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Effects of Solid Solution Treatments on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of a Nanoscale Precipitate-Strengthened Ferritic Steel

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Abstract

Solid solution treatment (SST) and age hardening are the two main treatments used to produce nanoscale precipitation-strengthened steels. In this work, solution treatment and aging are employed to develop a nanoscale precipitation-strengthened steel displaying high degrees of strength, ductility, and toughness. The effects of SST on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the produced steel are investigated. The results show that the solution temperature strongly influences the matrix microstructure. Partial austenitization between \( A_{{{\text{c}}1}} \) and \( A_{{{\text{c}}3}} \) favors the formation of granular ferrite, while complete austenitization above \( A_{{{\text{c}}3}} \) leads to the formation of polygonal ferrite. Refined granular ferrite with a low dislocation density can effectively improve the plasticity and low-temperature toughness of steel. Precipitation strengthening is mainly related to the nature of the nano-precipitates, specifically their size and number density, independently of the matrix microstructure.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the NSFC Funding (51371062 and U1460102), NSFHLJ (JC2017012), Scientific Research Foundation for Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars (Heilongjiang Province), the Project for Innovative Talents of Science and Technology of Harbin (2014RFXXJ006) and the High-Tech Ship Research Projects Sponsored by MIIT (K24367). The neutron diffraction work at the China Academy of Engineering Physics (CAEP) is greatly appreciated. Thanks are due to Liangwei Sun and Guangai Sun, researchers from CAEP, for assistance with the experiments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Superlight Materials and Surface Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin, 150001, P.R. China

    Y. Zhao, H. Guo, S. S. Xu, M. J. Mao & Z. W. Zhang

  2. Key Laboratory of Neutron Physics and Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics (CAEP), Mianyang, 621999, China

    L. Chen

  3. Department of Physics, South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University, Odessa, 65020, Ukraine

    O. Gokhman

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  1. Y. Zhao
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  3. S. S. Xu
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Correspondence to Z. W. Zhang.

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Manuscript submitted August 23, 2017.

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Zhao, Y., Guo, H., Xu, S.S. et al. Effects of Solid Solution Treatments on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of a Nanoscale Precipitate-Strengthened Ferritic Steel. Metall Mater Trans A 49, 3383–3393 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-018-4657-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-018-4657-5

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