ABSTRACT
Metallic material concepts associated with the sustainable and efficient use of resources are currently the subject of intensive research. Al addition to steel offers advantages in view of lightweight, durability, and efficient use of high-Fe scrap from the Al industry. In the present work, Al was added to Fe-12Cr-(9,12)Ni-3Mn-0.3C-xAl (x = 0.1-6) (wt.%) stainless steels to assess its influence on microstructure and mechanical properties. According to density measurements based on Archimedes' principle, densities were between 7.70 and 7.08 g/cm3. High-energy X-ray diffraction estimations of the lattice parameter indicated that nearly 31% of density reduction was caused by the lattice expansion associated with Al addition. Depending on Al concentration, austenitic and duplex matrix microstructures were obtained at room temperature. In the presence of up to 3 wt.% Al, the microstructure remained austenitic. At the same time, strength and hardness were slightly enhanced. Al addition in higher quantities resulted in the formation of duplex matrix microstructures with enhanced yield strength but reduced ductility compared to the austenitic alloys. Due to the ready formation of B2-(Ni,Fe)Al intermetallics in the ferrite phase of the present alloy system, the increase in strength due to the presence of ferrite was more pronounced compared to standard duplex stainless steels. The occurrence of B2 intermetallics was implied by dilatometry measurements and confirmed by electron microscopy examinations and high-energy X-ray diffraction measurements.
ABSTRACT
The influence of carbon on the phase transformation behavior of stainless steels with the base chemical composition Fe-13Cr (wt.%), and carbon concentrations in the range of 0-0.7 wt.%, was studied at temperatures between -196 °C and liquidus temperature. Based on differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements, the solidification mode changed from ferritic to ferritic-austenitic as the carbon concentration increased. The DSC results were in fair agreement with the thermodynamic equilibrium calculation results. In contrast to alloys containing nearly 0% C and 0.1% C, alloys containing 0.2-0.7% C exhibited a fully austenitic phase stability range without delta ferrite at high temperatures. Quenching to room temperature (RT) after heat treatment in the austenite range resulted in the partial transformation to martensite. Due to the decrease in the martensite start temperature, the fraction of retained austenite increased with the carbon concentration. The austenite fraction was reduced by cooling to -196 °C. The variation in hardness with carbon concentration for as-quenched steels with martensitic-austenitic microstructures indicated a maximum at intermediate carbon concentrations. Given the steady increase in the tetragonality of martensite at higher carbon concentrations, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction measurements, the variation in hardness with carbon concentration is governed by the amount and stability of austenite.
ABSTRACT
An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
ABSTRACT
By time-of-flight (TOF) neutron diffraction experiments, the influence of segregation-induced microstructure bands of austenite (γ) and martensite (α' ) phases on the partitioning of stress and strain between these phases was investigated. Initially, tensile specimens of a Co-added stainless steel were heat treated by quenching and partitioning (Q&P) processing. Tensile specimens were subsequently loaded at 350 °C parallel to the length of the bands within the apparent elastic limit of the phase mixture. Lattice parameters in both axial and transverse directions were simultaneously measured for both phases. The observation of a lattice expansion for the γ phase in the transverse direction indicated a constraint on the free transverse straining of γ arising from the banded microstructure. The lateral contraction of α' imposed an interphase tensile microstress in the transverse direction of the γ phase. The multiaxial stress state developed in the γ phase resulted in a large deviation from the level of plastic strain expected for uniaxial loading of single phase γ. Since segregation-induced banded microstructures commonly occur in many engineering alloys, the analysis of stress and strain partitioning with the present Q&P steel can be used to interpret the observations made for further engineering alloys with two-phase microstructures.
ABSTRACT
We report evidence of a displacive phase transformation from retained austenite to martensite during preparation of quenched and partitioned steel micro-pillars by using a focused ion beam (FIB) technique. The BCC phase produced by the FIB damage was identified as martensite. The invariant-plane strain surface relief associated with the martensitic transformation was observed in the retained austenite phase immediately after a FIB scan of the surface with the Ga+ ion beam. Use of a low acceleration voltage appears to lower the probability of the phase transformation, while a decrease of the acceleration voltage will result in an increase of the total milling time required to prepare a micro-pillar. This report addresses challenges related to the preparation of austenite micro-pillars by a conventional FIB technique.
