The Precipitation of Niobium Carbide and Its Influence on the Structure of HT250 for Automobile Wheel Hubs
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Materials
2.2. Methods
3. Simulation Calculation of Niobium Carbide Precipitation
3.1. NbC Precipitation Calculation Based on Python
3.2. JMatPro Simulation Results and Analysis
4. Results and Discussion
4.1. Existing Form and Distribution of Niobium
4.1.1. Solid Solution in the Grey Cast Iron Matrix
4.1.2. Elongated NbC Niobium-Rich Phase
4.1.3. Cuboid NbC Precipitate
4.2. The Influence on the Graphite Structure
4.3. The Influence of Niobium on Pearlite Matrix Structure
4.4. The Influence on the Tensile Strength
5. Conclusions
- (1)
- For grey cast iron containing 3.24% C, NbC can only precipitate in the liquid at higher (0.27% Nb and 0.46% Nb) niobium contents. At the higher niobium concentrations, cuboid NbC will precipitate in the liquid. On the contrary, at lower (0.098% Nb) niobium concentrations elongated NbC will precipitate during the initial stage of solidification and the phase-transition process.
- (2)
- Niobium in the cast iron may be in solid solution, in the form of cuboid NbC precipitates or in the form of cuboid NbC precipitates. When the niobium content is low (0.098% Nb), the elongated NbC niobium-rich phase is the main form; cuboid precipitates only form at higher niobium concentrations (0.27% and 0.46% in this work). The number and size of the precipitates increase with increasing niobium concentrations.
- (3)
- Niobium in the cast iron does not change the shape of the graphite flakes nor the amount of pearlite formed. However, the addition of niobium to the cast iron will reduce the size of the graphite flakes and reduce the interlamellar spacing of the pearlite. Changes in the graphite and pearlite result in an increase in the tensile strength of the cast iron.
- (4)
- Considering the cost of niobium and the limited influence of high concentrations of niobium on the pearlite structure it is recommended that a maximum of 0.32% niobium be added to the cast iron.
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Number | C | Si | Mn | P | S | Cr | Ti | CE * | Nb |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 3.25 | 2.08 | 0.72 | 0.016 | 0.15 | 0.33 | 0.036 | 3.95 | <0.01 |
2 | 3.24 | 2.10 | 0.72 | 0.017 | 0.17 | 0.33 | 0.036 | 3.95 | 0.098 |
3 | 3.24 | 2.09 | 0.71 | 0.017 | 0.15 | 0.34 | 0.036 | 3.94 | 0.270 |
4 | 3.24 | 2.09 | 0.70 | 0.016 | 0.15 | 0.34 | 0.036 | 3.94 | 0.460 |
eij | C | Si | Mn | P | S | Cr | Ti | Nb |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | 0.14 | 0.08 | −0.012 | 0.051 | 0.046 | −0.024 | 0 | −0.06 |
Nb | −0.49 | - | 0.0028 | - | −0.047 | −0.011 | 0 | 0 |
Elements | ki | Diγ/(cm2·s−1) |
---|---|---|
C | 0.46 | 0.076 e(−32160/(RTs–l)) |
Nb | 0.04 | 0.83 e(−63690/(RTs–l)) |
Number | C | Si | Mn | P | S | Nb | Longest Graphite (μm) | Average Graphite (μm) | Pearlite Interlamellar Spacing (μm) | Strength (Mpa) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
S1 | 3.18 | 2.00 | 0.68 | 0.016 | 0.10 | 0 | 468.27 | 42.57 | 0.9034 | 251.0 |
S2 | 3.17 | 2.00 | 0.68 | 0.017 | 0.10 | 0.32 | 210.58 | 34.39 | 0.4871 | 299.3 |
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Zhou, Z.-H.; Song, S.-Q.; Cromarty, R.; Chen, Y.-L.; Xue, Z.-L. The Precipitation of Niobium Carbide and Its Influence on the Structure of HT250 for Automobile Wheel Hubs. Materials 2021, 14, 6109. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14206109
Zhou Z-H, Song S-Q, Cromarty R, Chen Y-L, Xue Z-L. The Precipitation of Niobium Carbide and Its Influence on the Structure of HT250 for Automobile Wheel Hubs. Materials. 2021; 14(20):6109. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14206109
Chicago/Turabian StyleZhou, Zhu-Hua, Sheng-Qiang Song, Robert Cromarty, Yi-Liang Chen, and Zheng-Liang Xue. 2021. "The Precipitation of Niobium Carbide and Its Influence on the Structure of HT250 for Automobile Wheel Hubs" Materials 14, no. 20: 6109. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14206109