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Correlation of Cu precipitation with austenite–ferrite transformation in a continuously cooled multicomponent steel: An atom probe tomography study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 March 2012

Qingdong Liu ,
Wenqing Liu  and
Xiangyuan Xiong
Qingdong Liu
Affiliation:
Laboratory for Microstructures, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
Wenqing Liu*
Affiliation:
Laboratory for Microstructures, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
Xiangyuan Xiong
Affiliation:
Monash Center for Electron Microscopy and Department of Materials Engineering, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: wqliu@staff.shu.edu.cn
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Abstract

The copper precipitation associated with austenite–ferrite transformation in a continuously cooled multicomponent steel was examined by atom probe tomography. During continuous cooling, carbon and austenite stabilizers such as nickel, manganese, and copper were prone to diffuse into the untransformed austenite and changed the solute enrichment in austenite and its decomposition process. The redistribution of alloying elements between newly formed ferrite and untransformed austenite led to the appearance of a variety of structural components of ferrite, bainite, martensite, and/or retained austenite in the microstructure. The solutes partitioning behaviors at the migrating ferrite/austenite heterophase interface had a great effect on the nature of copper precipitation. At a cooling rate of 0.1 °C/s, the transition bcc copper precipitate was considered to first nucleate by interphase precipitation and then grow after being embedded within ferrite. The situation of the actual nucleation of carbide in ferrite had a significant effect on the size and composition of copper precipitates, as well as the segregation behaviors of nickel and manganese at copper/matrix heterophase interface.

Keywords

FeNanoscalePhase transformation
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 27 , Issue 7 , 14 April 2012 , pp. 1060 - 1067
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2012

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