Microstructure austenite

Microstructural examinations revealed that the cracks originated on the external surface (Fig. 9.15). The cracks were highly branched and transgranular. The branched, transgranular character of these cracks is typical of stress-corrosion cracking of austenitic stainless steels. The thick-walled fracture faces are also typical of cracking by this mode. 

Microstructural examinations disclosed highly branched, predominantly transgranular cracks originating on the internal surface. Cracks of this form are typical of SCC in austenitic stainless steels. 

Younger, R. N., Baker, R. G. and Littlewood, R., The Relationship Between Microstructure and Intercrystalline Corrosion in an 18Cr-12Ni-lNb Austenitic Steel , Corros. Sci., 2, 157 (1962)... 

Similarly it seems that retained austenite may be beneficial in certain circumstances , probably because the austenite acts as a barrier to the diffusion of hydrogen, although in high concentrations (such as those obtained in duplex stainless steels) the austenite can also act as a crack stopper (i.e. a ductile region in the microstructure which blunts and stops the brittle crack). 

Concern about hydrogen damage has lead to much debate regarding limits for protection potentials of high-alloy steels. However, it is thought that under normal seawater service and cathodic protection conditions, these materials will not be adversely affected provided that the microstructure has at least 40% austenite present . This latter point is of particular importance to welds and their heat affected zone where careful control of heat input is necessary to maintain a favourable microstructure. 

Time-temperature-transformation (T-T-T) diagrams are used to present the structure of steels after isothermal transformation at different temperatures for varying times. The T-T-T diagram for a commercial eutectoid steel is shown in Fig. 20.48a. Also shown on the curves are the points at which the microstructures illustrated in Figs. 20.46 and 20.47 are observed, and the thermal treatments producing these structures. When a steel partially transformed to, say, pearlite, is quenched from point a in Fig. 20.48a to below nif, the untransformed austenite transforms to martensite. 

Figure 5.29. Fe-rich region of the Fe C phase diagram. Stable Fe-C (graphite) diagram solid lines metastable Fe-Fe3C diagram dashed lines. The following current names are used ferrite (solid solution in aFe), austenite (solid solution in 7Fe) and cementite (Fe3C compound). Pearlite is the name given to the two-phase microstructure which originates from the eutectoid reaction ...

Using the triple-ion beam irradiation apparatus, the microstructural evolution of austenitic stainless steel, which is considered as a structural material for water-cooled fusion reactors... 

Chemical compositions of the Fe-Ni specimens containing 90, 75, 50, 25, 20, 15 and 10 mass % Fe corresponded to nominal values within 0.5 mass %. At room temperature, the alloy specimens consisted of the a-phase (ferrite) at nickel contents less than or equal to 25 mass % or the y-phase (austenite) at higher Ni contents, while at a temperature of 700 °C the specimens of all compositions had austenitic structures. Ferrite constituted the microstructure of the Fe-Cr alloy specimens (10 and 25 mass % Cr) over this range of temperature. 

As in the case of corrosion failures, the sequence of steps involved in analyzing wear failures are initial examination of the failed component including service conditions to establish the mode or combination of modes of wear failure, metallographic examination to check if the microstructure of the worn part met the specification, both in the base material and in the hardened case or applied surface coatings, existence of localized phase transformations, shear or cold worked surfaces, macroscopic and microscopic hardness testing to determine the proper heat treatment, X-ray and electron diffraction analysis to determine the composition of abrasives, wear debris, surface elements and microstructural features such as retained austenite, chemical analysis of wear debris surface films and physical properties such as viscosity and infrared spectral determination of the integrity of lubricants and abrasive characteristics of soils or minerals in the cases of wear failures of tillage tools. 

Figure 6.27 Schematic diagram of different microstructures (sensitization) in an austenitic stainless steel weldment (Fritz)5...

The enhancement of creep by anodic dissolution is well known, for copper in acetic acid153 and austenitic stainless steels and nickel-based alloys in pressurized water reactor (PWR) environments. The initial vacancy injection from the surface is followed by vacancy attraction to the inside dislocations, which promotes easier glide, climb, and crossing of microstructural barriers. This mechanism illustrates the corrosion-enhanced plasticity approach.95... 

A preliminary approach to the selection of the stainless steel for a specific application is to classify the various types according to the alloy content, microstructure, and major characteristic. Table 3 outlines the information according to the classes of stainless steels-austenitic, martensitic, and ferritic. Table 4 presents characteristics and typical applications of various types of stainless steel while Table 5 indicates resistance of stainless steels to oxidation in air. 

Figure 9. Microstructure of 2 V4 Cr-1 Mo steel. Key 0, ferrite grain peppered with M C , pearlite (platelets of alternating M,C and ferrite) and K, ghost boundary of prior austenite grain boundary.

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