Effects of second-phase particles on coarsening of austenite in 0.15 Pct carbon steels

Abstract

The effects of second-phase particles formed by the addition of vanadium, nitrogen, and aluminum on the austenite grain coarsening behavior of 0.15 pct carbon steels were studied. The oxidation and etching technique has been adopted to reveal the prior austenite grain boundaries. The specimens were austenitized at intervals of 50°C within the range of 900°C to 1150°C under high vacuum (<10⁻⁴ torr) for half an hour, toward the end of which they were oxidized for about one minute by introducing oxygen at about 250 mm Hg to reveal the grain boundaries, and then quenched into iced water. The variation of prior austenite grain size with temperature in these steels indicates that vanadium carbonitride, V(C, N), is much more effective in austenite grain refinement than vanadium carbide, VC, at all temperatures. The effect of vanadium carbonitride in austenite grain refinement is more or less the same as that of aluminum nitride. AlN, at temepratures below 1000°C, but this effect of vanadium carbonitride in austenite grain refinement decreases with increasing temperature. Above 1000°C, aluminum nitride is a much better grain refiner than vanadium carbonitride. The presence of the V (C, N) and AlN particles in the same steel causes moderate grain growth of austenite.