Precipitation Of NbC Research Articles

Revealing grain refinement and hydrogen trapping mechanism for anti-hydrogen susceptibility of Nb-alloyed 34MnB5 press hardened steel

Hydrogen embrittlement (HE) extant a substantial concern to press-hardened steel (PHS) owing to superior strength. The high strength to light-weight automobile structures necessitates the advancement of superior HE resistance PHS. This study investigated the HE susceptibility of Nb-microalloyed PHS by slow strain rate tensile testing, u-shaped constant bending load test, and thermal desorption spectroscopy. Nb enhances microstructure and HE resistance by introducing retained austenite, refining prior austenite grains (21.14–13.73 μm), forming low-angle grain boundaries, and nano-scale precipitates. Nb-alloyed steel exhibits no-cracking over 300 h under high pre-bending stress and decreases elongation loss up to 48% in hydrogen environment as compared to Nb-free steel. Diffusible H-content in 0.12 wt% Nb-steel reduces to 14.9% of that in Nb-free steel owing to enhanced hydrogen traps, the Fcc/Bcc matrix, and carbide precipitation. The multi-phase microstructure with nano-scale NbC precipitation impeded the localized H-dispersion, enhancing the HE resistance in PHS despite its high strength.

Effects of Nb on Creep Properties and Hot Corrosion Resistance of New Alumina-Forming Austenitic Steels at 700 °C

Effects of Nb on the creep resistance and hot corrosion behavior of the Fe-25Cr-35Ni-2.5Al-xNb (x = 0, 0.6, 1.2) Alumina-Forming Austenitic stainless steels (AFA steels) at 700 °C were investigated. The addition of Nb promoted the precipitation of both nanoscale NbC and γ′-Ni3(Al, Nb) phases, which exhibited very low coarsening rate constants. The nanoscale NbC and γ′-Ni3(Al, Nb) phases effectively impeded the migration of dislocations and led to an improvement in creep performance of the Nb-addition AFA steel. The corrosion of AFA steels in Na2SO4-25%K2SO4 at 700 °C was primarily driven by an “oxidation-sulfidation” mechanism. The addition of Nb, serving as a third element, facilitated the formation of protective Cr2O3 and Al2O3 films, which improved the hot corrosion resistance performance. However, the formation Nb2O5 was found to compromise the compactness of the oxide film, which adversely affected the corrosion resistance.

Precipitation Behavior and Strengthening–Toughening Mechanism of Nb Micro-Alloyed Direct-Quenched and Tempered 1000 MPa Grade High-Strength Hydropower Steel

Faced with the rapid development of large-scale pumped-storage power stations, the trade-off between the strength and toughness of hydropower steels in extreme environments has been limiting their application. The effects of Nb micro-alloying and direct quenching and tempering processes on the strengthening–toughening mechanism of 1000 MPa grade high-strength hydropower steel are studied in this paper, and the precipitation behavior of Nb is discussed. The results showed that only the 0.025Nb steel using the DQT process achieved a cryogenic impact energy of more than 100 J at −60 °C. Under the DQT process, a large number of deformation bands and dislocations were retained, refining the prior austenite grains and providing more nucleation sites for the precipitation of NbC during the cooling process. The DQT process has a more obvious local strain concentration, mainly focusing on the refined lath boundary, which indicates that the refinement of the microstructure also promotes the stacking of dislocations. The improvement in fine grain strengthening and dislocation strengthening by the DQT process jointly led to an increase in strength, resulting in a better combination of strength and toughness.

Effect of metastable precipitate phase transformation on reheat cracking in SS347H welding

Reheat cracking occurred in the welded heat affected zone (HAZ) of the SS347H tube during high temperature applications of approximately 600 °C. The reheat cracks occur when the inside of the grain is strengthened, causing grain boundary embrittlement. In this study, the intra-granular strengthening phase transformation of the HAZ causing the reheat crack was analyzed using TEM.The hardness of SS 347H HAZ with cracks is measured to be 221HV on average, which is about 25HV higher than 196HV of HAZ without cracks. This intra-granular strengthening is due to the formation of intra-granular precipitate phases. The precipitated phase is ultimately NbC, but undergoes an intermediate phase transformation due to diffusion of Nb and C components. The phase transformation consists of the following steps: “(i) SA (solution annealing), (ii) Zone A, (iii) Zone B, and (iv) NbC precipitation.”This is a process in which Nb/C components diffuse and segregate at the reheating temperature from a solid solution state of Nb/C components, and NbC with a size of several tens of nanometers is precipitated. As metastable phases, Zones A and B exist in the intermediate process of precipitation, which is the strengthening stage where intra-granular hardness is maximized. Zone A and B in the pre-precipitation stage means that a new lattice plane is formed as the segregation of component elements forms coherency with the matrix. The relationship between the base and new lattice planes is confirmed by Double Diffraction in the TEM diffraction diagram.The root cause of reheat cracking in SS 347H HAZ is believed to be the intra-granular strengthening phase caused by zone A and zone B as a metastable phase transformation in an intermediate stage before NbC precipitation. In order to suppress reheat cracking, it is desirable to precipitate stable NbC from the metastable phases of Zones A and Zone B through stabilization heat treatment.

Influence of Nb on the hydrogen-assisted cracking behaviour in multiphase stainless steel: Phase fractions, stacking fault energies, and nanosized NbC precipitation

Nb alloying has been reported to deteriorate the hydrogen embrittlement resistance of multiphase steels, which contrasts to the case of single-phase metallic materials. This study clarifies the impact of Nb alloying on the hydrogen embrittlement behaviour of a novel multiphase stainless steel. The findings revealed a 17 % reduction in the hydrogen embrittlement sensitivity upon Nb incorporation. It was found that higher austenite fractions in the Nb-bearing steels impeded hydrogen ingress. The austenite phase in such Nb-bearing steels possesses a higher stacking fault energy, thereby delaying martensitic transformation and crack initiation. The precipitation of nanometre-sized NbC in the matrix obstructed hydrogen diffusion, which indirectly inhibited crack initiation and propagation.

Influence of Solute Drag Effect and Interphase Precipitation of Nb on Ferrite Transformation.

The significant impact of Nb on ferrite transformation, both in terms of solute drag effect (SDE) and interphase precipitation, was investigated quantitatively. Ferrite transformation kinetics were characterized using thermal expansion experiments and theoretical calculations. The microstructures were characterized using high-temperature confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), a field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), and a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Under a higher driving force, interphase precipitations were observed in the sample with a higher Nb content. A three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction method was used to convert the two-dimensional (2D) image of interphase precipitation into a three-dimensional model for a more typical view. The SDE and interphase precipitation had opposite effects on the kinetics of ferrite transformation. A lower Nb content showed a strong contribution to the SDE, which delayed ferrite transformation. A higher concentration of Nb was expected to enhance the SDE, but the inhibition effect was eliminated by the interphase precipitation of NbC during interfacial migration. Both the experimental results and theoretical calculations confirmed this phenomenon.

Effects of heat treatment on the nano-indentation, corrosion and cavitation erosion behavior of 17-4PH stainless steel by laser surface melting

The effects of heat treatment on the microstructure, residual stresses, nano-indentation behavior, the resistance to the corrosion and cavitation erosion (CE) of 17-4PH stainless steel (17-4PH SS) by laser surface melting (LSM) were thoroughly investigated. Experimental results showed that the samples were mainly composed of martensite phase, and the NbC precipitations formed after heat treatment. The distribution of NbC precipitations was more uniform in the sample (S3) after solution treatment 3 h at 1040 °C + aging treatment 3 h at 480 °C. The grain size was increased for the samples after heat treatment. This heat treatment processing significantly reduced the residual stresses generated from the LSM process, and the nano-indentation behavior of the LSM samples after heat treatment was improved compared to that of the LSM sample without heat treatment. The S3 sample displayed the highest corrosion resistance as indicated by the low corrosion current density (icorr), high pitting potential (Epit) and high polarization resistance (Rp). The CE resistance of samples after heat treatment in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution was higher than that of the sample without heat treatment. Among them, the S3 sample exhibited the highest CE resistance, and its CE mass loss was only 59.5 % of the sample without heat treatment. The excellent CE resistance resulted from the appropriate combination of mechanical properties, corrosion resistance and self-recovery ability of the passivation film.

Implementation of different scanning strategy to improve the mechanical and wear properties of 15-5 PH stainless steel fabricated by laser-directed energy deposition

In this work, the effect of three different scan patterns (island scan pattern, island alternative scan pattern and cross-hatch pattern) on mechanical and wear properties is investigated for 15–5 Precipitation-hardened (PH) stainless steel by using laser-directed energy deposition (L-DED). Six rectangular blocks are deposited with constant laser power and scanning speed. Currently, studies on the control of anisotropic behavior to improve the mechanical and wear properties by using different scan strategy, especially in the case of 15–5 PH grade stainless steel is relatively sparse. Therefore, it is necessary to learn how mechanical and wear properties are improving in these three different scan pattern samples. At first, the temperature data at a specific point is captured by using a non-contact type pyrometer during printing and the detailed microstructural characterization of that particular region is analyzed. All three different scan pattern samples mostly show δ-ferrite and lath martensite (α') structure. The X-ray diffraction shows, there is formation of secondary precipitation phases like NbCr2, NbC, and Cu rich precipitation in all three different scan pattern samples. The electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD) result exhibits the island alternative scan pattern samples have mostly mixed orientation direction, a high fraction of retained austenite (͠ 0.004) and high angle grain boundaries (HAGBs) compared to the island scan pattern and cross hatch pattern samples. The island alternative scan pattern samples show maximum improved mechanical properties i.e. average ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 1316 MPa and up to 20% of elongation amongst all deposited samples. Similarly, the alternative island scan pattern samples exhibit a high coefficient of friction (COF) irrespective of the applied load. The SEM image of the worn surfaces clearly demonstrates abrasion and adhesion type wear in all the three different scan pattern samples.

Break the strength and ductility trade-off in novel NbC reinforced Fe40.5(CoCr)25Mn17.5Ni10Si5 high entropy alloy

In this study, a novel NbC reinforced Fe40.5(CoCr)25Mn17.5Ni10Si5 high entropy alloy (HEA) was designed, which exhibits high strength and ductility at room temperature. This alloy was prepared through hot forging and annealing treatments, which exhibited the FCC microstructure with NbC and discrete nano-sized M23C6 carbides precipitation. The studied HEA retained a tensile strength of 863 MPa, and an outstanding ductility of 58 %. The microstructure evolution and deformation mechanisms were further investigated. The deformation mechanism was mainly governed by nano-scale defect heterogeneity of stacking faults (SFs), deformation twins and dislocations. The improved strength-ductility synergy is attributed to the formation of multiple SFs, deformation twining, dislocation cells, and nano-sized NbC precipitation. Moreover, the TEM observation elucidates the presence of chemical short-range order (SRO) domain in the studied HEA, which also has a major contribution in strength and ductility increment. The present findings shed light on developing the HEAs through proper compositional design and heat treatments, resulting in the combine effect of precipitation strengthening, SFs mediated plasticity, twinning induced plasticity (TWIP), and SRO effect.

Evolution from clusters to precipitates in niobium-micro-alloyed ferritic steel: A combined in situ scanning transmission electron microscopy and atomistic study

Nano-sized carbides are essential for strengthening steel. In this study, we examined the evolution of metal carbide (M-C) clusters (M = Ti and Nb) into MC precipitates within a ferrite matrix through a reverse Bain transformation at the atomic level using the first-principles method. Through in situ transmission electron microscopy, the evolution of the Nb-C cluster into an NbC precipitate was observed for the first time. The Nb-C cluster was confirmed to maintain coherence with a limited carbon content, assuming a disc-shaped form that grew in a specific direction owing to misfit strain upon reaching a critical size. Interface dislocations were also formed. The NbC precipitate formation was subsequently completed through additional carbon diffusion. The findings of this study indicate that MC precipitation in a ferrite matrix can be attained through coherent cluster evolution with a specific carbon content.

Effect of Mo microalloying on impact toughness of X80 pipeline steel in SCGHAZ

The microstructure and impact toughness of subcritically reheated coarse-grained heat-affected zone (SCGHAZ) of X80 pipeline steels with different Mo content (0Mo and 0.11 wt%Mo) were investigated. Gleeble 3500 thermal simulation experiment was used to simulate the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of X80 pipeline circumferential weld, and the two samples were characterized by a series of material testing techniques such as SEM, TEM, EBSD and XRD. The research showed that: Appropriate addition of Mo element can improve the hardenability of the matrix, increase the content of bainitic ferrite (BF) in the microstructure, refine the BF lath, cause plastic deformation, and reduce local stress concentration. The increase of BF content greatly increases the proportion of high angle grain boundary (HAGB) in order to effectively inhibit crack propagation. On the other hand, Mo element influences precipitation with solid solution, reduces the early energy barrier for nucleation, delays the disappearance of dislocation lines at high temperature, forms high-density dislocation grid, so that it can increase the nucleation site for NbC precipitation, prevent the coarsing of NbC, increases the threshold of external stress required for the generation of micropores induced by precipitation, and hinder crack initiation. The impact toughness of SCGHAZ was significantly improved by adjusting the microstructure and second phase morphology of HAZ by using Mo element microalloying.

Effects of Nb addition on resistance to hydrogen embrittlement in SA 372 steels used for hydrogen-gas storage containers

The resistance to HE of Cr–Mo low-alloy SA 372 steels fabricated by adding different amounts of Nb was investigated by slow-strain-rate tensile and H-permeation tests. NbC carbides played an important role in hindering grain boundary migration, leading to a significant grain refinement from 28.3 to 13.1 μm. The Nb-free steel exhibited a significant loss of elongation (Elloss), and its fracture surface contained several secondary cracks and quasi-cleavage facets. In the 0.08 wt%-Nb-added steel, the Elloss decreased significantly due to the facilitated precipitation of additional NbC carbides, resulting in a ductile-dimpled fracture mode. The effective H-diffusivity of Nb-added steels was lower than that of the Nb-free steel, indicating that H-diffusion was considerably hindered in the Nb-added steels by the presence of NbC precipitation as well as grain refinement. This hindered H-diffusion contributed to an improvement of the resistance to HE in SA 372 steels.

Microstructure evolution and hot deformation characteristics of 15Cr-22Ni iron-base superalloy

The hot deformation behavior and microstructure evolution of a newly designed 15Cr-22Ni iron-based superalloy containing 0.6 wt %Nb was studied. The strain-compensated constitutive equations were established, which can accurately predict the high-temperature flow behavior of the superalloy. The dynamic recrystallization kinetic model was developed. The degree of dynamic recrystallization gradually increases with decreasing strain rate and increasing deformation temperature. The hot processing map of designed superalloy was developed and the optimum hot processing range has been determined to be 1050–1150 °C/0.01 s−1. Hot deformation induces the precipitation of nano-sized NbC at grain boundaries and dislocations in the designed superalloy. Nano-sized NbC particles act as nucleation sites for dynamic recrystallization. The dynamic recrystallization behavior is compared with that of 15Cr-22Ni-1 Nb alloy. The starting of dynamic recrystallization of designed superalloy is later than that of 15Cr-22Ni-1 Nb alloy, which is attributed to the lack of active sites in the early recrystallization nucleation. However, the recrystallization kinetics of designed superalloy is faster than that of 15Cr-22Ni-1 Nb alloy. Due to the weak pinning force of nano-sized NbC precipitates to the grain boundaries and dislocations, the movement of grain boundaries and dislocations is less hindered, which is beneficial to the growth of dynamic recrystallization grains.

Homogenization temperature dependent microstructural evolution and mechanical properties in a Nb-stabilized cast austenitic stainless steel

A Nb-stabilized cast austenitic stainless steel is processed by homogenization treatments at 1050 °C, 1150 °C, and 1250 °C respectively to investigate microstructure dependent deformation behaviors and mechanical properties. Homogenization treatment at 1050 °C could not change the size of primary NbC, while significant dissolution of primary NbC destroys the network connectivity after homogenization treatments at temperatures above 1150 °C. Meanwhile, dissolution of NbC will increase C and Nb content in austenite matrix, leading to an increase in SFE. Nucleation of microcracks within NbC at the initial stage of deformation is caused by plastic strain incompatibility at the NbC/γ interface. Fast crack propagation along the continuous network of primary NbC leads to premature fracture at a lower stress level, and resultant lower ultimate tensile strength and elongation in as-cast and 1050-H samples. A higher SFE reduces the susceptibility to localization of deformation and crack propagation along the discrete primary NbC is suppressed, resulting in an obvious improvement in the ultimate tensile strength and elongation in 1150-H and 1250-H samples. • The dissolution and precipitation of NbC during homogenization treatments by different temperatures were revealed. • A higher SFE is responsible for the lower rate of deformation-induced α'-martensitic transformation by suppressing the planar slip. • A higher SFE reduces the susceptibility to localization deformation and the crack propagation along the primary NbC is suppressed. • A noticeable improvement in the ultimate tensile strength and elongation after homogenization treatment at temperatures above 1150 °C.

Thermodynamic modeling and computational predictions of NbC precipitation in Fe–Mn–Si-based shape memory alloys by the classical nucleation and growth theories

NbC precipitation in Fe–Mn–Si-based alloys is an effective method to improve the shape memory effect. In this study, the precipitation behavior was investigated using a thermodynamical model to understand the mechanism and optimize the precipitates for a better performance of Fe–Mn–Si-based shape memory alloys. The influence of alloying elements can be considered in the model by introducing interaction parameters. The precipitate size distribution, mean size, precipitate volume faction, and number density of three typical Fe–Mn–Si-based alloys with different NbC addition amounts were calculated. The results indicated that the mean size could be decreased significantly as the NbC addition increased from 0.5% to 1.0%, while the precipitate volume fraction and number density showed obvious increments. The Fe–28Mn–6Si–5Cr alloys exhibited smaller mean sizes and higher number densities than the Fe–14Mn–6Si–9Cr–5Ni and Fe–21Mn–6Si–9Cr–5Ni alloys. It was also found that the precipitate size distribution showed no evident change as the aging time increased from 0.5 h to 2 h except for the Fe–28Mn–6Si–5Cr–0.5NbC alloy in which the precipitates began to coarsen after about 1.25 h.

Influence of reduced carbon content on microstructure and mechanical behavior of Inconel 718 prepared by laser powder bed fusion

• Successful production of a reduced carbon Inconel 718 alloy via SLM. • Significant changes in the precipitation behavior of NbC and γ’’ are achieved. • Reductions in NbC content and finer γ’’ precipitation verified By Thermocalc. • Reduced γ’’ size results in improved tensile strengths at both 25 °C and 650 °C. Inconel 718 powder with reduced carbon content was used to manufacture coupons via laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) to study the influence of carbon content on microstructures and mechanical properties of HIP'ed and heat-treated material. The carbon concentration in this material was kept deliberately low (0.01 wt%) relative to a typical commercial powder composition (0.04 wt%) of IN718 in order to minimize the precipitation of primary carbides during post-processing heat treatments, which have been observed to be deleterious to elevated temperature mechanical properties such as elongation, stress rupture ductility, and notch sensitivity. The final microstructure of the lean C alloy is shown to have a significantly reduced NbC population relative to the baseline material. Furthermore, other microstructural variations such as an increased δ phase population and decreased γ’’ particle size were observed. Empirical observations agreed with microstructural simulations calculated by the ThermoCalc/TC-PRISMA precipitation module. These changes to the microstructure resulted in a 10% increase in the yield strength at both 25 and 650 °C in the lean C alloy, bringing the strength of LPBF-printed material closer to that of wrought IN718. Overall, the reduction in carbon content in the raw material has significant effects beyond limiting the pre-solution treatment precipitation of NbC, primarily by freeing Nb for formation of δ and γ’’ phases.

Effects of Solidification Conditions on Microstructure and Properties of High-Entropy Alloys from the CoCrFeMnNi Family

Alloys from the CoCrFeMnNi family remain the most studied austenitic high-entropy alloys. In this study, four alloys, i.e., Cantor alloy, A3S (modified nonequiatomic Cantor composition), both “pure” or doped with carbon (200 wt. ppm) and niobium (1.3 wt.%), were investigated. Firstly, alloys were induction cast using a cold-crucible method. The obtained ingots were molten, and rapidly solidified by melt-spinning at two cooling rates to obtain “ribbons”, typical of such processing. The effects of the solidification rate and the presence of carbon and niobium on the microstructure and hardness were studied. All the studied alloys show an fcc structure. The lattice parameter of the fcc phase increases with the increasing cooling rate, and with the addition of niobium and carbon, which confirms at least a partial presence of these elements in solid solution. Yet, TEM observations revealed the formation of nanometric NbC precipitates. The microstructure of melt-spun ribbons consists of equiaxed grains of a few micrometers in size. The higher cooling rate led to a small decrease in the grain size and a slight increase in hardness. Moreover, the hardness of doped alloys can be further improved by annealing (500°C for 24 h) through NbC precipitation.

A nano-sized NbC precipitation strengthened FeCoCrNi high entropy alloy with superior hydrogen embrittlement resistance

An equiatomic FeCoCrNi high entropy alloy (HEA) with high strength and excellent hydrogen embrittlement (HE) resistance is manufactured by the precipitation of nano-sized NbC during thermo-mechanical processing. NbC precipitates make the HEA obtain extraordinary mechanical properties via pinning dislocations. With the precipitation strengthening also comes the grain refinement strengthening. Furthermore, the coherent/semi-coherent NbC interfaces are regarded as reversible hydrogen traps based on thermal desorption analysis, thereby increasing the tolerance of HEA to dissolved hydrogen. Despite owning higher strength than the unreinforced one, the precipitation strengthened HEA still manifests superior HE resistance due to NbC preventing hydrogen transport by dislocations.

Precipitation and growth of Laves phase and NbC during aging and its effect on tensile properties of a novel 15Cr–22Ni–1Nb austenitic heat-resistant steel

The microstructure evolution and the mechanical properties of 15Cr–22Ni–1Nb austenitic heat-resistant steel were investigated during the aging up to 24 h at 780 °C, 820 °C and 860 °C. A large amount of Laves phase and nano-sized NbC were precipitated during the aging. The NbC particles exhibit excellent coarsening resistance, and the coarsening rate constant of nano-sized NbC particles is four orders of magnitude smaller than that of Laves phase during the aging at different temperatures. The room temperature tensile strength of the heat-resistant steel after aging at 820 °C for 4 h is highest among different aging treatments. The volume fraction of Laves phase increase with the increase in aging temperature and holding time, resulting in a decrease in the ductility of the heat-resistant steel. Ostwald ripening was observed during the aging for 8 h at different aging temperatures. Consequently, the high temperature ultimate tensile strength of heat-resistant steel after the aging for 8 h is lower than that for 4 h and 24 h. The precipitation strengthening contributed by Laves phase and nano-sized NbC was estimated. The yield strength contributed by submicron Laves phase particles is smaller than that provided by nano-sized NbC particles.

Effect of Nb micro-alloying on austenite nucleation and growth in a medium manganese steel during intercritical annealing

The third-generation advanced high strength medium manganese steels aim at high-performance automobile sheet steel applications. Micro-alloying of steels is considered an effective method to enhance mechanical properties through grain refinement and precipitation hardening. However, in the context of cold-rolled, intercritically annealed medium-manganese steels, the effect of micro-alloying is not well understood. In the present work, we studied the influence of 0.06 wt.% Nb micro-alloying in medium manganese steel of composition 10Mn-0.05C-1.5Al (wt.%). Firstly, using atom probe tomography we discuss the mechanism of NbC precipitation. Subsequently, the effect of NbC precipitation on the driving force for austenite nucleation is explained. We observe that the NbC precipitation pins the austenite-ferrite phase boundary during austenite growth, and the corresponding Zener pinning force was calculated. Furthermore, the energy dissipation during phase boundary migration caused by intrinsic friction and solute drag effect was discussed. These forces hindering the austenite growth were then compared with the chemical driving force for phase transformation. Lastly, the mechanical properties of the NbC microalloyed steels were explained based on the effect of NbC precipitation on austenite nucleation and growth.