Delamination of pipeline steels: determination of an anisotropic cleavage criterion

Cette étude concerne l’effet de l’anisotropie de la rupture par clivage appliquée à deux tôles d’acier faiblement allié, ferrito-bainitiques, pour gazoducs. La rupture de la tôle par délaminage est étudiée en fonction de la microstructure et du chargement mécanique, afin d’optimiser les propriétés de ces aciers et notamment leur résilience mesurée par essais Battelle et Charpy. Des essais mécaniques ont été effectués sur des mini-éprouvettes axisymétriques entaillées, dimensionnées à cette intention et prélevées dans les directions principales de la tôle, y compris dans la direction travers court. Des essais de traction ont permis de tracer une courbe de transition ductile-fragile sur ces éprouvettes entaillées, dans une gamme de températures comprise entre +20°C et -140°C. Les mécanismes de rupture et les sites d’amorçage de la rupture par clivage ont été identifiés au microscope électronique à balayage. L’analyse mécanique de ces essais a été menée aux différentes températures, le comportement mécanique étant identifié sur éprouvettes lisses sollicitées dans les mêmes directions que les éprouvettes entaillées. Des simulations par éléments finis des essais sur éprouvettes entaillées ont été effectuées afin d’analyser les champs de contrainte et de déformation à rupture et d’en extraire une valeur de contrainte critique de clivage, en fonction de la direction de sollicitation. L’impact du modèle de comportement choisi (critère de plasticité isotrope ou non) sur la valeur de la contrainte critique de clivage a été évalué. Le critère de rupture proposé tient compte des paramètres microstructuraux des aciers étudiés

Statistical Derivation of Basic Equations of Diffusional Kinetics in Alloys with Application to the Description of Diffusion of Carbon in Austenite

Basic equations of diffusional kinetics in alloys are statistically derived using the master equation approach. To describe diffusional transformations in substitution alloys, we derive the "quasi-equilibrium" kinetic equation which generalizes its earlier versions by taking into account possible "interaction renormalization" effects. For the interstitial alloys Me-X, we derive the explicit expression for the diffusivity D of an interstitial atom X which notably differs from those used in previous phenomenological treatments. This microscopic expression for D is applied to describe the diffusion of carbon in austenite basing on some simple models of carbon-carbon interaction. The results obtained enable us to make certain conclusions about the real form of these interactions, and about the scale of the "transition state entropy" for diffusion of carbon in austenite.Comment: 26 pages, 5 postscript figures, LaTe

Model alloys to study the solute drag and precipitation effect on the recrystallization kinetics of nb-microalloyed steels

A good combination of strength and toughness in HSLA steels can be achieved by the addition of microalloying elements such as Nb. Nb can retard the static recrystallization of austenite at low temperatures by either a solute drag or by a precipitation pinning (when bonded to C or N) effect. Both mechanisms result in improved mechanical properties due to grain size refinement of the transformed ferrite. In this study, 3 Nb-microalloyed model alloys were designed to investigate the solute drag and the precipitation effect separately. The first alloy, containing a stoechiometric ratio of Nb and C, was designed to study the retarding effect of NbC on the recrystallization behavior. A second alloy, containing Nb and only few ppm, C, was casted in order to study the effect of Nb in solid solution. The two alloys were compared with a C-Mn reference alloy. The recrystallization behavior of the three alloys were compared by multi-hit torsion tests and double hit compression tests. The Nb-C and the Nb-very low C showed small differences in recrystallization behavior. These results show that Nb delays the recrystallization by a solute drag effect or by the formation of a very small amount of precipitates

Recrystallization-precipitation interaction during austenite hot deformation of a Nb microalloyed steel

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Evaluation of the Austenite recrystallization by multideformation and double deformation tests

A high amount of deformation below the non-recrystallization temperature (T(nr)) is a common industrial practice to achieve a good combination of toughness and strength in microalloyed steels. To combine the industrially relevant optimum combination of high productivity and product quality, an accurate knowledge of T(nr) and the recrystallization kinetics is required. Although a lot of literature data is available on the recrystallization behaviour of microalloyed steels, correlations are often difficult to be made due to the effect of different experimental set-ups and test schedules used to obtain this data. Although it would significantly improve the knowledge about these steels, so far, no systematic comparison has been presented in literature to correlate the different techniques one to another. In this study, different hot rolling simulation techniques and testing schedules were compared, within the experimental constraints of the used equipment, to determine the T(nr) temperature of two microalloyed steels. Good agreement was found between the results from different test equipment. Furthermore, the results from the multideformation tests under continuous cooling conditions could be correlated with the results from isothermal double deformation tests