Estimation of Cooling Rate of High-Strength Thick Plate Steel during Water Quenching Based on a Dilatometric Experiment.

The microstructure and hardness along the thickness direction of a water-quenched, high-strength thick plate with a thickness of 40 mm were investigated with three specimens from the thick plate: surface, 1/4t, and 1/2t (center) thickness, and the phase transformation behavior of the thick plate according to the cooling rate was analyzed through dilatometric experiments. Finally, the cooling rate for each thickness of the thick plate was estimated by comparing the microstructure and hardness of the thick plate along with the thickness with those of the dilatometric specimens. Martensite microstructure was observed on the surface of the water-quenched thick plate due to the fast cooling rate. On the other hand, an inhomogeneous microstructure was transformed inside the thick plate due to the relatively slow cooling rate and central segregation of Mn. A small fraction of bainite was shown at 1/4t thickness. A banded microstructure with martensite and bainite resulting from Mn segregation was developed at 1/2t; that is, the full martensite microstructure was transformed in the Mn-enriched area even at a slow cooling rate due to high hardenability, but a bainite microstructure was formed in the Mn-depleted area owing to relatively low hardenability. A portion of martensite with fine cementite at the surface and 1/4t was identified as auto-tempered martensite with a Bagaryatskii orientation relationship between the ferrite matrix and cementite. The microstructure and hardness as well as dilatation were investigated at various cooling rates through a dilatometric experiment, and a continuous cooling transformation (CCT) diagram was finally presented for the thick plate. Comparing the microstructure and hardness at the surface, 1/4t, and 1/2t of the thick plate with those of dilatometric specimens cooled at various cooling rates, it was estimated that the surface of the thick plate was cooled at more than 20 °C/s, whereas the 1/4t region was cooled at approximately 5~10 °C/s during water quenching. Despite the difficulty in estimation of the cooling rate of 1/2t due to the banded structure, the cooling rate of 1/2t was estimated between 3 and 5 °C/s based on the results of an Mn-depleted zone.

A new class of lightweight, stainless steels with ultra-high strength and large ductility.

Steel is the global backbone material of industrialized societies, with more than 1.8 billion tons produced per year. However, steel-containing structures decay due to corrosion, destroying annually 3.4% (2.5 trillion US$) of the global gross domestic product. Besides this huge loss in value, a solution to the corrosion problem at minimum environmental impact would also leverage enhanced product longevity, providing an immense contribution to sustainability. Here, we report a leap forward toward this aim through the development of a new family of low-density stainless steels with ultra-high strength (> 1 GPa) and high ductility (> 35%). The alloys are based on the Fe-(20-30)Mn-(11.5-12.0)Al-1.5C-5Cr (wt%) system and are strengthened by dispersions of nano-sized Fe3AlC-type κ-carbide. The alloying with Cr enhances the ductility without sacrificing strength, by suppressing the precipitation of κ-carbide and thus stabilizing the austenite matrix. The formation of a protective Al-rich oxide film on the surface lends the alloys outstanding resistance to pitting corrosion similar to ferritic stainless steels. The new alloy class has thus the potential to replace commercial stainless steels as it has much higher strength at similar formability, 17% lower mass density and lower environmental impact, qualifying it for demanding lightweight, corrosion resistant, high-strength structural parts.