Gradient Microstructure in a Gear Steel Produced by Pressurized Gas Nitriding

A tempered martensitic gear steel (18CrNiMo7-6) sample was nitrided on two sides using a 5 atm pressurized gas at 530 °C for five hours. The nitrided sample was characterized by means of microhardness, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. A microhardness gradient was identified over a distance of 1000 µm with hardness values from 900 HV0.1 at the surface to 300 HV0.1 in the center matrix. The gradient microstructure was mainly divided into three zones: (i) a nitride compound layer at the top surface (~20 µm thick), (ii) a diffusion zone with containing precipitates (~350 µm thick), and (iii) the center matrix of the tempered martensite. Compared with carburized sample, the harder surface of the nitrided one ensures a better performance of the present pressured gas nitrided gears

Hot Deformation Behaviors of as Cast 321 Austenitic Stainless Steel

AISI 321 stainless steel has excellent resistance to intergranular corrosion and is generally used in nuclear power reactor vessels and other components. The as-cast and wrought structures are quite different in hot workability, so physical simulation, electron back-scatter diffraction, and hot processing maps were used to study the mechanical behavior and microstructure evolution of as-cast nuclear grade 321 stainless steel in the temperature range of 900–1200 °C and strain rate range of 0.01–10 s−1. The results showed that the flow curve presented work-hardening characteristics. The activation energy was calculated as 478 kJ/mol. The fraction of dynamic recrystallization (DRX) increased with increasing deformation temperature and decreasing strain rate. DRX grain size decreased with increasing Z value. Combining the hot working map and DRX state map, the suggested hot working window was 1000–1200 °C and 0.01–0.1 s−1. The main form of instability was necklace DRX. The nucleation mechanism of DRX was the migration of subgrains. The δ phase reduced the activation energy and promoted DRX nucleation of the tested steel

Structural Properties and Phase Stability of Primary Y Phase (Ti₂SC) in Ti-Stabilized Stainless Steel from Experiments and First Principles

The morphology and microstructural evaluation of Y phases in AISI 321 (a Ti-stabilized stainless steel) were characterized after hot deformation. The electronic structure and phase stability of titanium carbosulfide were further discussed by first-principle calculations. It was found that Y phases, like curved strips or bones in AISI 321 stainless steel, mostly show a clustered distribution and are approximately arranged in parallel. The width of the Y phase is much less than the length, and the composition of the Y phase is close to that of Ti2SC. Y phases have exceptional thermal stability. The morphology of Y phases changed considerably after forging. During the first calculations, the Ti2SC with hexagonal structure does not spontaneously change into TiS and TiC; however Ti4S2C2 (Z = 2) can spontaneously change into the two phases. The Ti–S bonds are compressed in Ti4S2C2 cells, which leads to poor structural stability for Ti4S2C2. There is a covalent interaction between C/S and Ti, as well as an exchange of electrons between Ti and S/C atoms. Evidently, the mechanical stability of Ti4S2C2 is weak; however, Ti2SC shows high stability. Ti2SC, as a hard brittle phase, does not easily undergo plastic deformation