Development of microalloyed steels for high temperature carburizing

The potential for use of microalloy additions to suppress abnormal austenite grain growth and produce steels with enhanced bending fatigue resistance after high temperature vacuum carburizing was investigated in a series of Ti-modified SAE 8620 steels with w(niobium) additions up to 0.1%.Results are considered from a series of papers at the Advanced Steel Processing and Products Research Center on the effects of Nb content,heating rate, rolling history,and processing temperature on the evolution of austenite grain structures in carburizing steels. Emphasis is placed on understanding the effects of alloying and processing on each stage in the annealing process including the as received laboratory rolled conditions,during the onset of carburizing after annealing at different heating rates,and after annealing for various times at carburizing temperatures up to 1 100℃.Heating rate to the carburizing temperature was shown to be an influential variable and suppression of abnormal grain growth was dependent on the development of a critical distribution of fine NbC precipitates,stable at the austenitizing temperature.The importance to industrial carburizing practice of heating rate effects on precipitates and austenite grain size evolution are discussed and correlated to selected data on fatigue performance.     

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Gear Steels After High Temperature Carburization

High temperature carburization is becoming more and more attractive because it can remarkably reduce processing time and increase productivity. However, the commonly used gear steels which are microalloyed by Al are not suitable for high temperature carburization due to abnormal grain coarsening. The gear steel 20CrMnTiNb, which is microalloyed with 0. 048% Nb and 0. 038% Ti, has been compared with the gear steel 20CrMn in terms of microstructure in the case of hardened layer and in the core after carburizing at 1000 °C for 4 h and mechanical properties after carburizing and pseudo-carburizing. The results indicate that the fine austenite grains exist in the carburized case of 20CrMnTiNb steel, while there is abnormal coarsening and duplex grain structure in the case and core of steel 20CrMn. The average prior austenite grain sizes are 19.5 and 34.2 μm for the steels 20CrMnTiNb and 20CrMn, respectively. In addition, the mechanical properties of 20CrMnTiNb steel are superior to those of 20CrMn steel. In particular, the HV hardness of the former is higher than that of the latter by about 40–70 in the range of less than 0.7 mm in depth. Therefore, the steel 20CrMnTiNb is suitable for high temperature carburization.     

Nb微合金化对齿轮钢高温渗碳奥氏体晶粒度的影响

摘要：通过Nb微合金化提高渗碳温度是当前发展高端齿轮钢的重要思路。以20Cr钢为基准成分,通过实验室熔炼、锻造以及977~1134℃范围内高温伪渗碳实验,研究了0.02%、0.04%、0.06%、0.08%等不同Nb质量分数下渗碳后的奥氏体晶粒结构。在此基础上,依据热力学计算及析出颗粒熟化模型,对AlN、Nb(C,N)颗粒的钉扎强度进行估算并与晶粒尺寸建立联系,得到了适用于含Al、Nb齿轮钢的奥氏体晶粒度控制预测模型。最后,依据此模型分析了Nb含量对20Cr钢渗碳温度的影响,并基于高温渗碳目标提出了Nb微合金化的成分建议。     

1000MPa级微合金化冷轧双相钢退火工艺及强韧化机制

摘要：通过热处理试验结合物理化学相分析实验，对含铌与不含铌的2种试验钢在不同均热温度下的奥氏体晶粒长大情况及含铌钢中铌的固溶规律进行研究。结果表明，均热温度低于1200℃时，含铌钢奥氏体晶粒尺寸均小于无铌钢奥氏体晶粒尺寸；随着均热温度的升高，含铌钢奥氏体中固溶的Nb逐渐增多；均热温度升至1200℃时，含铌钢奥氏体晶粒较无铌钢无明显细化。通过相分析试验研究实际Nb的固溶量与均热温度的关系，发现实际测量得到Nb未溶量随均热温度的升高而减小，对比Nb在奥氏体中的实际固溶与理论固溶的关系，寻找适合的含铌试验钢的理论模型。     

Precipitation of Nb in Ferrite After Austenite Conditioning. Part II: Strengthening Contribution in High-Strength Low-Alloy (HSLA) Steels

Often, Nb contributes to the strength of a microalloyed steel beyond the expected level because of the grain size strengthening resulting from thermomechanical processing. Two different mechanisms are behind this phenomenon, and both of them have to do with the amount of Nb remaining in solution after hot rolling. The first of them is the increase of the hardenability of the steel as a result of Nb, and the second one is the fine precipitation of NbC in ferrite. Three Nb microalloyed steels were thermomechanically processed in the laboratory and coiled at different temperatures to investigate the effect of Nb content on the tensile properties. The extra strength was linearly related to the Nb remaining in solution after the hot working. The maximum contribution from Nb was reached for a coiling temperature of 873?K (600?°C).     

均热温度对抗震钢筋奥氏体化及铌固溶的影响

摘要：通过热处理试验结合物理化学相分析实验，对含铌与不含铌的2种试验钢在不同均热温度下的奥氏体晶粒长大情况及含铌钢中铌的固溶规律进行研究。结果表明，均热温度低于1200℃时，含铌钢奥氏体晶粒尺寸均小于无铌钢奥氏体晶粒尺寸；随着均热温度的升高，含铌钢奥氏体中固溶的Nb逐渐增多；均热温度升至1200℃时，含铌钢奥氏体晶粒较无铌钢无明显细化。通过相分析试验研究实际Nb的固溶量与均热温度的关系，发现实际测量得到Nb未溶量随均热温度的升高而减小，对比Nb在奥氏体中的实际固溶与理论固溶的关系，寻找适合的含铌试验钢的理论模型。     

高温渗碳齿轮钢的研究进展

常用齿轮钢渗碳温度为930℃,提高渗碳温度至1000～1050℃能显著缩短渗碳时间,但易引起晶粒长人,因此发展了通过Nb、Ti、B微合金化,细化钢原奥氏体晶粒的高温渗碳齿轮钢。文中介绍了国内外高温渗碳齿轮钢的钢种成分、工艺特点、高温渗碳层组织控制和钢的疲劳性能的研究进展。     

微量钼对微合金钢动态再结晶的影响

 通过Nb V Ti和Nb V Ti Mo两种微合金钢在高温(td=900~1 100 ℃)和不同应变速率(=001~10 s-1)下的单道次压缩模拟试验,研究了热变形参数对两种微合金钢的动态再结晶过程的影响,求出动态再结晶形变激活能及相关参数,建立了热变形方程,并通过对比,分析了钼对微合金钢动态再结晶的影响。结果表明：含钼钢的动态再结晶更困难。这是因为钼的自扩散系数大,致使钢具有更高的动态再结晶激活能。     

几种高速列车用弹簧钢的奥氏体晶粒长大倾向

 弹簧钢的原奥氏体晶粒大小对其力学性能和疲劳性能有重要影响,采用光学显微镜研究了51CrV4、52CrMoV4、60Si2CrVA、60Si2MnA 4种高速列车用弹簧钢的原奥氏体晶粒在加热后的长大倾向,结合透射电镜的观察分析了4种弹簧钢具有不同奥氏体晶粒粗化温度的原因。试验结果表明,化学成分对其奥氏体晶粒长大倾向具有重要影响,弹簧钢中加入Cr、V、Mo能有效阻止原奥氏体晶粒的长大,奥氏体晶粒的粗化温度与微合金碳氮化合物的固溶温度有关。 在800~1100℃温度范围内加热,51CrV4中的奥氏体晶粒长大趋势最小,52CrMoV4和60Si2CrVA次之,60Si2MnA最大。     

In-situ observation on austenite grain growth of a Nb microalloyed high-carbon steel

It was reported in previous studies that the growth of austenite was inhibited by the pinning effect of Nb containing precipitates and the solute dragging effect of solute Nb. The effect of Nb on austenite grain growth of high carbon steel was investigated by laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM). Microstructure evolution during heating process of the tested steel was observed by in situ observation. The results show that even without the pinning effect of Nb containing precipitates (at high temperatures), Nb can hinder the growth of austenite grains due to the solute dragging effect of Nb. Two models were used to fit the austenite grain growth process, and the Beck growth models of Nb microalloyed high carbon steels at different heating temperatures were established. The austenite grain growth kinetics model considering the influence of heating temperature and holding time can accurately predict the austenite grain growth process of Nb microalloyed high carbon steels.     

Nb微合金化高碳钢奥氏体晶粒长大原位观察

摘要：以往研究表明Nb析出相钉扎和固溶Nb溶质拖曳作用共同阻碍奥氏体晶粒长大。采用高温共聚焦显微镜研究了Nb对一种高碳含Nb钢奥氏体晶粒长大的影响,对含Nb钢加热过程组织演变进行原位观察。结果表明,Nb在没有钉扎作用下（即高温条件下）仍能起到阻碍奥氏体晶粒长大的作用,该阻碍效果主要是固溶Nb的溶质拖曳作用引起的。采用2种模型对奥氏体晶粒长大行为进行拟合,给出了不同加热温度下Nb微合金化高碳钢的Beck长大方程,同时考虑到加热温度和保温时间的共同影响,根据原位观察结果得到实验钢的奥氏体晶粒长大动力学模型,该模型能够较准确地预测Nb微合金化高碳钢奥氏体晶粒长大行为。     

Parameters affecting sag resistance in spring steels

Recent trends toward reducing the weight of automobile suspension springs have led to the development of a number of microalloyed steels and a variety of processing treatments which have claimed to improve the sag resistance of springs while increasing their operating stresses. More often than not, however, the subtle effects of varying levels of hardness and prior austenite grain size, as well as small but significant differences in critical elements such as Si, are over-looked in comparing these new steels with the conventional grades. Hysteresis loops measured in tension (related to the Bauschinger effect) were used to determine the relaxation behavior of a number of microalloyed and standard grade spring steels. The effects of hardness level, austenitizing temperature, prior austenite grain size, and warm prestressing on the Bauschinger hysteresis loops were also established. Silicon was found to be the most important factor influencing the size of the hysteresis loops; the greater the Si content of the steel (up to 2.2 pct), the larger the loops at a given strength level and the greater the expected relaxation resistance of the spring. The standard AISI 9261 steel containing 2.2 pct Si showed the same Bauschinger loops as the microalloyed grades containing Nb and V at the same hardness of 50 HRC.     

晶粒尺寸对表面渗碳钢疲劳极限的影响

利用旋转弯曲疲劳试验方法,研究了渗碳钢的晶粒尺寸与其疲劳极限之间的定量关系。结果表明,晶粒尺寸越小,渗碳钢的疲劳极限越高,晶粒尺寸与疲劳极限之间存在类似Hall-Petch关系。疲劳试样断口观察发现,疲劳裂纹起源于渗碳层,并沿原奥氏体晶界扩展,细化渗碳层晶粒有利于提高疲劳裂纹扩展阻力,因此改善疲劳性能。     

钛铌微合金化齿轮钢的奥氏体晶粒长大研究

 采用热模拟渗碳方法研究了Ti、Ti-Nb微合金化的20CrMnTi和20CrMnTiNb渗碳齿轮钢在930~1200℃的奥氏体晶粒长大规律。结果表明,添加0. 038%(质量分数,下同)的钛和0. 048%的铌的20CrMnTiNb钢中含有铌和钛的析出相,其粒子间距为0. 361μm;而含0. 054%的钛的20CrMnTi钢中仅含有较大尺寸的TiN析出相,粒子间距为0. 471μm,前者奥氏体晶粒粗化倾向明显低于后者。20CrMnTiNb钢经1000℃奥氏体化10h后奥氏体晶粒长大不明显,且无混晶现象,适合高温渗碳工艺。     

Determination of Critical Temperatures in Hot Rolling of a Nb-Microalloyed Steel Sheet

To design the controlled hot rolling and thermomechanical processes of microalloyed steels,it is essential to know the various critical transformation temperatures like the grain coarsening temperature (T gc),the non-recrystallization temperature (T nr),the start of austenite-to-ferrite transformation (A r3),and the finish of the austenite-to-ferrite transformation (A r1).In this work,the heat treatment and continuous cooling compression (CCC) testing were performed to determine the critical temperatures of a Nb-microalloyed steel.Results obtained from the CCC testing on the strain-stress curves were confirmed by metallographic tests.To carry out the CCC testing,T nr equals 960℃;A r3 equals 830℃ and A r1 equals 665℃ were determined.In addition,to specify the grain coarsening temperature that it usually occurs during reheating the slabs,seven different reheating temperatures between 1000 to 1300℃ with 50℃ increments for the soaking treatment were chosen.By soaking the specimens in furnace,the grain coarsening temperature (T gc) was obtained about the temperature of 1250 ℃.Moreover,it was observed that increasing the reheating temperatures causes more decline of the precipitates percentage.Therefore,the temperature range of 1200 to 1250℃ is recommended to reheat these types of steels.     

Nb(C,N)溶解对高铌奥氏体晶粒长大行为的影响

为了定量研究铌对高铌钢加热过程奥氏体晶粒长大的影响，采用化学溶解过滤分离及电感耦合等离子光谱测定不同加热温度两种试验钢固溶铌质量分数，并对比研究了奥氏体晶粒长大行为。结果表明，在低温条件下，低铌钢固溶铌质量分数高于高铌钢；随加热温度升高，高铌钢固溶铌质量分数快速增加，但即使在1 300 ℃时，铌也不能完成固溶，少量铌存在于(Ti,Nb)(N,C)析出相中；奥氏体晶粒快速长大的温度与固溶铌质量分数快速增加的温度有关。随铌质量分数由0.082%增加到0.120%，奥氏体晶粒快速长大的临界温度由1 050升高到1 150 ℃。高铌钢在1 150～1 250 ℃加热温度范围内，奥氏体晶粒尺寸小于100 μm。     

The Effect of Cooling Rate,and Cool Deformation Through Strain-Induced Transformation,on Microstructural Evolution and Mechanical Properties of Microalloyed Steels

In this article, a detailed study was conducted to evaluate the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of microalloyed steels processed by thermomechanical schedules incorporating cool deformation. Cool deformation was incorporated into a full scale simulation of hot rolling, and the effect of prior austenite conditioning on the cool deformability of microalloyed steels was investigated. As well, the effect of varying cooling rate, from the end of the finishing stage to the cool deformation temperature, 673 K (400 °C), on mechanical properties and microstructural evolution was studied. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis, in particular for Nb containing steels, was also conducted for the precipitation evaluation. Results show that cool deformation greatly improves the strength of microalloyed steels. Of the several mechanisms identified, such as work hardening, precipitation, grain refinement, and strain-induced transformation (SIT) of retained austenite, SIT was proposed, for the first time in microalloyed steels, to be a significant factor for strengthening due to the deformation in ferrite. Results also show that the effect of precipitation in ferrite for the Nb bearing steels is greatly overshadowed by SIT at room temperature.     

Tensile Work Hardening Modeling of Precipitation Strengthened Nb-Microalloyed Steels

Very often Nb contributes to the strength of a microalloyed steel beyond the expected level due to the grain size strengthening resulting from thermomechanical processing. Two different mechanisms are behind this phenomenon, and both of them have to do with the amount of Nb remaining in the solution after hot rolling. The first of them is the increase of the hardenability of the steel due to Nb, and the second one is the fine precipitation of NbC in ferrite. The contribution of the precipitates to the work hardening of two thermally and thermomechanically processed microalloyed steels is addressed in this work and this contribution has been integrated into previously developed models by the authors for ferrite–pearlite microstructures. An L _eff is considered through the effective spacing associated to the different obstacles and their interactions with the moving dislocations. The model obtained shows good agreement with the experimental tensile curves from the end of yield point elongation to the onset of necking.

     

奥氏体化温度对奥氏体晶粒度及第二相固溶的影响

利用光学显微镜等研究了 SA5 1 6Gr60N 容器钢在不同奥氏体化温度下奥氏体晶粒尺寸的长大规律以及微合金元素 Nb、Ti、V 的固溶规律.研究结果表明,随着奥氏体化温度的升高,微合金元素 Nb、Ti、V 的固溶量逐渐增加;990~1 050 ℃时,原始奥氏体晶粒尺寸增加缓慢,晶粒细小均匀;1 070 ℃时晶粒出现异常长大现象,随后部分奥氏体晶粒急剧长大,不均匀性越来越明显;1 1 70~1 210 ℃时,奥氏体晶粒尺寸均匀化.     

Microstructural Modelling of Nb Microalloyed Steels during Thin Slab Direct Rolling Processing

The microstructural evolution during the hot rolling of coarse grain sized austenite has been modeled considering all the microstructural mechanisms (dynamic, static and metadynamic recrystallization, strain induced precipitation) that can take place during an industrial TSDR production of three Nb microalloyed steels. Based on the results obtained from the model, processing maps have been drawn for 0.02%, 0.035% and 0.05% Nb microalloyed steels. Optimum processing conditions to exploit all the benefits of the Nb microalloying have been defined considering a final gauge thickness range between 1.5 and 12.65 mm. In addition, and facing the difficulties present in the production of thick hot strip, several alternative thermomechanical schedules are proposed, which would originate microstructures with a suitable combination of homogeneity and retained strain prior to transformation.