Christian Bernhard

Identification of Defect Prone Peritectic Steel Grades by Analyzing High-Temperature Phase Transformations

Continuous casting of peritectic steels is often difficult and critical; bad surface quality, cracks, and even breakouts may occur. The initial solidification of peritectic steels within the mold leads to formation of surface depressions and uneven shell growth. As commercial steels are always multicomponent alloys, the influence also of the alloying elements besides carbon on the peritectic phase transition needs to be taken into account. Information on the solidification sequence and phase diagrams for initial solidification are lacking especially for new steel grades, like high-alloyed TRIP-steels with high Mn, Si, and particularly high Al contents. Based on a comprehensive method development, the current study shows that differential scanning calorimeter measurements allow a clear prediction if an alloy is peritectic (i.e., critical to cast). In order to confirm these results, thermo-optical analyses with a high-temperature laser-scanning-confocal-microscope are performed to observe the phase transformations in situ up to the melting point.

A modified cellular automaton method for polydimensional modelling of dendritic growth and microsegregation in multicomponent alloys

Numerous numerical models for simulating solidification of metals on a microscopic scale have been proposed in the past, among them are most importantly the phase-field method and models based on cellular automata. Especially the models based on cellular automata (adopting the virtual front tracking (VFT) concept) published so far are often only suitable for the consideration of one alloying element. Since industrial alloys are usually constituted of multicomponent alloys, the possibility of applying cellular automata is rather limited. With the aim of enhancing this modelling technique, a new, modified VFT model, which allows for the treatment of several alloying elements, in the low Peclet number regime is presented. The model uses the physical fundamentals of solute and heat diffusion in two dimensions as a basis for determining the solidification progress. By a new and effective approach, based on a functional extrapolation of the concentration gradient, dendritic growth in multicomponent Fe-C-Si-Mn-P-S alloys could be studied. The model shows the typical behaviour of dendritic solidification, such as parabolic tip and secondary dendrite arm formation as well as selection of preferably aligned columnar dendrites. A validation of the model is performed by the evaluation of morphological parameters and comparing them to experimentally determined values. The results for free and constrained dendritic growth effectively demonstrate the capabilities of this new model. The model is especially attractive for bridging the gap between one-dimensional microsegregation models and multidimensional morphology models with regard to modelling the complex interrelations between segregation on a multidimensional level and morphology formation.

Austenite grain growth and the surface quality of continuously cast steel

Austenite grain growth does not only play an important role in determining the mechanical properties of steel, but certain surface defects encountered in the continuous casting industry have also been attributed to the formation of large austenite grains. Earlier research has seen innovative experimentation, the development of metallographic techniques to determine austenite grain size and the building of mathematical models to simulate the conditions pertaining to austenite grain growth during the continuous casting of steel. Oscillation marks and depressions in the meniscus region of the continuously casting mold lead to retarded cooling of the strand surface, which in turn results in the formation of coarse austenite grains, but little is known about the mechanism and rate of formation of these large austenite grains. Relevant earlier research will be briefly reviewed to put into context our recent in situ observations of the delta-ferrite to austenite phase transition. We have confirmed earlier evidence that very large delta-ferrite grains are formed very quickly in the single-phase region and that these large delta-ferrite grains are transformed to large austenite grains at low cooling rates. At the higher cooling rates relevant to the early stages of the solidification of steel in a continuously cast mold, delta-ferrite transforms to austenite by an apparently massive type of transformation mechanism. Large austenite grains then form very quickly from this massive type of microstructure and on further cooling, austenite transforms to thin ferrite allotriomorphs on austenite grain boundaries, followed by Widmanstätten plate growth, with almost no regard to the cooling rate. This observation is important because it is now well established that the presence of a thin ferrite film on austenite grain boundaries is the main cause of reduction in hot ductility. Moreover, this reduction in ductility is exacerbated by the presence of large austenite grains.

Linking up of HT-LSCM and DSC measurements to characterize phase diagrams of steels

The phase transformation sequence during the solidification of carbon steels strongly influences their behavior in the casting process. Therefore, most exact knowledge of the dependence of the transformation characteristics on the steel composition is of highest relevance for process and quality optimization. The influence of alloying elements like C, Mn or Si on phase transformation is well understood as far as their content is rather low. New steel grades, like high-alloyed TRIP- or TWIP-steels contain almost up to 10 wt.-% of Si and Al and 30 wt.-%Mn. The present work focuses on first results of the parallel investigation into phase transformation of Fe-Al-C alloys by means of Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Thermo-Optical Analysis (TOA) with a High-Temperature Laser-Scanning-Confocal-Microscope (HT-LSCM). DSC is a well established method for the accurate measurement of all phase transformation temperatures accompanied by significant enthalpy changes. Due to small enthalpy changes, DSC results are limited with respect to the ?/?-transformation. Besides dilatometry and X-ray diffraction, the optical in-situ observation of phase transformation by HT-LSCM proved to be a comprehensive method. After a short description of the methods, results for the Fe-0.4%Al-0.22%C and Fe-1.5%Al-0.22%C systems will be discussed in detail and finally compared with results from computational thermodynamics.

On the Capability of Nonmetallic Inclusions to Act as Nuclei for Acicular Ferrite in Different Steel Grades

Acicular ferrite nucleates intragranularly on nonmetallic inclusions, forming a microstructure with excellent fracture toughness. The formation of acicular ferrite is strongly affected by the size, content, and composition of nonmetallic inclusions, but also by the composition of the steel matrix. The potential of inclusions in medium carbon HSLA (high-strength low-alloyed) steels has been the main focus in the literature so far. The current study evaluates the acicular ferrite capability of various inclusions types in four different steel grades with carbon contents varying between 0.04 and 0.65 wt pct. The investigated steels are produced by melting experiments on a laboratory scale and subsequent heat treatment in a High-Temperature Laser Scanning Confocal Microscope. Inclusions are exclusively formed by deoxidation and desulfurization reactions. No synthetic particles are added to the melt. The inclusion landscape is analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscopy. Final ductility of the samples is evaluated based on performed tensile tests. Inclusion types in every steel grade are assessed regarding their nucleation potential always considering the interaction with the steel composition, especially focusing on the role of manganese. The effects of (Ti,Al)Ox-, MnS-, and MgO-containing inclusions are discussed in detail.

Modeling of manganese sulfide formation during the solidification of steel

A comprehensive model was developed to simulate manganese sulfide formation during the solidification of steel. This model coupled the formation kinetics of manganese sulfide with a microsegregation model linked to thermodynamic databases. Classical nucleation theory and a diffusion-controlled growth model were applied to describe the formation process. Particle size distribution (PSD) and particle-size-grouping (PSG) methods were used to model the size evolution. An adjustable parameter was introduced to consider collisions and was calibrated using the experimental results. With the determined parameters, the influences of the sulfur content and cooling rate on manganese sulfide formation were well predicted and in line with the experimental results. Combining the calculated and experimental results, it was found that with a decreasing cooling rate, the size distribution shifted entirely to larger values and the total inclusion number clearly decreased; however, with increasing sulfur content, the inclusion size increased, while the total inclusion number remained relatively constant.

Experimental study on the formation of non-metallic inclusions acting as nuclei for acicular ferrite in HSLA steels through specific deoxidation practice and defined cooling conditions

Specific types of non-metallic inclusions are known to act as heterogeneous nuclei for the formation of acicular ferrite, which provides excellent toughness. By increasing the amount of acicular ferrite in the microstructure, the properties of HSLA steels can be optimized significantly.Although the formation of acicular ferrite caused by heat treatments (thermomechanical treatments or welding) is quite well described in literature, there is less information to find about the formation of acicular ferrite immediately out of the liquid melt. Within the present study experiments on laboratory scale are carried out simulating the influence of cooling conditions and Ti-content on size, chemical composition and morphology of non-metallic inclusions and consequently on the amount of acicular ferrite. All experiments were carried out with a dipping test simulator enabling very well controllable cooling conditions. Optical microscopy in combination with special etching methods as well as SEM/EDS-analysis was used for microstructure and inclusion characterization.

In-situ observation of the behaviour of non-metallic inclusions at different interfaces in the system steel-slag-refractory

The system steel-slag-refractory and reactions of non-metallic inclusions at its interfaces are decisive in numerous metallurgical processes. In order to obtain the desired steel cleanness level, a detailed understanding of the occurring interactions is needed. This study focuses on the in-situ observation of different reactions of non-metallic inclusions in steel and slag. For this purpose a Confocal Scanning Laser Microscope attached to a high temperature furnace is applied which enables the visualization of metallurgical phenomena at steelmaking temperatures up to 1700 °C. Two different examples are discussed: First, the agglomeration of different inclusion types in a Ca-treated steel is described and corresponding attraction forces are calculated. Secondly, the dissolution of Al2O3 and MgOAl2O3 in two slags of the system CaO-Al2O3-MgO-SiO2 is examined, including the evaluation of the governing dissolution mechanism. Finally, an outlook on further experimental possibilities is given.

On the modelling of microsegregation in steels involving thermodynamic databases

A microsegregation model involving thermodynamic database based on Ohnakas model is proposed. In the model, the thermodynamic database is applied for equilibrium calculation. Multicomponent alloy effects on partition coefficients and equilibrium temperatures are accounted for. Microsegregation and partition coefficients calculated using different databases exhibit significant differences. The segregated concentrations predicted using the optimized database are in good agreement with the measured inter-dendritic concentrations.

Analysis of Solidification of High Manganese Steels Using Improved Differential Thermal Analysis Method

High manganese steels can damage the differential thermal analysis (DTA) instrument due to the manganese evaporation during high temperature experiments. After analyzing the relationship between residual oxygen and manganese evaporation, tantalum metal was employed to modify the crucible of DTA, and zirconium getter together with strict gas purification measures were applied to control the volatilization of manganese. By these modifications, problems of thermocouple damage and DTA instrument contamination were successfully resolved. Cobalt samples were adopted to calibrate the accuracy of DTA instruments under the same trial condition of high manganese steel samples, and the detection error was confirmed to be less than 1 °C. Liquidus and solidus temperatures of high Mn steels were measured by improved DTA method. It was found that the liquidus temperatures of samples tested by experiments increased linearly with the heating rates. To eliminate the effects of the heating rate, equilibrium liquidus temperature was determined by fitting the liquidus temperatures at different heating rates, and referred as real liquidus temperature. No clear relationship between solidus temperatures and heating rates was found, and the solidus temperature was finally set as the average value of several experimental data.