La bonne ténacité des aciers pour gazoducs aux basses températures est nécessaire pour éviter la propagation de fissures de manière catastrophique. Cette étude vise à améliorer la compréhension physique et l'évaluation quantitative du comportement à rupture des aciers pour gazoducs laminés à chaud, en nous intéressant plus particulièrement aux températures au pied de la transition ductile-fragile .La résilience de ces aciers est généralement validée à l'aide d'essais dits drop weight tear tests (DWTT), après lesquels le faciès de rupture doit contenir moins de 15% de zone fragile. Pour les aciers mis en forme par laminage thermomécanique (TMCP), des ruptures fragiles hors plan, comme le délaminage (qui se propage dans le plan de laminage de la tôle), et la rupture fragile en biseau le long des plans dits thêta (inclinés de 40° autour de la direction de laminage par rapport au plan de laminage) apparaissent dans la transition ductile-fragile. Ces modes de rupture, observés lors des essais de résilience (DWTT, Charpy) et de ténacité (CT), affectent la résistance à la rupture de ces aciers.L'anisotropie de l'écoulement plastique, puis celle de la sensibilité à la rupture par clivage ont été caractérisées en fonction de la température, à l'aide d'essais de traction sur des éprouvettes lisses et entaillées conçues pour cette étude. L'analyse mécanique de ces essais à l'aide de calculs par éléments finis a permis de déterminer des contraintes critiques de clivage dans les directions perpendiculaires au plan de laminage et aux plans thêta. Les valeurs obtenues dans ces directions sont de 25% inférieures à celles correspondant aux directions de laminage et travers long.L'anisotropie de la contrainte critique de clivage a été quantitativement corrélée à l'anisotropie de microtexture du matériau. Des entités appelées « facettes de clivage potentielles » ont été définies et mesurées dans cette étude, comme des régions contenant un plan {100} défavorablement orienté et dans lesquelles les fissures de clivage se propagent sans être arrêtées. Par exemple, un plan contenant 20% de facettes de clivage potentielles aurait une contrainte critique de clivage de 20% moins élevée qu'un plan présentant seulement 10% de facettes de clivage potentielles.La taille et la forme de ces facettes de clivage potentielles évoluent avec la déformation plastique. Par conséquent, la contrainte critique de clivage est affectée par l'historique de déformation. Dans le cas du délaminage, les facettes de clivage potentielles s'allongent au cours d'un chargement dans la direction travers long, conduisant à une augmentation de leur taille effective et par conséquent à une diminution (qui peut atteindre 30%) de la contrainte critique de clivage dans le plan de la tôle. Cette diminution facilite in fine l'apparition du délaminage. De plus, la présence de micro-fissures ductiles facilite la rupture par délaminage en modifiant l'état de contrainte local. Un critère a ainsi été proposé pour prédire numériquement l'amorçage du délaminage dans des éprouvettes de traction et/ou de résilience Charpy.L'application de cette approche à des échantillons traités thermiquement et à des échantillons pré-déformés a montré que la sensibilité au délaminage pouvait être contrôlée en modifiant la texture locale initiale du matériau. / High toughness of pipeline steels at low temperature is required to avoid catastrophic propagation of brittle crack. The aim of the study is to improve physical understanding and quantitative assessment of the toughness behavior of hot-rolled pipeline steels, focusing on the lower part of the ductile to brittle transition temperature range.The impact toughness of these steels is commonly validated using drop weight tear tests (DWTT), on the basis of fracture surfaces that must exhibit less than 15% of brittle fracture appearance. In thermomechanical control processed steels, brittle out-of-plane cracks such as delamination (which propagates along the rolling plane), and brittle tilted fracture (BTF) along theta-planes (tilted around RD by 40° with respect to rolling plane), have been characterized in the ductile to brittle transition temperature range, for both industrial (DWTT) and laboratory Charpy impact tests. In both cases, as well as in fracture toughness tests, such brittle out-of-plane cracking has been shown to impair the impact toughness.The anisotropy in plastic flow and sensitivity to cleavage fracture has been characterized as a function of temperature, by using tensile tests on specifically designed smooth and notched specimens. From finite element mechanical analysis of these tests, critical cleavage stresses normal to the rolling plane and the theta-plane are considerably lower (around 25%) than for planes normal to the rolling and transverse directions.The anisotropy in critical cleavage stress has been quantitatively correlated to microtexture anisotropy. So-called “potential cleavage facets” have been defined and measured in this study, as regions with unfavorably oriented {100} planes, which are taken as unit crack paths for cleavage propagation. A sample containing 20% of potential cleavage facets had a critical cleavage stress 20% lower than a sample with only 10% of potential cleavage facets.The size and shape of these potential cleavage facets evolve during plastic deformation. Therefore, the critical cleavage stress was found to be affected by plastic strain history. In the case of delamination, potential cleavage facets along the rolling plane were elongated during loading, their area was increased and the corresponding critical cleavage stress decreased by around 30% with respect to the undeformed case. This made delamination cracking easier. Moreover, the presence of a ductile crack at the initiation site of delamination locally modified the stress state and also facilitated delamination occurrence. A criterion has been developed to numerically predict the onset of delamination in tensile and Charpy specimens.Application of this approach to heat-treated and to prestrained specimens eventually showed that it was possible to modify the sensitivity to delamination by strongly modifying the initial microtexture anisotropy.

Abstract From the largest discontinuities to the smallest of the elements, various factors can threaten structural integrity. Susceptibility to these factors elevates with higher yield strengths. As-quenched low-carbon steels with a martensitic or martensitic-bainitic microstructure are modern ultra-high-strength structural steels. They can possess sufficient toughness, formability, and weldability, and are typically used in weight-critical and high-performance structures. Common problems with as-quenched steels with a yield strength of 900 MPa or more are that they do not obey the conventional correlation between the fracture toughness reference temperature T₀ and the impact toughness transition temperature T₂₈ᴊ used in many standards and structural integrity assessment procedures, and a lack of design rules in general. This thesis studies the relationship between the T₀ and T₂₈ᴊ to provide additional knowledge for future standardisation, the microstructural features governing the toughness at these temperatures on both global and local scale, and whether hydrogen embrittlement is present at subzero temperatures. It uses steels produced via laboratory rolling and quenching as well as from pilot-scale and full-scale industrial production, studying them with standardised toughness tests, microstructural characterisation, fractography, and cohesive zone modelling. As-quenched steels have a distinct correlation between T₀ and T₂₈ᴊ. An improved general T₀ – T₂₈ᴊ correlation applies to a wide range of steels. T₂₈ᴊ correlates closely with a dynamic reference toughness, which can be used together with the fraction of detrimental {100} cleavage planes near the main fracture plain to effectively estimate the transition temperatures. On a local scale, centreline segregation decreases the effective coarse grain size, which more than compensates for the harmful effects associated with the higher hardness and inclusion content of the centreline, resulting in increased fracture toughness. Hydrogen embrittlement causes a decrease in fracture toughness and local deformability, thereby increasing T₀ while leaving T₂₈ᴊ unaffected. Overall, the results show that high toughness demands good control of effective coarse grain size and hydrogen content. / Tiivistelmä Tekijät suurimmista epäjatkuvuuskohdista aina pienimpään alkuaineeseen voivat uhata rakenteellista eheyttä, minkä lisäksi alttius näille kasvaa materiaalin myötölujuuden kasvaessa. Modernit karkaistun tilan ultralujat matalahiiliset rakenneteräkset voivat silti omata riittävän sitkeyden, muovattavuuden ja hitsattavuuden. Tyypillisiä käyttökohteita näille ovat painon suhteen kriittiset ja korkean suorituskyvyn rakenteet. Yleinen ongelma myötölujuudeltaan noin ja yli 900 MPa karkaistun tilan teräksillä on se, että ne eivät noudata perinteistä murtumissitkeyden referenssilämpötilan T₀ ja iskusitkeyden transitiolämpötilan T₂₈ᴊ välistä korrelaatiota, jota käytetään useissa standardeissa ja suunnitteluohjeissa, jotka eivät myöskään vielä salli näin lujien terästen käyttöä. Tämä väitöstyö tutkii transitiolämpötilojen T₀ ja T₂₈ᴊ välistä suhdetta edistääkseen näiden terästen sisällyttämistä standardeihin, haurasmurtuma-sitkeyteen vaikuttavia mikrorakenteellisia tekijöitä sekä yleisellä että paikallisella tasolla, ja vetyhaurautta matalissa lämpötiloissa. Koeteräkset ovat laboratoriovalmisteisia, tuotantokokeita ja tuotantolaatuja. Niitä tutkitaan standardisoiduilla sitkeyskokeilla, mikrorakenteen karakterisoinnilla, fraktografialla ja koheesiovyöhykettä hyödyntävällä mallinnuksella. Tulokset osoittavat karkaistun tilan terästen omaavan erityisen korrelaation T₀ ja T₂₈ᴊ välillä. Muokattu, ultralujat teräkset huomioiva yleinen T₀ – T₂₈ᴊ -korrelaatio soveltuu laajalti eri terästyypeille. T₂₈ᴊ korreloi läheisesti dynaamisen referenssisitkeyden kanssa, jonka avulla yhdessä haitallisten {100} lohkomurtumatasojen osuuden kanssa voidaan estimoida joukko transitiolämpötiloja. Paikallisella tasolla keskilinjasuotauma pienentää efektiivistä karkeiden rakeiden kokoa, mikä suotauman suurista sulkeumista ja kovuudesta huolimatta parantaa murtumissitkeyttä. Vetyhauraus taas huonontaa sitkeyttä ja paikallista muodonmuutoskykyä myös matalissa lämpötiloissa nostaen T₀ lämpötiloja. Kokonaisuutena erinomainen transitiolämpötilasitkeys vaatii efektiivisen karkearaekoon ja vetypitoisuuden minimointia.

De récents travaux consacrés à l’étude des propriétés des matériaux aux petites échelles ont souligné des différences exceptionnelles dans le comportement mécanique des nano-objets par rapport aux matériaux massifs. Dans le cas du silicium, une transition fragile-ductile à température ambiante a été observée lorsque la taille des échantillons est réduite. Cependant, les défauts et les mécanismes à l’origine de ce changement de comportement n’ont pas été clairement identifiés. Ce travail repose sur l’étude post mortem de nanopiliers déformés, en utilisant différentes techniques de microscopie électronique. Les nanopiliers étudiés ont été préparés par gravure plasma et déformés en compression à température ambiante. Les résultats obtenus durant cette thèse, confirment la différence de comportement des nano-objets par rapport au matériau massif. Par ailleurs, une grande variété de défauts produits lors de la compression a été observée. L’orientation cristallographique de l’axe de sollicitation semble avoir un impact important sur les mécanismes à l’origine du comportement ductile observé. La comparaison entre images HRTEM expérimentales et simulées témoigne de la propagation simultanée de dislocations partielles et parfaites dans les plans {111}. De plus, des événements plastiques ont également été observés dans des plans {115}. Divers mécanismes de déformation possibles impliqués lors de la compression des piliers sont décrits à partir des observations microscopiques. Un modèle tenant compte de l’influence sur la mobilité des dislocations des interactions entre systèmes de glissement est proposé afin d’expliquer la transition fragile-ductile observé aux petites échelles / Several recent works devoted to the study of the properties of materials at small scales have revealed exceptional differences in the mechanical behavior of nano-objects as compared to bulk material. In the case of silicon, a brittle-ductile transition at room temperature has been observed when the sample size decreases. However, the extended defects and mechanisms behind this behavioral change have not been clearly identified. This work is based on the post mortem study of deformed nanopillars, using different electron microscopy techniques. The studied nano-pillars of 100 nm in diameter were prepared by plasma etching (RIE) and deformed in compression at room temperature. The results obtained during this thesis confirm the difference in the behavior of nano-objects compared to bulk material. Moreover, a large variety of defects produced during plastic deformation has been observed. The crystallographic orientation of the deformation axis seems to have a significant impact on the mechanisms behind the observed ductile behavior. The comparison between experimental and simulated HRTEM images notably evidences the simultaneous propagation of partial and perfect dislocations in {111} planes. In addition, unexpected plastic events have also been observed in {115} planes. Various possible deformation mechanisms involved during the nano-compression of the pillars are described, based on the microscopic observations. Finally, a model considering the influence of interactions between various activated systems on the mobility of dislocations is proposed to explain the brittle-ductile transition observed at small scales in silicon

No description available.

No description available.

In the present thesis the crack propagation in the ductile-brittle transition region is studied on two scales with deterministic models. In the macroscopic model the ductile failure is described by a non-local Gurson-model whereas the discrete void microstructure is resolved around the crack tip in the microscopic model. The failure by cleavage is not evaluated by means of a post-processing criterion but is modeled equivalently using a cohesive zone model on both scales. Thus, cleavage is not a priori identified with unstable crack propagation but the transition between stable and unstable mode of propagation is a result of the simulation. The problem of handling completely failed material within the framework of non-local damage models is pointed out. A method to overcome this problem is proposed and successfully applied. The case of contained plastic yielding at the crack tip is addressed with a modified-boundary layer model. The macroscopic simulations reproduce many features which are known from experiments like the formation of stretch zones, cleavage after initial ductile tearing, pop-ins with crack arrest, among others. The microscopic simulations substantiate the understanding of the macroscopically observed behavior. Systematic parameter studies are performed. Starting with considerations on the limit cases like pure ductile failure or the lower-ductile brittle transition region allows to separate the effects of the different constitutive parameters. Based on these results, a methodology is proposed to extract the macroscopic material parameters from experiments. This scheme is successfully applied to experimental data from literature. The results show that the behavior of a low-constraint specimen can be reliably predicted with the parameters extracted from a high-constraint specimen. / In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird die Rissausbreitung im spröd-duktilen Übergangsbereich auf zwei Skalen mittels deterministischer Modelle untersucht. Das duktile Versagen wird im makroskopischen Modell durch ein nichtlokales Gurson-Modell beschrieben, während im mikroskopischen Modell die Porenmikrostruktur im Bereich um die Rissspitze diskret aufgelöst wird. Das mögliche Versagen durch Spaltbruch wird nicht, wie üblich, nachträglich durch ein spannungsbasiertes Kriterium bewertet. Stattdessen wird der Spaltbruch auf beiden Skalen durch ein Kohäsivzonenmodell abgebildet. Somit wird die Spaltbruchinitiierung nicht a priori mit instabiler Rissausbreitung gleichgesetzt. Vielmehr ist die Stabilität der Rissausbreitung ein Ergebnis der Simulationen. Außerdem wird das Problem der der Handhabung vollständig ausgefallenen Materials im Rahmen nichtlokaler Schädigungsmodelle herausgestellt. Es wird eine Methode vorgestellt, dieses Problem zu behandeln und erfolgreich angewendet. In den Simulationen wird der Fall vollständig eingebetteten, plastischen Fließens untersucht. Die Simulationen mit dem makroskopischen Modell geben viele Effekte wieder, die aus Experimenten bekannt sind. Dazu zählen die Ausbildung von Stretchzonen, die Spaltbruchinitiierung nach anfänglichem, duktilem Reißen oder lokale Instabilitäten mit Rissarrest. Die mikroskopischen Simulationen tragen zum Verständnis des makroskopisch beobachteten Verhaltens bei. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden systematische Parameterstudien durchgeführt. Zunächst werden Grenzfälle wie das rein duktile Versagens oder der Spaltbruch in Abwesenheit der Mikroporen untersucht, um die Einflüsse der einzelnen Materialparameter abzugrenzen. Ausgehend von diesen Ergebnissen wird eine Prozedur vorgeschlagen, die Materialparameter des makroskopischen Modells Schritt für Schritt aus Experimenten zu bestimmen. Diese Prozedur wird erfolgreich auf experimentelle Daten aus der Literatur angewendet. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass es das entwickelte Modell erlaubt, das Verhalten einer Bruchmechanikprobe mit geringer Dehnungsbehinderung an der Rissspitze mit denjenigen Materialparametern vorherzusagen, die an Proben mit einer hohen Dehnungsbehinderung ermittelt wurden.

Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) are a new class of structural materials and exhibit unique combinations of mechanical properties. As a result, their mechanical behavior has been an active area of scientific pursuit in the recent past and considerable emphasis has been paid to understand plastic deformation in them. It is now well accepted that shear transformation zones (STZs), aided by free volume, are the fundamental carriers of plasticity. At a microscopic level, deformation at low temperatures and high stresses tends to localize into shear bands. Most BMGs posses high fracture toughness despite high yield strengths and poor global ductility. However, the micro-mechanisms of fracture and fatigue in this new class of materials are not fully understood yet. The overall objective of this study is to provide insights into the fracture and fatigue response of amorphous alloys, which is important both from scientific and technological perspectives. The key questions we seek to answer through this study are the following. Do amorphous alloys undergo a ductile-brittle transition (DBT), and if so what are the reasons for it? What are the parameters that influence fatigue crack initiation in amorphous alloys and whether fatigue life can be improved by surface treatments? A related question is whether the BMGs are susceptible to deformation-induced crystallization (DIC). A Zr-based BMG, Zr41.2Ti13.75Cu12.5Ni10Be22.5 was utilized to conduct this study. By comparing the fracture and fatigue behaviors in the as-cast and annealed states {annealing was carried out below the glass transition temperature (Tg) because of established embrittlement effects}, we seek to provide answers for the questions posed above. We begin by examining the influence of temperature on the toughness of BMGs. Impact toughness measurements show that the annealed samples, which are brittle at room temperature, recover the lost toughness beyond a critical temperature (TDB) and exhibit a sharp DBT. However, the hardness remains unaffected across the TDB. Fractography reveals nano-scale patterning and cleavage fracture in the brittle state, while the formation of thick vein-patterns and shear fracture are characteristics of the ductile state of the annealed samples. We explore various micro-mechanistic possibilities for explaining the features of this transition, including a critical Poisson’s ratio-toughness correlation. Next, to understand the origins of fatigue crack initiation, we study the un-notched fatigue response of as-cast and sub-Tg annealed Zr-based BMG specimens. Because of embrittlement and nano-crystallization at the crack initiation region, the annealed specimens exhibit a lower fatigue life than the as-cast specimens. Shot-peening of the as-cast specimens did not exhibit significant improvement in their fatigue performance because of competing effects between the compressive residual stress field (CRSF) and deformation-induced softening. To further investigate surface and repeated loading effects, the tribological response of the as-cast Zr-based BMG was compared with specimens annealed above and below the Tg. A good correlation between the hardness (increasing as a function of the annealing temperature) and wear rate was obtained. The formation and peeling of the oxide layer formed during testing was the primary wear mechanism in all the specimens. Lastly, crystallization was observed within the deformed region of the as-cast Zr-based BMG repeatedly scratched with a sharp diamond indenter. But, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) does not reveal any evidence of crystallization within the indents formed within an electron transparent film formed by laser deposition of the as-cast Zr-based BMG. Absence of crystallization in deformed regions obtained by designing critical experiments, which avoid artifacts generated during sample preparation, suggests that the occasional observation of DIC might be an exception rather than the rule in BMGs.

Submitted by ISABELA ATILIO null (isabelaatilio@hotmail.com) on 2017-10-31T16:58:11Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Final - Isabela Atilio.pdf: 12968588 bytes, checksum: 24d1b58efcf37a8ffc0d9ed1afc4d7d4 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by LUIZA DE MENEZES ROMANETTO (luizamenezes@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2017-11-10T19:48:34Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 atilio_i_me_guara.pdf: 12968588 bytes, checksum: 24d1b58efcf37a8ffc0d9ed1afc4d7d4 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-11-10T19:48:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 atilio_i_me_guara.pdf: 12968588 bytes, checksum: 24d1b58efcf37a8ffc0d9ed1afc4d7d4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-09-18 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / O aumento da demanda por petróleo e seus derivados tem instigado o desenvolvimento de materiais para dutos com elevadas tenacidade à fratura e resistência mecânica, como os aços de alta resistência e baixa liga (ARBL) pertencentes às classes API. Aliada à utilização destes aços, a aplicação do processo de soldagem por resistência elétrica de alta frequência (HF/ERW) tem conquistado maior interesse no setor. Entretanto, defeitos nas juntas soldadas constituem uma das principais causas de falhas em dutos, principalmente quando associados às condições externas de operação, o que tem sido motivo para estudos relacionados à integridade estrutural destes tubos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar a tenacidade à fratura de um tubo de aço API 5L X70 soldado pelo processo HF/ERW, a partir de dados obtidos com ensaios CTOD de espécimes de flexão por três pontos, tipo SE(B) “gull wing”. A metodologia proposta envolveu ensaios de CTOD a variadas temperaturas, incluindo a região de transição dúctil-frágil, a fim de avaliar a integridade estrutural do material em condições críticas de operação. Os ensaios foram realizados com base nas normas ASTM E1820 e BS7448, e consistiram na utilização de corpos de prova retirados diretamente da parede do tubo, com posterior planificação. De forma geral, as amostras de material base apresentaram uma boa tenacidade à fratura em todas as temperaturas de ensaio, o que não aconteceu com as amostras de material de solda, que apresentaram baixa tenacidade. Os resultados de tenacidade obtidos mostraram que a metodologia empregada para o estudo da integridade estrutural por meio de ensaios CTOD com amostras extraídas diretamente da parede do tubo, com posterior planificação, mostrou-se adequada. Embora as normas ASTM E1820 e BS7448 adotem diferentes parâmetros para a determinação do valor de CTOD, observou-se que os valores de CTOD foram bem próximos. / The increasing demand for oil and its products has driven the development of materials for ducts with high fracture toughness and high mechanical strength, such as high strength low alloy (HSLA) steels, appertaining to the API classes. In addition to the use of these steels, the application of the high frequency resistance welding process (HF/ERW) has gained greater interest in the sector. However, defects in the welded joints are one of the most causes of failures in pipelines, especially when they are associated with external operating conditions, which has been the reason for studies related to the structural integrity of these tubes. The aim of this work was to study the fracture toughness of an API 5L X70 steel tube welded by the HF/ERW process, from data obtained with CTOD tests bending specimens by three points, type SE (B) gull wing. The proposed methodology involved CTOD tests at various temperatures, including the ductile-brittle transition region, in order to assess the structural integrity of the material under critical operating conditions. The tests were performed based on the ASTM E1820 and BS7448 standards, and consisted of the use of specimens taken directly from the wall of the tube, with subsequent planning. In general, the base material samples showed good fracture toughness at all test temperatures, which did not occur with the samples of welded material, which presented low toughness. The toughness results obtained showed that the methodology used for the study of structural integrity by means of the CTOD tests with samples drawn directly from the wall of the tube, with subsequent planning, was adequate. Although the ASTM E1820 and BS7448 standards adopt different parameters for the determination of the CTOD value, it was observed that the CTOD values were very close.

The effect of Laves phase (Fe2Nb) formation on the Charpy impact toughness of the ferritic stainless steel type AISI 441 was investigated. The steel exhibits good toughness after solution treatment at 850°C, but above and below this treatment temperature the impact toughness decreases sharply. With heat treatment below 850°C the presence of the Laves phase on grain boundaries and dislocations plays a significant role in embrittlement of the steel whereas above that temperature, an increase in the grain size from grain growth plays a major role in the impact embrittlement of this alloy. The toughness results agree with the phase equilibrium calculations made using Thermo–Calc® whereby it was observed that a decrease in the Laves phase volume fraction with increasing temperature corresponds to an increase in the impact toughness of the steel. Annealing above 900°C where no Laves phase exists, grain growth is found which similarly has a very negative influence on the steel’s impact properties. Where both a large grain size as well as Laves phase is present, it appears that the grain size may be the dominant embrittlement mechanism. Both the Laves phase and grain growth, therefore, have a significant influence on the impact properties of the steel, while the Laves phase’s precipitation behaviour has also been investigated with reference to the plant’s manufacturing process, particularly the cooling rate after a solution treatment. The microstructural analysis of the grain size shows that there is a steady increase in grain size up to about 950°C, but between 950°C and 1000°C there is a sudden and rapid 60 % increase in the grain size. The TEM analysis of the sample that was annealed at 900°C shows that the Laves phase had already completely dissolved and cannot, therefore, be responsible for “unpinning of grain boundaries” at temperatures of 900°C and higher where this “sudden” increase in grain size was found. The most plausible explanation appears to be one of Nb solute drag that loses its effectiveness within this temperature range, but this probably requires some further study to fully prove this effect. During isothermal annealing within the temperature range of 600 to 850°C, the time – temperature – precipitation (TTP) diagram for the Laves phase as determined from the transformation kinetic curves, shows two classical C noses on the transformation curves. The first one occurring at the higher temperatures of about 750 to 825°C and the second one at much lower temperatures, estimated to possibly be in the range of about 650 to 675°C. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses show that there are two independent nucleation mechanisms that are occurring within these two temperature ranges. At lower temperatures of about 600°C, the pertaining nucleation mechanism is on dislocations and as the temperature is increased to above 750°C, grain boundary nucleation becomes more dominant. Also, the morphology of the particles and the mis-orientation with the matrix changes with temperature. At lower temperatures the particles are more needle-like in shape, but as the temperature is increased the shape becomes more spheroidal. The effect of the steel’s composition on the Laves phase transformation kinetics shows that by lowering the Nb content in these type 441 stainless steels, had no significance effect on the kinetics on precipitation of the Laves phase. However, a Mo addition and a larger grain size of the steel, retard the formation of the Laves phase, although the optimum values of both parameters still need further quantification. The calculation made for the transformation kinetics of the Laves phase, using the number density of nucleation sites No and the interfacial energy, as the fitting parameters in this work, demonstrated a reasonable agreement with experimental results. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering / unrestricted

The diploma thesis is aimed to assesment of the influence of the specimen orientation during the Small Punch Tests (SPT). Steel ČSN 41 0214, or its equivalent steel RFe80, W.-Nr. 1.104 was chosen for experiments. Resulting records from SPT were evaluated using already known correlations which are reported in literature. The correlation values were compared with values obtained by the standard tests like Charpy impact test and tensile test. The influence of axial, radial and tangential test specimens orientation is discussed in relation to Ductile-to-Brittle fracture behaviour of the steel.