Volume 36, Issue 7 -

In order to realize comprehensive and massive treatment of boron mud secondary resource, fundamental study on boron mud applied to oxidized pellets production as additive was carried out in the paper under laboratory conditions. The effects of boron mud on the performance of oxidized pellets were investigated systemically, and boron mud was combined with other boron-rich material innovatively. The results showed that, within certain limits, boron mud can improve properties of oxidized pellets. The bentonite content decreased to 0.3 % when adding 1.0 % boron mud additive and the pellets met blast furnace requirements. With the combination additive content 0.8 %, bentonite content can be further decreased to 0.2 %, and the pellets properties were better than base pellet. Therefore, it was an effective way to reduce environmental pollution and optimize blast furnace operation by developing boron mud secondary resource as pellets additive.

The hot workability of the ultra-high strength steel BR1500HS has been investigated by processing maps. A series of hot deformation tensile tests were carried out on a Gleeble-3500 thermal simulator in the deformation temperature range of 773–1,223 K and strain rate range of 0.01–10 s –1 . The obtained flow stress curves reveal that the peak stress increases with the rising of strain rate and decreases with the rising of temperature. Based on dynamic materials model (DMM), the processing maps at the strains of 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15 were developed, and the optimum hot working conditions were recommended as the temperature range of 1,200–1,223 K and the strain rate range of 0.01–0.1 s –1 , where the peak power dissipation efficiency is about 37 % revealing the occurrence of typical dynamic recrystallization (DRX). The main instability defects are deformation twinning and micro-crack occurring mainly at the temperature range of 773–873 K with the strain rate higher than 1 s –1 . In order to deeply understand the microstructure mechanisms, the Zener–Hollomon parameter is solved, and then the self-diffusion activation energy is compared with the apparent activation energy Q at different deformation temperatures and strain rates.

A Cr–Mo alloyed layer was prepared on a TiAl-based alloy using plasma surface alloying technique. The isothermal oxidation kinetics of the untreated and treated samples was examined at 850 °C. The microstructure and phase composition of the alloyed layer were analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). The morphology and constituent of the oxide scales were also analyzed. The results indicated that the oxidation resistance of TiAl was improved significantly after the alloying treatment. The oxide scale eventually became a mixture of Al 2 O 3 , Cr 2 O 3 and TiO 2 . The oxide scale was dense and integrated throughout the oxidation process. The improvement was mainly owing to the enhancing of scale adhesion and the preferential oxidation of aluminum brought by the alloying effect for TiAl-based alloy.

A novel Ni-Cr-Co-W-Mo-Ta-Re-B alloy consisting of plate γ and M 23 B 6 phases was prepared as interlayer for the transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding of Rene’ N5 nickel-base single crystal superalloy. The molten Ni-Cr-Co-W-Mo-Ta-Re-B alloy exhibited an excellent wettability on the nickel-base superalloy. The TLP bonding experiment has been carried out in vacuum furnace at 1,240 ℃ for 12 h and followed by post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) at 1,305 ℃ for 4 h. PWHT eliminated the intermetallic compounds and promoted the formation of γ´ precipitates in the bonding region. A more uniform microhardness profile of TLP joint was found after PWHT. The shear strength of the joint after PWHT significantly increased to 533.4 MPa compared with the value of 437.2 MPa without PWHT.

The influence of Al, Mn and rare earth (RE) on microstructure of C–Mn steel was investigated. The capacities of different RE inclusions to induce intragranular acicular ferrite (AF) formation were compared. Result shows that RE treatment could make C–Mn steel from large amounts of intragranular AF. Al killed is detrimental to the formation of intragranular AF in RE-treated C–Mn steel. An upper bainite structure would replace the AF when Al content increased to 0.027 mass %. The optimal Mn content to form AF is about 0.75–1.31 mass %. The effective RE inclusion which could induce AF nucleation is La 2 O 2 S. When patches of MnS are attached on the surface of La 2 O 2 S inclusion, AF nucleation capacity of RE-containing inclusion could enlarge obviously. The existence of manganese-depleted zone and low lattice misfit would be the main reason of La-containing inclusion inducing AF nucleation in C–Mn steel.

Defect-free joint of Ti–6Al–4V alloy was successfully friction stir welded below β-transus temperature and then tensile tests were performed. Microstructure, macrostructure, tensile properties and fracture position are mainly discussed in order to investigate how surface indentation and plate thickness influence the tensile property. Weld zone (WZ) attained below β-transus temperature that owns better tensile strength limit than base metal (BM). During the tensile test, the elongation is decided by whether BM yields. Compared with friction stir welding joint using 2.5 mm thick plate, it is very difficult for joint using 2 mm thick plates to get bigger elongation due to surface indentation. Due to the higher tensile property of the WZ, the joint without surface indentation fractures at BM, reaching the 58.46 % elongation of BM.

High temperature deformation behavior of BFe10-1-2 cupronickel alloy was investigated by means of isothermal compression tests in the temperature range of 1,023~1,273 K and strain rate range of 0.001~10 s –1 . Based on orthogonal experiment and variance analysis, the significance of the effects of strain, strain rate and deformation temperature on the flow stress was evaluated. Thereafter, a constitutive equation was developed on the basis of the orthogonal analysis conclusions. Subsequently, standard statistical parameters were introduced to verify the validity of developed constitutive equation. The results indicated that the predicted flow stress values from the constitutive equation could track the experimental data of BFe10-1-2 cupronickel alloy under most deformation conditions.

The viscosity of the liquid Al–Cu–Ni alloys has been studied by means of an oscillating crucible method. The activation energy of viscous flow was estimated from temperature dependences of the viscosity. The analysis of concentration dependence of the viscosity across a section Al 67 Cu 33 –Ni reveals its negative deviation from the linear dependence. Such behaviour of the viscosity coefficient upon additions of Ni into the liquid Al 67 Cu 33 alloy could be caused by change of the interaction parameters between different structural units in the investigated melts.

Stainless steel 441 was oxidized in water vapor containing atmospheres at 1,000 °C to study the contrary effects of water vapor on the oxidization process. The steel in 3.5 vol. % H 2 O containing atmosphere exhibited an relatively strong protective behavior. The reason was that the densification of the chromium oxide scale was promoted due to the sintering of the oxide grains via Cr-containing species vapor. But the oxidation of the steel in 11.5 ~ 15.6 vol. % H 2 O containing atmosphere followed a non-protective breakaway oxidation due to the breakage of the dense scale by “bubbles” and the formation of iron-rich oxides layer. Experimental result shows that the growth stress increased about 2 GPa during the first 70 ks in wet oxidizing atmosphere. The relatively slow increase of the oxides scale growth stress could be release in water vapor containing atmosphere.

The influence of Ti addition (~0.10 wt%) on hot ductility of as-cast high-manganese austenitic steels has been examined over the temperature range 650–1,250 °C under a constant strain rate of 10 −3  s −1 using Gleeble3500 thermal simulation testing machine. The fracture surfaces and particles precipitated at different tensile temperatures were characterized by means of scanning electron microscope and X-ray energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM–EDS). Hot ductility as a function of reduction curves shows that adding 0.10 wt% Ti made the ductility worse in the almost entire range of testing temperatures. The phases’ equilibrium diagrams of precipitates in Ti-bearing high-Mn austenitic steel were calculated by the Thermo-Calc software. The calculation result shows that 0.1 wt% Ti addition would cause Ti(C,N) precipitated at 1,499 °C, which is higher than the liquidus temperature of high-Mn austenitic steel. It indicated that Ti(C,N) particles start forming in the liquid high-Mn austenitic steel. The SEM–EDS results show that Ti(C,N) and TiC particles could be found along the austenite grain boundaries or at triple junction, and they would accelerate the extension of the cracks along the grain boundaries.

In order to investigate the formation mechanism of tunnel defect produced near the bottom of stir zone (SZ) in friction stir welding joint of Ti–6Al–4V titanium alloy, the temperature distribution during welding process was analyzed by numerical simulation and experiment. Results show that macrostructure morphology of SZ in cross section presents “bowl” shape owing to the characteristic of temperature distribution. Obvious temperature gradient appears along the thickness direction of joint. Decreasing rotational velocity reduces peak temperature and temperature gradient, which is beneficial to eliminate tunnel defect.

A cellular automaton–finite element coupling model for high-carbon continuously cast bloom of GCr15 steel is established to simulate the solidification structure and to investigate the influence of different secondary cooling modes on characteristic parameters such as equiaxed crystal ratio, grain size and secondary dendrite arm spacing, in which the effect of phase transformation and electromagnetic stirring is taken into consideration. On this basis, evolution of carbon macro-segregation for GCr15 steel bloom is researched correspondingly via industrial tests. Based on above analysis, the relationship among secondary cooling modes, characteristic parameters for solidification structure as well as carbon macro-segregation is illustrated to obtain optimum secondary cooling strategy and alleviate carbon macro-segregation degree for GCr15 steel bloom in continuous casting process. The evaluating method for element macro-segregation is applicable in various steel types.