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The design of atomic-scale microstructural traps to limit the diffusion of hydrogen is one key strategy in the development of hydrogen-embrittlement-resistant materials. In the case of bearing steels, an effective trapping mechanism may be the incorporation of finely dispersed V-Mo-Nb carbides in a ferrite matrix. First, we charged a ferritic steel with deuterium by means of electrolytic loading to achieve a high hydrogen concentration. We then immobilized it in the microstructure with a cryogenic transfer protocol before atom probe tomography (APT) analysis. Using APT, we show trapping of hydrogen within the core of these carbides with quantitative composition profiles. Furthermore, with this method the experiment can be feasibly replicated in any APT-equipped laboratory by using a simple cold chain.

The evolution of texture components for two experimental 0.06 wt% C steels, one containing 0.03 wt% Nb (Nb steel) and the second containing both 0.03 wt% Nb and 0.02 wt% Ti (Nb–Ti steel), was investigated following a new thermomechanical controlled process route, comprising first deformation, rapid reheat to 1200 °C and final deformation to various strains. Typical deformation textures were observed after first deformation for both steels. Following subsequent reheating to 1200 °C for various times, the recrystallisation textures consisted primarily of the α - 011 //RD texture fibre with a weak γ -{111}//ND texture fibre, similar to deformation textures, indicative of the dominance of a strain-induced boundary migration mechanism. The texture components after finish deformation were different from the rough deformation textures, with a strong α - 011 //RD texture fibre at the beginning, and then the strong peaks move to (111) 1 2 ¯ 1 and (111) 1 ¯ 1 ¯ 2 textures due to the deformation-induced ferrite (DIF) transformation. The effect of Ti on the recrystallisation textures and deformation textures has also been analysed in this study. The results illustrate that Ti significantly influences the γ -{111}//ND texture fibre. Finally, the textures after deformation and recrystallisation in the austenite were calculated based on the K–S orientation relationship between the austenite and ferrite. This allowed the understanding of the mechanism of recrystallisation between first and final deformation and the DIF textures during phase transformation.

Electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD) was used to study a stationary shoulder friction stir weld in Ti-6Al-4V. Weld temperatures exceeded the β -transus, resulting in a supertransus zone (STZ) that encompassed all of the thermomechanically affected zone (TMAZ) and a portion of the heat-affected zone (HAZ). Standard EBSD provided limited information on the material behavior at high temperature in the β phase field, so in-house software was used to reconstruct the crystallographic orientations of the high-temperature β phase. The portion of the HAZ that lay within the STZ exhibited the same β texture at high temperature as the retained β phase in the unaffected parent material. In the TMAZ, material was deformed in the high-temperature β phase field and, on cooling, transformed to a fully lamellar microstructure. The β textures at high temperature were dominated by the D 2 simple shear texture component. The α phase textures in the fully lamellar microstructure that formed on cooling were inherited from the shear textures of the β phase, but significant variant selection occurred.

The current study reports the detailed analysis of an observation of the local pinning of a slowly moving austenite-ferrite interface by a single nanosized oxidic particle. The observations were made during an in situ cyclic partial phase transformation experiment on a Fe-0.1C-1.0Mn alloy close to the inversion stage at which the interface migrates at a rather low velocity. The low velocity allowed capturing the interface pinning effect over a period of no less than 16 seconds. From our observations, it was possible to follow the progression of the pinning effect from the initial stages all the way through to the release of the interface. The pinning force exerted by the individual particle having a diameter of 140 nm on the austenite-ferrite interface was estimated as 175 nJ m−1, while the maximum pinning length was approximately 750 nm to either side of the particle, leading to an interface line tension of 170 nJ m−1. The observed pinning behavior is compared with the most relevant models in the literature.

The paper reviews the wear behaviour of oxide ceramics. Wear maps are considered and consequently mild and severe wear are defined. Since the use of ceramics in engineering applications require operation in the mild wear regime, the paper concentrates on mild wear mechanisms, but also considers factors which control the transition to severe wear. Within the mild wear regime, the formation of tribofilms are discussed and the manner in which dislocation activity leads to the wear transition is considered. The wear of so-called ceramic nanocomposites, for which no time dependent wear transition has yet been observed, is considered and the reasons for enhanced performance discussed. The role of transformation toughening in zirconia ceramics is considered in detail, and reasons for the generally poor wear response of these materials defined.

This work analyzes the effect of different additions of silicon (0 to 5.0 pct) on the structure of a high-Chromium white cast iron, with chromium content of 16.8 pct and carbon 2.56 pct. The alloys were analyzed in both as-cast and heat-treated conditions. Casting was undertaken in metallic molds that yielded solidification rates faster than in commercial processes. Nevertheless, there was some degree of segregation of silicon; this segregation resulted in a refinement in the microstructure of the alloy. Silicon also generated a greater influence on the structure by destabilizing the austenitic matrix, and promoted greater precipitation of eutectic carbides. Above 3 pct silicon, pearlite formation occurred in preference to martensite. After the destabilization heat treatment, the matrix structure of the irons up to 3 pct Si consisted of secondary carbides in a martensitic matrix with some retained austenite; higher Si additions produced a ferritic matrix. The different as-cast and heat-treated microstructures were correlated with selected mechanical properties such as hardness, matrix microhardness, and fracture toughness. Silicon additions increased matrix microhardness in the as-cast conditions, but the opposite phenomenon occurred in the heat-treated conditions. Microhardness decreased as silicon content was increased. Bulk hardness showed the same behavior. Fracture toughness was observed to increase up to 2 pct Si, and then decreased for higher silicon contents. These results are discussed in terms of the effect of eutectic carbides’ size and the resulting matrix due to the silicon additions.

The effect of forward and reverse torsion on flow behavior and microstructure evolution, particularly dynamic and static spheroidization, on Ti-6Al-4V with an alpha lamella colony microstructure was studied. Testing was undertaken sub beta transus [1088 K (815 °C)] at strain rates of either 0.05 or 0.5 s −1 . Quantitative metallography and electron back scatter diffraction has identified that a critical monotonic strain ( ε c ) in the range of 0.3 to 0.6 is required to initiate rapid dynamic spheroidization of the alpha lamella. For material deformed to strains below ε c and then reversed to a zero net strain the orientation relationships between alpha colonies are close to ideal Burgers, enabling prior beta grains to be fully reconstructed. Material deformed to strains greater than ε c and reversed lose Burgers and no beta reconstruction is possible, suggesting ε c is the strain required to generate break-up of lamella. Static spheroidization is, however, sensitive to strain path around ε c . Annealing at 1088 K (815 °C) for 4 hours for material subjected to 0.25 forward + 0.25 forward strain produces 48 pct spheroidized grains while material with 0.25 forward + 0.25 reverse strain has 10 pct spheroidization. This is believed to be a direct consequence of different levels of the stored energy between these two strain paths.

High speed steels are used for the manufacture of the work rolls used in hot rolling steel mills. An understanding of the degradation phenomena of work rolls is essential, particularly in fields related to the oxidation of the surface, given the importance of the surface quality of the rolled product at the end of the process and its close relation with the changes experienced by the surface of the rolls. The high temperature oxidation behaviour of a work roll grade high speed steel was studied using gravimetric means under isothermal conditions at 550 and 615 °C in dry air and in a mixture of dry air and water vapour. At both temperatures, the mass gain of the samples exposed to the mixture of dry air and water vapour was considerably higher than that of the samples exposed to dry air. For all the experimental conditions, oxide growth was better described by the parabolic rate law. The composition of the oxide layer was influenced by the oxidant atmosphere, as the layer in the water vapour containing environment included an iron-chromium spinel (M3O4), magnetite and hematite, whereas the layer in the dry air condition consisted of iron–chromium spinel, hematite and vanadium oxide. The effect of composition of the oxidant atmosphere on the rate of oxidation of the steel and the components of the oxide scale is discussed.

The effect of tool geometries on the microstructure and crystallographic texture of 32-mm-thick friction stir-welded AA6082 has been investigated. The use of a tapered probe tool results in a significant variation in the grain size from the top to the base of the nugget, whereas parallel probe tools produce a uniform grain size throughout the nugget. The grain size in the nugget reflects the amount of deformation experienced and the speed of deformation expressed in terms of strain rate. An approach is proposed to calculate the strain rate during FSW of aluminum for which values between 217 and 362 s−1 were obtained. The strain rate can be either uniform or varied through the joint thickness based on the type of tool used. The tapered tool produces a variation of the strain rate, whilst the parallel tool has a uniform strain rate throughout, which can explain the obtained grain structure in each case. The tool geometries also influenced texture development with the tapered tool producing a tilt of the local shear reference frame by an angle to the normal direction equal to the taper angle.

A novel medium manganese steel with composition Fe–8.3Mn–3.8Al–1.8Si–0.5C–0.06V–0.05Sn was developed and thermomechanically processed through hot rolling and intercritical annealing. The steel possessed a yield strength of 1 GPa, tensile strength of 1.13 GPa and ductility of 41 pct. In order to study the effect of cold rolling after intercritical annealing on subsequent tensile properties, the steel was further cold rolled up to 20 pct reduction. After cold rolling, it was observed that the strain hardening rate increased continuously with increasing cold rolling reduction but without a significant drop in ductility during subsequent tensile tests. The microstructural evolution with cold rolling reduction was analysed to understand the mechanisms behind this phenomena. It was found that cold rolling activated additional twinning systems which provided a large number of potent nucleation sites for strain induced martensite to form during subsequent tensile tests in what can be described as an enhanced TRIP effect.