Previous studies on stainless steel 304 alloy (SS 304) have mostly focused on the stress-strain behavior as function of the volume fraction of deformation induced martensite and the applied strain and strain rate. Although equally important, the failure/fracture of this alloy has not been thoroughly investigated so far. In the present study, the Johnson and Cook (JC) damage model parameters of a rolled-SS 304 alloy, valid at a high strain rate (2900 s-1), were experimentally determined and numerically validated along with the JC flow stress parameters. The tensile failure strain of the alloy decreased as the strain rate increased from 10-3 to 10-1 s-1 and to 2900 s-1. Experimentally lower flow stresses at 2900 s-1 than at 1x10-3 s-1 were also found at the strains above 0.2, which was attributed to the adiabatic heating that declined the extend of the martensitic transformation at increasing strains. The determined damage and flow stress model parameters were further calibrated with the results of the numerical models of the quasi-static and high strain rate tension tests. Microscopic analyses and the hardness measurements on the untested and tested specimens confirmed the martensitic transformation and the highest hardness values were found in the specimens tested at 1x10-3 s-1. The martensite volume fraction as function strain rate until about necking strain (homogeneous deformation) was calculated and also microscopically determined using the electron back-scatter diffraction (EBSD) for the specimens tested at different strain rates. The results indicated the highest martensite volume fraction in the specimens tested at 10-3 s-1 (0.55-0.6) and the lowest in the specimens tested at the high strain rate (0.27-0.30). An agreement between the calculated and the EBSD determined martensite volume fractions was shown for the studied alloy.

This study provides a comprehensive investigation into the effects of different scanning parameter combinations—specifically scanning speed and hatch distance—on the material properties of IN939 fabricated using the powder bed fusion-laser beam (PBF-LB) process under a constant volumetric energy density (VED). Despite the fixed VED, the fabricated samples experienced different thermal cycles, resulting in distinct microstructural features and corresponding variations in material performance. In-situ infrared monitoring indicated that the sample with the narrowest hatch distance and highest scanning speed (Sample 1) reached the highest normalized temperatures with intense heat accumulation, whereas wider hatch distances (Sample 3) promoted lower and more stable temperature distributions. The results revealed that the intermediate parameter set (Sample 2) achieved the highest relative density (99.29%) and the lowest surface roughness. In contrast, both the narrowest and widest hatch spacing combinations promoted increased porosity, primarily consisting of lack-of-fusion (LoF) and gas pores. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis showed that the area-weighted average grain size increased from 29.5 µm to 36.7 µm as the hatch distance increased. Texture analysis indicated generally weak crystallographic texture development, with only slight intensification of <001>//BD and <111>//BD components, attributed to the 67 o rotation strategy. Furthermore, the microhardness values demonstrated negligible variation across the samples, ranging from 356.7 ± 14.3 HV1 to 360.1 ± 10.5 HV1. This limited variation indicates that the strengthening behavior was predominantly governed by the combined influence of defect density and matrix–defect interactions, rather than being directly correlated with grain size.

As-built Ti48Al2Cr2Nb alloy samples produced by electron beam powder bed fusion (PBF-EB) exhibited notable brittleness. The low ductility was attributed to coarse gamma bands aligned perpendicular to the building and tensile direction. Additionally, variations in aluminum content and hardness between the coarse colonies and fine gamma/alpha(2) lamellae contribute to this phenomenon. Electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) studies revealed a higher amount of dislocation density and inherent strain after PBF-EB manufacturing. Hence, usage of Ti48Al2Cr2Nb alloy in the as-built condition in aviation applications with high loads and demanding environments is not found to be viable. To eliminate these negative aspects and make PBF-EB produced Ti48Al2Cr2Nb alloy available for demanding applications, two distinct post-processing heat treatments; namely, hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and annealing heat treatment (HT) were employed at 1200 degrees C. A comprehensive characterization covering microstructure analysis, EBSD, fracture surface examination, as well as room and high-temperature tensile tests allowed determination of the effect of post-processes. HIPing altered the banded structure observed in the as-built samples by increasing the amount of alpha(2) phase and grain size. On the other hand, HT made the banded structure more pronounced without significantly increasing the amount of alpha(2) phase. HT also strengthened the <001> texture, while HIPing introduced randomization of grains. On the other hand, complete recrystallization is achieved as a result of HT at 1200 degrees C for 2 h, whereas HIPing at the same temperature for 2 h induced only 80.5 % recrystallization. In both post-processes, dislocation density and inherent strain were reduced. Room temperature and high-temperature tensile tests demonstrated that both HIPing and HT eliminated the extreme brittleness of the as-built samples.

In this study, the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of a 0.15 pct C-2.09 pct Mn multiphase steel was investigated. To produce a multiphase microstructure, a newly developed two-step processing of partial austenitization and quenching (PAQ) treatment was used. In the first step, the steel with initial martensitic microstructure was partially austenitized at 690 °C for 8 hours. After cold rolling, a rapid reheating to 840 °C and quenching done to simulate hot dip galvanizing conditions. To better understand the PAQ process, thermodynamic and kinetic simulations using ThermoCalc and DICTRA predicted phase transformations and elemental partitioning. Microstructural characterization via LM, SEM, and EBSD revealed an ultrafine-grained multiphase structure consisting of bainite, M/A, and intercritical ferrite. The PAQ840 sample showed an ultimate tensile strength of 740 MPa and excellent ductility with 20 pct total elongation.

The effect of building direction and heat treatment on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and high- temperature oxidation behavior of Hastelloy X (HX) alloy fabricated by the laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) method was studied. Electron backscatter diffraction analyses revealed that the development of textured columnar grains with varying average grain sizes, boundary fractions, and dislocation densities induced the mechanical anisotropy observed in both horizontally and vertically fabricated samples. The yield strength (YS) values of the horizontally and vertically as-fabricated samples were determined as 605.7 +/- 15.9 MPa and 552.3 +/- 8.5 MPa, respectively. The post-processing heat treatment increased the ductility remarkably and reduced YS value down to similar to 445 MPa for all samples by the elimination of microstructural anisotropy and increased grain size subsequent to recrystallization. Oxidation tests conducted at 900 degrees C up to 100 h on as- fabricated samples exhibited severe intergranular oxidation, which was accompanied by the formation of large voids and microcracks as well as spallation of the oxide layer. In contrast, the heat-treatment improved the oxidation resistance of the alloy possibly due to the formation of uniform and dense Cr2O3 layer on the substrate surface.

The effect of spheroidization on impact toughness and wear resistance, together with the spheroidization kinetics of a low alloy white cast iron (LAWCI) have been studied. Spheroidization process was carried out using two different routes; intercritical annealing and subcritical annealing both of which were followed by furnace cooling to room temperature. Both routes involve a process window, which is determined by holding time and temperature. For the intercritical annealing the spheroidization window is significantly shorter (0.5-3 h) than the conventional subcritical spheroidization (6 - 12 h); and that process window narrows with increasing intercritical annealing temperature. The intercritical spheroidization involves 3 distinct stages; (i) partial, followed by (ii) fully spheroidization of lamellar pearlitic matrix by divorced eutectoid transformation (DET); and (iii) partially spheroidization by pearlitic structure formation in previous fully spheroidized region. The end of third stage produces almost fully pearlitic matrix, which is coarser than the as-cast condition. In case of subcritical spheroidization, the process window opens after about 6 hours and the size of spherical carbides gets larger with time. The as-cast LAWCI having a microstructure composed of eutectic carbide network and pearlite matrix exhibits and impact toughness of 4.6 J. Spheroidization process not only changes the lamellar pearlitic structure into spheroidized carbides but also slightly reduces the amount of eutectic carbides. Those microstructural changes greatly improve the impact toughness of LAWCI up to 11.8 J; whereas some decrease in the wear resistance. For spheroidized LAWCI, mean diameter of carbides (D), interparticle spacing of carbides (s), and number of carbides per area (n) seems to be important microstructural variations to determine the impact toughness and wear properties. Taking properties of the current material into consideration, spheroidized white cast irons may be a viable alternative material for industrial applications, offering a trade-off between wear resistance and toughness.

Multiple linear regression analysis (MLRA) was used to predict the mechanical properties of austempered ductile iron (ADI) including yield and tensile strength, uniform elongation, hardening exponent, as well as fracture energy by building a model that uses characteristic features of microstructural constituents as input parameters. The complex multi-scale microstructure of ADI, which is composed of spherical graphite particles over 10 μm diameter; and an ausferritic matrix with sub-micron sized features, makes it ideal for prediction of mechanical properties. For that purpose, low alloyed ductile iron samples austempered between 300 and 400 °C for 45–180 min were tensile tested, and also multi-scale microstructural characterization were carried out using optical microscope, SEM, and EBSD technique. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis was performed to determine which microstructural parameter(s) each mechanical property is most sensitive to. The results show that tensile and yield strength are most sensitive to size and morphology of matrix phases. Moreover, the size and aspect ratio of acicular ferrite correlate well with those of high-carbon austenite; since both form during transformation of parent austenite into ausferrite during austempering treatment. Equiaxed parent austenite grains transform into ausferrite with acicular morphology during the austempering treatment; and presence of equiaxed austenite grains in the austempered samples indicates untransformed regions during austempering treatment. Ductility was found to be more sensitive to nodularity of graphite particles, and this sensitivity was attributed to the size difference between graphite particles and grain size of matrix phases.

In this study, the effect of laser power, welding speed, linear heat inputs on the mechanical performance of TWIP980 steels joined by oscillating fiber laser welding in butt welding configuration was investigated. Oscillating fiber laser welding were changed: laser power from 1.2 to 1.6 kW, welding speed from 20 to 30 mm s −1 , linear heat input from 40 to 80 J mm −1 . The tensile, hardness and fatigue tests were carried out to determine mechanical performance. A significant improvement in weld penetration, fatigue performance and mechanical properties was detected at linear heat inputs above 53.33 J mm −1 . The best mechanical properties were obtained at 1.6 kW laser power and 25 mm s −1 welding speed. The study reveals that linear heat inputs, laser power, and welding speed have significant effects on mechanical performance and weld geometry. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that oscillating fiber laser welding enables good weldability even at low laser power.

This study investigates the effects of fiber laser welding (FLW) parameters on the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of DP800, DP1000, and DP1200 dual-phase steels, focusing on the role of heat input. Welding was performed using laser powers ranging from 1500 to 3000 W and welding speeds between 20 and 100 mm/s, resulting in heat inputs from 18 to 120 J/mm. Optimal welding conditions were identified as 55 J/mm for DP800, 120 J/mm for DP1000, and 53 J/mm for DP1200, which ensured full penetration and minimized HAZ softening. Detailed microstructural analysis using SEM and EBSD revealed significant transformations in the heat-affected zone (HAZ), including martensite degradation, grain coarsening, and tempered martensite formation, particularly in DP1200 steel, where hardness reductions reached up to 29

A new low-manganese transformation-induced plasticity steel is designed with optimized nickel content to achieve superior strength and ductility while minimizing the use of expensive nickel. The steel is optimized using JMatPro software, then cast, and hot rolled. To assess the effect of intercritical annealing on austenite (martensite at room temperature) volume fraction and carbon content, hot-rolled steel samples quenched from different annealing temperatures (680-1100 degrees C) are used. Additionally, hot-rolled steel coupons are intercritically annealed at about 50% austenite formation temperature (740 degrees C) and then subjected to isothermal treatments at 300-425 degrees C for varying times (10-90 min). After optimizing these treatments to maximize retained austenite (RA), tensile specimens are heat-treated first at 740 degrees C and then isothermally at 325 degrees C. Thermodynamic calculations suggest that aluminum combined with silicon may lead to the delta ferrite formation, and even minimal nickel content can stabilize a considerable amount of austenite. In the experimental studies, it is shown that lower-temperature bainitic holding enhances austenite stability by enriching the carbon content. Optimized two-stage heat treatments yield up to 25.8% RA, with a tensile strength of 867.2 MPa and elongation of 40.6%, achieving a strength-elongation product of 35.2 GPax%, surpassing the third-generation advanced high-strength steel grades minimum requirement of 30 GPax%.

This study aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of how aging treatments (namely, HT1 and HT2) affect the microstructure, cracking behavior, and crystallographic texture of IN939 fabricated by powder bed fusion-laser beam (PBF-LB) method. Although both aged samples demonstrated similar grain structure and recrystallization behavior according to the electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis, as well as the precipitation of bimodal gamma ' phase and MC- and M23C6-type carbides, notable differences were observed in the size and morphology, particularly the gamma ' phase. The HT1 sample displayed coarsened primary gamma ' phase, with sizes reaching up to 2 mu m and exhibiting varied morphologies, including irregular and cuboidal shapes. Additionally, this treatment led to the formation of some gamma '-gamma eutectic regions and plate-like eta phase, along with the decomposition of MC-type carbides into M23C6-type carbides. In contrast, the HT2 sample displayed uniformly distributed spherical primary gamma ' phase with sizes ranging from 70 to 120 nm, accompanied by very fine secondary gamma ' phase. Furthermore, it was found that changes in both aged sample microstructures could result in the formation of strain-age cracks due to the gamma ' phase formation and liquation cracks due to the partial remelting of lower melting point phases. The findings also revealed that with the application of aging treatments, the hardness of the as-fabricated sample (339.8 +/- 3.4 HV) increased to 440.2 +/- 5.6 HV and 508.1 +/- 4.8 HV for the heat treatment of HT1 and HT2, respectively.

The mechanical characteristics of polycrystalline metallic materials are influenced significantly by various microstructural parameters, one of which is the grain size. Specifically, the strength and the toughness of polycrystalline metals exhibit enhancement as the grain size is reduced. Applying severe plastic deformations (SPDs) has a noticeable result in obtaining metallic materials with ultrafine-grained (UFG) microstructure. SPD, executed through conventional shaping methods like extrusion, plays a pivotal role in the evolution of the texture, which is closely related to the plastic behavior and ductility. A number of SPD processes have been developed to generate ultrafine-grained materials, each having a different shear deformation mechanism. Among these methods, linear twist extrusion (LTE) presents a non-uniform and non-monotonic form of severe plastic deformation, leading to significant shifts in the microstructure. Prior research demonstrates the capability of the LTE process to yield consistent, weak textures in pre-textured copper. However, limitations in production efficiency and the uneven distribution of grain refinement have curbed the widespread use of LTE in industrial settings. This has facilitated the development of an improved novel method, that surpasses the traditional approach, known as the nonlinear twist extrusion procedure (NLTE). The NLTE method innovatively adjusts the channel design of the mold within the twist section to mitigate strain reversal and the rotational movement of the workpiece, both of which have been identified as shortcomings of twist extrusion. Accurate anticipation of texture changes in SPD processes is essential for mold design and process parameter optimization. The performance of the proposed extrusion technique should still be studied. In this context, here, a single crystal (SC) of copper in billet form, passing through both LTE and NLTE, is analyzed, employing a rate-dependent crystal plasticity finite element (CPFE) framework. CPFE simulations were performed for both LTE and NLTE of SC copper specimens having <100> or <111> directions parallel to the extrusion direction initially. The texture evolution as well as the cross-sectional distribution of the stress and strain is studied in detail, and the performance of both processes is compared.

Secondary aluminum alloys in automotive industry have been rising in last decades; however, the iron content is still a concern whether recycled or high iron containing aluminum alloys can fulfill the mechanical requirements. As the proportion of recycled scrap increases in aluminum alloy components, the mixing and accumulation of impurities become significant issues. In this study, manganese was used to counteract the detrimental effects of iron. Accordingly, A356 alloy automobile wheels containing 0.002 wt

This study provides a comprehensive investigation into the effects of different scanning strategies on the material properties of IN939 fabricated using the PBF-LB process. The scanning strategies examined included alternating bi-directional scanning with rotation angles of 0°, 45°, 67°, and 90° between adjacent layers (named as shown), as well as alternating chessboard scanning with rotation angles of 67° and 90° (named as Q67° and Q90°). The results revealed that the 45° and 67° samples had the highest relative density, while the 0° and Q67° samples showed the highest average porosity. Moreover, various types of cracks, including solidification, solid-state, and oxide-induced cracks, were observed. Among the bi-directional scan samples, the 0° sample displayed the most extensive cracking and the highest σmax residual stress values in both XZ and XY planes. Conversely, the 45° and 67° samples exhibited fewer cracks. Notably, the lowest σmax residual stress in the XZ planes among the bi-directional scan samples was observed in the 67° sample. Additionally, microstructural analyses indicated differences in grain size and morphology, among the samples. Texture analysis indicated that the 0° and 90° samples exhibited strong cube textures, whereas the texture intensity weakened for the 45° and 67° samples. Moreover, the alternating chessboard scanning strategy led to rougher surfaces (higher Sa and Sz values) compared to the alternating bi-directional scanning strategy, regardless of the rotation angles. Furthermore, the microhardness values among the samples showed minimal variance, ranging between 321 ± 14 HV and 356± 7 HV.

In this study, Armox 600T armor steel was ballistically tested against 7.62 mm × 51 M61 AP projectile. The experimental design was constructed on the basis of the worst-case scenario which is the highest possible impact velocity in the multi-hit condition. The ballistic tests revealed that Armox 600T could defeat the worst-case scenario with a thickness of 12 mm. Furthermore, the damaged and undamaged regions were inspected microstructurally in a detail manner aiming to observe the possible fractographic modes of the studied material. Finally, high resolution optical scanning efforts were also added to the experimental work whose results uncovers the possible improvement areas regarding the quantification of the results of ballistic testing.

The strain rate history effect in a selective laser melt 316L (SLM-316L) alloy was investigated through quasi -static (10-3 s- 1) and high strain rate (1600-3200 s-1) interrupted and reloading compression tests. The speci-mens pre-tested until about prescribed strains at quasi-static and high strain rates were reloaded dynamically and quasi-statically, respectively. The results revealed that the flow stress depended on strain and strain rate as well as strain-rate history. Quasi-static reloading the dynamically pre-tested specimens until about prescribed strains induced a higher flow stress than the specimens tested quasi-statically. The strengthening was-70 MPa at 0.11 pre-strain and decreased as the dynamic test pre-strain was increased due to adiabatic heating. On the other side, reloading the quasi-statically pre-tested specimens dynamically at 0.11 pre-strain resulted in-60 MPa lower flow stress than the specimens tested dynamically. The grains of the quasi-statically tested specimens until 0.11 strain were shown to have a lower Taylor factor for twinning and geometrically necessary dislocation density, indicating more potential for twinning than dynamically tested specimen. Although, quasi-statically and dynamically tested specimens were deformed predominantly by the twinning induced plasticity, a higher frac-tion of twin boundaries was shown microscopically in the dynamically pre-tested specimens until 0.11 pre-strain. This phenomenon of boundary strengthening could be used as a tool of strengthening of SLM-316L alloy at low strains.

A TRIP-aided bainitic-ferritic (TBF) steel with a chemical composition of Fe–0.19C–1.7Mn–1.09Si–0.51Al–0.05Nb (wt-%) was partially austenitised from a hot-rolled martensitic initial microstructure. After the hot rolling, the martensitic specimens were reheated to different intercritical temperatures and then austempered at 350°C. Thus, the effect of the initial microstructure of TBF steel on intercritical austenite formation during partial austenitisation was studied. The microstructures were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and the tensile properties were tested. Microstructural observations revealed that a final microstructure of fine ferrite, bainitic ferrite, and retained austenite can be obtained. The steel partial austenitised at 770°C showed a good combination of ultimate tensile strength and total elongation.

Abstract Austempered ductile iron (ADI) has been preferred in a wide range of applications due its unique combination of high strength, good ductility, wear resistance and fracture toughness together with lower cost and lower density compared to steels. Magnetic Barkhausen noise (MBN) measurement offers a better alternative to traditional characterization techniques by being fast and non-destructive. A simple linear regression using only one single independent variable cannot correlate the MBN with the microstructure of ADI, since its microstructure is multi-component. Multiple linear regression analysis (MLRA) was used to build a model that uses the characteristic features of microstructural constituents as input parameters to predict the MBN. For that purpose, Cu-Ni-Mo alloyed ductile iron samples austempered between 325 and 400 °C and for 45–180 min duration were used. The results show that MBN is most sensitive to the size and shape of acicular ferrite and retained austenite. Moreover, MBN is almost insensitive to the size, morphology and volume fraction of graphite particles. This indicates that retained austenite pins the domain walls more effectively than the graphite particles. Considering the results MLRA, MBN technique can be used to characterize the ausferritic microstructure of ADI.

This study investigates the effects of heat input on the heat-affected zone (HAZ) softening in fiber laser welding of quenched 1.1 mm thick 22MnB5 steel. Laser power (1500-2500 W) and welding speed (40-120 mm/s) parameters are considered as the input process variables. Depending on the input parameters, the applied heat input varied between 12.5 and 62.5 J/mm. The results indicate that a minimum heat input of 50 J/mm is required for full weld penetration. Microhardness findings revealed that the drop in hardness in the HAZ region relative to the base material (BM) reached 39% due to grain coarsening caused by an increase in heat input under the welding conditions. Grain coarsening (prior austenite grains) is also detected in SEM analysis. In addition, grain coarsening at high heat input was also determined quantitatively in EBSD analyses. The proportion of 8.91 mu m grain size in the sample with high heat input is 4.2%, while it is 1.2% in the sample with low heat input. When the heat input increased from 12.5 to 62.5 J/mm, the width of the softened zone with the lowest hardnesses in the HAZ grew from 0.2 mm to 2.2 mm.

The present study was conducted to uncover effects of partitioning treatment on Cu-Ni-Mo alloyed ductile iron (DI) austempered at different temperatures. For this purpose, the DI samples, produced via sand casting, were austenitized at 900 ? for 60 min, followed by austempering at the temperatures of 275-325-375 ? for 120 min and afterwards a partitioning treatment was applied at 200 ? for 15 min. In the characterization studies, dilatometer, image analysis, JMat-Pro, mechanical tests, XRD, optical microscope, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with EBSD detector were utilized. Characterization studies showed that the effects of partitioning treatment were directly correlated with austempering temperature and high carbon austenite volume fraction changed in the range of 19.48-35.45%. That redistribution of carbon (C) between bainitic ferrite and high carbon austenite occurred, in turn, the carbon content of high carbon austenite increased with the partitioning treatment irrespective of austempering temperature were uncovered. Furthermore, the partitioning treatment considerably changed the grain morphologies of both high carbon austenite and banitic ferrite. As a consequence of these microstructural differences, the highest tensile strength of 1489.2 MPa was established in the sample austempered at 275 ? and partitioned at 200 ?, whereas the highest ductility of 5.61% acquired at the austempering temperature of 375 ?.