No description available.

No description available.

Stronger and higher strength steels are continuously being demanded by industry. A stronger steel enables less material to be used to meet structural requirements, allowing for both cost and weight savings. Through collaboration with Stelco, CanmetMATERIALS, and McMaster University, this project focused on the development of a Grade 80 (550MPa YS and 600MPa UTS) steel with elongation at fracture of 16%. The design space for the creation of the steel was limited to high-strength low-alloy and low-carbon steels that are compatible with batch-annealing processes. To achieve this goal, two main strengthening methods were explored. The first method employed the use of precipitation hardening through microalloying additions of Mo, Nb, Ti, and V to form various metal carbide precipitates. The second method was based upon dislocation strengthening using recovery annealing and Ti to delay recrystallization. Multi-scale characterization was used to quantify the strengthening mechanisms and to explain how the microstructural changes, features, and evolution affected the properties of the steel. Uniaxial tensile testing was performed to determine key mechanical properties, namely the yield strength, tensile strength, and elongation at fracture. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and atom probe tomography were utilized extensively for microstructural analysis to further quantify the steels. The precipitation hardened steel reached a yield strength of 605MPa with 15.4% elongation at fracture for a 50mm gauge length. This was achieved using a cold rolling reduction of 66% followed by a heat treatment at 670°C for 24 hours. The recovery-annealed steel obtained even better properties. It achieved a yield strength of 610MPa with a 19.6% elongation at fracture for a 25.4mm gauge length. A cold rolling reduction of 60% was used followed by a heat treatment at 550°C for 36 hours. The strengthening mechanism for this steel is novel, and involves the slowing of recrystallization without Zener pinning nor solute decoration of dislocations. This thesis will hopefully bring upon new research into this mechanism. Furthermore, the properties of this recovery-annealed steel shows great promise for use in industry due to its high strength, good elongation, and low materials cost. Consequently, this steel could be the subject of substantial research in the near future. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

Recovery, recrystallization, grain growth and precipitation constitute the fundamentals of thermomechanical controlled processing (TMCP) of microalloyed steels. In-depth understanding of these phenomena is indeed needed. In this work, the individual components and some of the potential mutual interactions have been investigated deliberately. The effect of alloying elements of Mn, Si, and Al on recovery and recrystallization has been systematically studied by conducting the stress relaxation tests on binary Fe-0.1%C and ternary Fe-0.1%C-X alloys. The effect of temperature on recovery kinetics was also investigated. The effects were considered by fitting the recovery model through the activation volume term. Higher temperature or lower solute content will accelerate the recovery process and then facilitate the onset of recrystallization. NbC precipitation behavior has been investigated using a nickel-based model alloy, having samples deformed at both room temperature and elevated temperature and subjected to annealing at 700℃ for different times, in order to elucidate the stages of nucleation, growth and coarsening for precipitation. The microstructures preserved by water quenching were examined using transmission electron microscopy (with both metal foil and carbon replica specimens). Results from mechanical response and microstructural evolution are linked and discussed. The precipitate number density and size evolution show good agreements with predictions from a classical strain-induced precipitation model. The in-situ laser-ultrasonics measurement of C-Mn steels provides a unique way to evaluate grain size evolution during TMCP, for different strains of 0.15, 0.25 and 0.35, at 950℃ and 1050℃. Effects of temperature and strain on recovery, recrystallization and grain growth have been covered and elucidated. Higher strains facilitate the onset of recrystallization and grain size refinement. However, higher temperatures only shorten the onset of recrystallization but lead to larger grain size. The effect of microalloying element of Nb on softening kinetics was also investigated by comparing C-Mn/C-Mn-Nb steels at the same conditions. The solute drag effect of Nb can be seen by the onset-delays of recrystallization and larger grain sizes. The laser-ultrasonics results can match well with stress relaxation measurements. The in-situ grain size evolution data has given the possibility to develop robust thermomechanical processing (TMP) models combining deformation, recovery, precipitation, recrystallization and grain growth. The application and validation of the TMP models have been attempted and remain ongoing. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Diversas pesquisas em processos de soldagem para construção naval concentram-se em reduzir peso, aumentar a eficiência de energia, melhorar a resistência à corrosão e à tenacidade, bem como reduzir custos e tempo na construção dos navios. O aço naval microligado, AH36, apresenta boa correlação entre estrutura, propriedades mecânicas e soldabilidade. Estas características se devem principalmente a redução dos teores de carbono em função do uso de elementos microligantes como V, Nb e Ti, e do tipo de processo de obtenção das chapas pelo processo termomecânico seguido de resfriamento acelerado (em inglês: Thermomechanical control process -TMCP). Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho é avaliar a soldagem do aço naval AH 36 pelo processo de arco submerso com um e dois arames. Para tanto foram empregados os ensaios mecânicos de tração, de dobramento e de dureza. A tenacidade foi determinada pelo ensaio de Charpy com entalhe em V. Para caracterização metalográfica foram aplicadas as seguintes técnicas: Microscopia óptica (MO) e Microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV) e difração de raios X. Os resultados mostraram que as juntas soldadas apresentaram limite de resistência máxima de 561 MPa, com rompimento localizado no metal de base. No ensaio de microdureza foi observado que a região de crescimento de grão da zona afetada pelo calor, no experimento com a técnica Tandem, apresentou-se a região mais rígida das juntas analisadas, também o valor de microdureza no metal de solda foi 10% maior que no metal de base. Os resultados dos ensaios de impacto Charpy V mostraram que a temperatura de transição dúctil frágil do metal de base é de -30ºC. Da mesma maneira, o menor valor de energia absorvida foi para região do metal de solda. Através da análise da micrografia foi possível identificar diferentes morfologias de ferrita, a presença de perlita e pequenas regiões de martensita, bem como a presença de agregados MA. / Several researches in welding processes for shipbuilding has been focusing on reducing weight, increasing energy efficiency, improving corrosion resistance and toughness as well as reducing costs and time in the construction of ships. The microalloyed steel AH36 shipbuilding presents a good correlation among structure, mechanical properties and weldability. These features are mainly because reduction in carbon content due to the use of microalloying elements such as V, Nb and Ti, together with the process of steel plates by thermomechanical control process (TMCP), Therefore, the objective of this study is to evaluate the welding of shipbuilding steel AH 36 by submerged arc process with one and two wires. It was utilized tests such as: tensile, bending and hardness tests. The toughness was determined by Charpy V-Notch test. The metallographic characterization was carried out by the following techniques: optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-Rays diffraction. The results showed that the tensile test for welded joints presented maximum resistance limit of 561 MPa, and the rupture was located in the base metal. Microhardness test showed that the region of coarse grain of heat affected zone, in the tandem submerged arc welding (SAW), presented the hardest region of the welded joint, also the microhardness value in the weld metal was 10% greater than the metal base. Charpy V notch test tests depicted a ductile brittle transition temperature at about -30 ºC. In the same way, the lowest absorbed energy was identified in the weld metal region. Through microstructure characterization it was possible to identify different morphologies of ferrite, pearlite and the small presence of martensite, as well as, the presence of aggregates MA.

Microalloyed steels are widely used in oil and gas pipelines. They are a class of high strength, low carbon steels containing small additions (in amounts less than 0.1 wt%) of Nb, Ti and/or V. The steels may contain other alloying elements, such as Mo, in amounts exceeding 0.1wt%. Microalloyed steels have good strength, good toughness and excellent weldability, which are attributed in part to the presence of precipitates, especially nano-precipitates with sizes less than 10nm. Nano-precipitates have an important strengthening contribution, i.e. precipitation strengthening. In order to fully understand steel strengthening mechanisms, it is necessary to determine the precipitation strengthening contribution. Because of the fine sizes and low volume fraction, conventional microscopic methods are not satisfactory for quantifying the nano-precipitates. Matrix dissolution is a promising alternative to extract the precipitates for quantification. Relatively large volumes of material can be analyzed, so that statistically significant quantities of precipitates of different sizes are collected. In this thesis, the microstructure features of a series of microalloyed steels are characterized using optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Matrix dissolution techniques have been developed to extract the precipitates from the above microalloyed steels. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) are combined to analyze the chemical speciation of these precipitates. Rietveld refinement of the XRD pattern is used to fully quantify the relative amounts of the precipitates. The size distribution of the nano-precipitates (mostly 10 nm) is quantified using dark field imaging (DF) in the TEM. The effects of steel chemistry and processing parameters on grain microstructure and the amount of nano-precipitates are discussed. Individual strengthening contributions due to grain size effect, solid solution strengthening and precipitation strengthening are quantified to fully understand the strengthening mechanisms of the steels. / Materials Engineering

No description available.

Diversas pesquisas em processos de soldagem para construção naval concentram-se em reduzir peso, aumentar a eficiência de energia, melhorar a resistência à corrosão e à tenacidade, bem como reduzir custos e tempo na construção dos navios. O aço naval microligado, AH36, apresenta boa correlação entre estrutura, propriedades mecânicas e soldabilidade. Estas características se devem principalmente a redução dos teores de carbono em função do uso de elementos microligantes como V, Nb e Ti, e do tipo de processo de obtenção das chapas pelo processo termomecânico seguido de resfriamento acelerado (em inglês: Thermomechanical control process -TMCP). Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho é avaliar a soldagem do aço naval AH 36 pelo processo de arco submerso com um e dois arames. Para tanto foram empregados os ensaios mecânicos de tração, de dobramento e de dureza. A tenacidade foi determinada pelo ensaio de Charpy com entalhe em V. Para caracterização metalográfica foram aplicadas as seguintes técnicas: Microscopia óptica (MO) e Microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV) e difração de raios X. Os resultados mostraram que as juntas soldadas apresentaram limite de resistência máxima de 561 MPa, com rompimento localizado no metal de base. No ensaio de microdureza foi observado que a região de crescimento de grão da zona afetada pelo calor, no experimento com a técnica Tandem, apresentou-se a região mais rígida das juntas analisadas, também o valor de microdureza no metal de solda foi 10% maior que no metal de base. Os resultados dos ensaios de impacto Charpy V mostraram que a temperatura de transição dúctil frágil do metal de base é de -30ºC. Da mesma maneira, o menor valor de energia absorvida foi para região do metal de solda. Através da análise da micrografia foi possível identificar diferentes morfologias de ferrita, a presença de perlita e pequenas regiões de martensita, bem como a presença de agregados MA. / Several researches in welding processes for shipbuilding has been focusing on reducing weight, increasing energy efficiency, improving corrosion resistance and toughness as well as reducing costs and time in the construction of ships. The microalloyed steel AH36 shipbuilding presents a good correlation among structure, mechanical properties and weldability. These features are mainly because reduction in carbon content due to the use of microalloying elements such as V, Nb and Ti, together with the process of steel plates by thermomechanical control process (TMCP), Therefore, the objective of this study is to evaluate the welding of shipbuilding steel AH 36 by submerged arc process with one and two wires. It was utilized tests such as: tensile, bending and hardness tests. The toughness was determined by Charpy V-Notch test. The metallographic characterization was carried out by the following techniques: optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-Rays diffraction. The results showed that the tensile test for welded joints presented maximum resistance limit of 561 MPa, and the rupture was located in the base metal. Microhardness test showed that the region of coarse grain of heat affected zone, in the tandem submerged arc welding (SAW), presented the hardest region of the welded joint, also the microhardness value in the weld metal was 10% greater than the metal base. Charpy V notch test tests depicted a ductile brittle transition temperature at about -30 ºC. In the same way, the lowest absorbed energy was identified in the weld metal region. Through microstructure characterization it was possible to identify different morphologies of ferrite, pearlite and the small presence of martensite, as well as, the presence of aggregates MA.

<p> The advantages of Thin-Slab Cast Direct-Rolling (TSCDR) process include reduced capital, energy, labour and inventory costs, as well as the ability to roll thinner strip compared to the conventional process of thick slab casting, reheating and hot rolling. There is great interest in utilizing this technology to produce microalloyed steels which can meet American Petroleum Institute (API) standards. However, whereas the conventional approach can produce APIX80, APIXlOO, and even APIX120 steels; the TSCDR process can only produce APIX70 and APIX80. The main obstacles in the way of achieving high API grades are the non-uniform initial as-cast microstructure and the large grains that result from grain growth at high temperature. The production of APIX80 and higher grade steels can only be achieved through a comprehensive research initiative that combines careful control of solidification, homogenization, thermomechanical-processing, cooling and coiling. </p> <p> This contribution examines the solid state microstructure evolution of microalloyed steels under simulated TSCDR conditions. The grain growth kinetics in delta-ferrite and austenite were studied separately using two model alloys. At high temperatures and in the absence of precipitation, the growth kinetics in both delta-ferrite and austenite appeared to follow a simple parabolic growth law. The measured grain growth kinetics was then applied to the problem of grain-size control during the process of TSCDR. Several strategies of controlling and refining the grain size were examined. The kinetics of delta-ferrite to austenite phase transformation was investigated using a quenching dilatometer; the results showed that the austenite phase formed along the original delta grain boundaries, and that the precipitation of austenite at the delta-ferrite grain boundaries effectively pins delta grain growth. The kinetics of the phase transformation was modeled using a local equilibrium model that captures the partitioning of the substitutional elements during the transformation. </p> <p> A novel delta-ferrite/austenite duplex microstructure is proposed to achieve fine and uniform high-temperature microstructure. The grain growth of the matrix phase (delta-ferrite) is controlled by the coarsening mechanism of pinning phase (austenite). The effectiveness of this delta/austenite duplex microstructure was validated experimentally and analyzed in details using a physically-based model. </p> / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

In s industrial production is more and more requierement to a saving costs. Findig savings has been removed even to the areas using safety parts, f.e. parts of car chassis. This projekct agglomerate posibilities of technology controled cooling proces of die forgings from micro alloy steel, which is right example how we can spare production expenditure. Micro alloy steel 30MNVS6 was studied within the standard production conditions. A lot of tests were made. There where change a cooling rates of proceses without delay after forging proces. One experiment was made for two temperature of forging.proces. Two series of mechanical tests was made and then was observed phenomenon of metalurgical structure changed and mechanical properties.