Conclusions
Niobium in low-carbon and low-alloy steels combines carbon in NbC. The carbon is completely combined when the niobium to carbon ratio is about 1.5∶1. A relationship was found between the carbon content of the solid solution and the niobium content of the steel: The greatest reduction in the carbon content of the solid solution occurs with the addition of 0.05–0.1% Nb. With larger niobium concentrations the amount of carbon dissolved in ferrite continues to decrease, but at a lower rate.
The increase in the fracture toughness of steel is inversely proportional to the carbon content of the solid solution.
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Literature cited
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Additional information
I. P. Bardin Central Scientific-Research Institute of Ferrous Metallurgy. Translated from Metallovedenie i Termicheskaya Obrabotka Metallov, No. 1, pp. 15–18, January, 1978.
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Nikitin, V.N., Yakovleva, E.F. Effect of niobium on the cold resistance of low-carbon and low-alloy steels. Met Sci Heat Treat 20, 15–18 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00670434
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00670434