Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A

, Volume 31, Issue 3, pp 641–652 | Cite as

The mechanism of brittle fracture in a microalloyed steel: Part I. Inclusion-induced cleavage

  • D. P. Fairchild
  • D. G. Howden
  • W. A. T. Clark
Article
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Abstract

The cleavage resistance of two microalloyed steels (steels A and B) was studied using several tests, including the instrumented precracked Charpy and Charpy V-notch (CVN) techniques. Ductile-to-brittle transition temperatures were measured for the base-metal and simulated heat-affected zone (HAZ) microstructures. Steel B showed inferior cleavage resistance to steel A, and this could not be explained by differences in gross microstructure. Scanning electron fractography revealed that TiN inclusions were responsible for cleavage initiation in steel B. These inclusions were well bonded to the ferritic matrix. It is believed that a strong inclusion-matrix bond is a key factor in why TiN inclusions are potent cleavage initiators in steel. Strong bonding allows high stresses in a crack/notch-tip plastic zone to act on the inclusions without debonding the interface. Once an inclusion cleaves, the strong bond allows for transfer of the TiN crack into the ferritic matrix. It was estimated that only 0.0016 wt pct Ti was tied up in the offending inclusions in steel B. This indicates that extended times at high temperatures during the casting of such steels could produce TiN-related toughness deterioration at even modest Ti contents.

Keywords

Ferrite Material Transaction Bainite Acicular Ferrite DBTT 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© ASM International & TMS-The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society 2000

Authors and Affiliations

  • D. P. Fairchild
    • 1
  • D. G. Howden
    • 2
  • W. A. T. Clark
    • 3
    • 4
  1. 1.Exxon Production Research Co.Houston
  2. 2.Department of Industrial, Welding, and Systems EngineeringThe Ohio State UniversityColumbus
  3. 3.Department of Materials Science and EngineeringThe Ohio State UniversityColumbus
  4. 4.Graduate SchoolThe Ohio State UniversityColumbus

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