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Effects of MgO Nanoparticle Additions on the Structure and Mechanical Properties of Continuously Cast Steel Billets

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Abstract

A new approach for pre-dispersing MgO nanoparticles and adding them to molten steel during continuous casting operations was established. The influence of different mass fractions of MgO nanoparticles on inclusion characteristics, steel microstructure, and the ability of inclusions to induce acicular ferrite (AF) formation, was investigated. The results revealed that after adding different mass fractions of nanoparticles, the majority of inclusions contained MgO-Al2O3, and the inclusion size was considerably refined. These inclusions promoted AF formation, and with increasing inclusion size from 1.0 to 1.8 μm, the proportion of AF progressively increased. The ability of inclusions to induce AF was greatly reduced when the inclusion size reached 7.0 μm. This was primarily due to the relationship between the ferrite nucleation rate and inclusion size. It was also found that the size of inclusions that functioned as pinning particles was larger than that of inclusions that served as AF nucleation cores. When the mass fraction of MgO nanoparticles reached 0.05 pct, the degree of interlocking of AF within the microstructure of billet specimens was maximized and this was associated with optimal values for strength and impact properties.

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Abbreviations

AF:

Acicular ferrite

BF:

Banded ferrite

EAM:

External addition method

EDS:

Energy-dispersive spectrometry

f :

Volume fraction of particles

IAF:

Intragranular acicular ferrite

IPM:

Internal precipitation method

N V :

Quantity of inclusions per unit volume

PAGB:

Primary austenite grain boundaries

PF:

Polygonal ferrite

r :

Radius of the pinning particles

R :

Zener limit

R*:

A non-dimensional parameter which is proportional to the radius of curvature of the inclusions

R I :

Radius of curvature of the inclusions

r C :

Critical radius of inclusions that will nucleate ferrite

SEM:

Scanning electron microscopy

θ :

Contact angle between ferrites and inclusions

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Acknowledgments

This research is supported by the National Science Foundation of China (No. 51474076 and 51304016) and open fund of State Key Laboratory of Advanced Metallurgy (No.KF14-02 and KF14-06). Appreciation is also expressed to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada for support of steel-related research at the University of Toronto.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Advanced Metallurgy, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, P.R. China

    Xiangzhou Gao (Associate Professor), Shufeng Yang (PhD Candidate) & Jingshe Li (Professor)

  2. School of Metallurgical and Ecological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, P.R. China

    Xiangzhou Gao (Associate Professor), Shufeng Yang (PhD Candidate) & Jingshe Li (Professor)

  3. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3E4, Canada

    Yindong Yang (Senior Research Associate), Kinnor Chattopadhyay (Assistant Professor) & Alex McLean (Professor Emeritus)

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  1. Xiangzhou Gao
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  2. Shufeng Yang
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Correspondence to Shufeng Yang.

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Manuscript submitted August 8, 2015.

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Gao, X., Yang, S., Li, J. et al. Effects of MgO Nanoparticle Additions on the Structure and Mechanical Properties of Continuously Cast Steel Billets. Metall Mater Trans A 47, 461–470 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-015-3237-1

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