J. Kang

Dislocation-Twin Boundary Interactions Induced Nanocrystalline via SPD Processing in Bulk Metals

This report investigated dislocation–twin boundary (TB) interactions that cause the TB to disappear and turn into a high-angle grain boundary (GB). The evolution of the microstructural characteristics of Hadfield steel was shown as a function of severe plastic deformation processing time. Sessile Frank partial dislocations and/or sessile unit dislocations were formed on the TB through possible dislocation reactions. These reactions induced atomic steps on the TB and led to the accumulation of gliding dislocations at the TB, which resulted in the transition from coherent TB to incoherent GB. The factors that affect these interactions were described, and a physical model was established to explain in detail the feasible dislocation reactions at the TB.

Sliding wear and low cycle fatigue properties of new carbide free bainitic rail steel

Abstract A new carbide free bainitic rail steel was prepared, whose comprehensive mechanical properties are equal or superior to current premium pearlitic and bainitic rail steels. The new bainitic rail steel possesses better low cycle fatigue properties and approximate resistance to wear compared with current pearlitic rail steel. The carbon enriched film-like austenite between the ferrite of the new bainitic rail steel can delay crack initiation and propagation in fatigue processes, resulting in a relatively high low cycle fatigue life (about two times) compared to the pearlitic rail steel. Finally, a wear model during sliding wear and deformation model during the low cycle fatigue of pearlitic and bainitic rail steels were established. As a result, the bainitic rail steel with a relatively reasonable combination of wear and fatigue properties compared to pearlitic rail steel is obtained, in which the initiation and propagation of cracks may be partially or entirely removed during the wear process.

Study on carbide-bearing and carbide-free bainitic steels and their wear resistance

Carbide-free and carbide-bearing bainitic steels have been obtained. The relationship between the bainitic microstructure and wear resistance has been studied. Results show that carbide-free upper and lower bainitic microstructures obtained in the steel with Si + Al mainly consist of bainitic ferrite and retained austenite. Carbide-bearing upper and lower bainitic microstructures obtained in the steel without Si + Al consist of bainitic ferrite, carbide and trace amounts of retained austenite. The carbide-free bainite exhibits higher strength and toughness than carbide-bearing bainite, especially the toughness. Under lower wear loading, carbide-bearing lower bainite (LB) exhibits higher wear resistance. Under higher wear loading, carbide-free LB exhibits higher wear resistance, which results from the improved surface hardness due to strain-induced martensitic transformation from the retained austenite.

Cyclic Deformation Behavior of a New N+C Alloying Austenitic Manganese Steel

The cyclic deformation behavior and fatigue characteristics of a new austenitic manganese steel with composition FeMn18Cr7C0.8N0.2 (wt%) have been explored and analyzed based on the partition of hysteresis loops linked with microstructure by low cycle testing in the total strain amplitudes 0.3% - 1.0%. The new N+C austenitic manganese steel exhibited immediate cyclic softening for small strain amplitude and initial hardening at the onset of fatigue life followed by softening for medium and high strain amplitudes. For low and high strain amplitudes the evolution of internal stress and effective stress partitioned from the hysteresis loop with the prolonged cycles both corresponded to the change in the total stress amplitudes. With the exception of 316LN0.2 austenitic stainless steel, the effective stress and internal stress made a contribution to the cyclic deformation behavior with similar effect. The markedly improved contribution of effective stress in the new N+C austenitic manganese steel was attributed to the enhanced short range order caused by N+C alloying whereas the decreasing of effective stress with the number of cycles was because of this broken short range interaction. TEM observations showed that the significantly increased planar dislocation structures due to the presence of N+C were responsible for the strong tendency to cyclic softening, in association with the decrease of effective stress and internal stress simultaneously. Moreover the fatigue short crack could be observed on the fractured sample surface at high strain amplitude.