Dissolution on the Microstructure of Ultra-Fine-Grained Intercritically Annealed Medium Manganese Steel

The influence of cementite precipitation and dissolution on the formation of the carbide-free, ultra-fine-grained, ferrite + austenite microstructure of medium manganese steel was analyzed. During heating to the intercritical temperature, cementite nucleates at low-angle lath martensite boundaries, austenite subsequently nucleates at ferrite/cementite boundaries, and the cementite is gradually replaced by the growing austenite grains. The intercritical austenite carbon is therefore due to cementite dissolution, rather than carbon partitioning between ferrite and austenite.

A Novel Observation on Cementite Formed During Intercritical Annealing of Medium Mn Steel

A medium Mn steel with the martensitic microstructure was rapidly heated at a high rate of 300 K/s to the intercritical temperature of 923 K (650 °C) and then isothermally hold for 5 minutes. Although cementite should dissolve above the Ae1 temperature due to the constraint of thermodynamics, it is surprising to find cementite particles after such intercritical annealing (IA), whose Mn contents and sizes are even up to 30 wt pct and 60 nm, respectively. Numerical simulations have been performed to reveal the mechanism responsible for this new observation. They indicate that a small nucleus of cementite in martensite could rapidly grow to the observed size before austenitization takes place during IA. Such a rapid growth is driven by the rapid partition of C from martensite into cementite. It is then concluded that the precipitation of cementite during the IA of martensitic Mn-alloyed steel appears inevitable no matter how high the heating rate is. Moreover, the growth kinetics of cementite depend on the composition and size of its neighboring martensitic phase, rather than those of cementite nucleus.