Effect of Cr, Mo, and V Elements on the Microstructure and Thermal Fatigue Properties of the Chromium Hot-Work Steels Processed by Selective Laser Melting
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Experimental Procedures
2.1. Materials
2.2. SLM Process
2.3. Experiments and Methods
3. Results
3.1. Phase Analysis
3.2. Crystallographic Features
3.3. Distributions of Grain Size
3.4. Coarse Laths
3.5. Tensile Properties
3.6. Thermal Fatigue Properties
4. Discussion
4.1. Effect of Alloying Elements on the Microstructures of the Chromium Hot-Work Steels Processed by SLM
- (1)
- (2)
- Block size. As presented earlier, the block size of MH decreased by approximately 1.13 μm (approximately 44.14% of the block size of LH) with the increase of Cr, Mo, and V contents. While the block size increased by approximately 0.29 μm with a further increase of Cr and Mo contents. Obviously, grain coarsening occurred with the increase of Cr and Mo in HH. Therefore, the increase in V contents should be the main reason for grain refinement in MH. This is coincident with the published theory that V could be added as a weak grain-refining element in steels [15].
- (3)
- Coarse laths. It is reported that coarse laths are softer than the surroundings since they experienced an auto temper process as they form earliest in the course of martensitic transformation [35]. According to the results of Section 3.3 and Section 3.4, we found that LH possessed the largest block size and the largest portion of coarse laths among the three materials, whereas MH possessed the smallest block size and the least portion of coarse laths. Consequently, it can be supposed that the content of coarse laths increased with the increase in block size.
4.2. Effect of the Microstructures and Mechanical Properties on the Thermal Fatigue Properties of the Chromium Hot-Work Steels Processed by SLM
- (1)
- Retained austenite. It is well accepted that retained austenite facilitates the toughness and ductility of steels [22]. The pileup occurs when dislocations move to the grain boundaries, which leads to stress concentration and crack initiation at the head of the pileup group. It was found that the moving resistance of the dislocations can be reduced by the coherent or semi-coherent interfaces (between the retained austenite and martensite matrix), and as a result, softens the materials and decreases the crack initiation and propagation rate [42]. Furthermore, the transformation of retained austenite to martensite can develop the compressive residual stress in the material, which can suppress crack initiation and growth [43]. However, retained austenite only functions at the early stage of TF tests since it decreases largely because of the heating and cooling process.
- (2)
- Grain size. It is known that the strength and toughness of martensitic steels can be improved as the grain size is refined [31]. This is because the high-angle-grain boundaries (boundaries of prior austenite, packets, and blocks) strengthened by dislocation pileup possess the ability to impede the propagation of cleavage crack [31]. Since the temperature for the TF test was much higher than for the Ms temperature, the fracture toughness should be estimated by the grain size of the prior austenite. As is shown in Figure 10, LH, HH, and MH revealed their prior austenite grain sizes in descending order.
- (3)
- Coarse laths. Coarse laths represent soft spots in martensite and therefore they plastically yield first, leading to the early plasticity activity and becoming prone to bulk or interface plasticity. The coarse laths interiors also show the pronounced slip activity, whereas less slip activity is observed in the neighboring thin laths [35].
5. Conclusions
- (1)
- All the as-built SLM-processed chromium hot-work steels exhibited the martensite and retained austenite structures. Retained austenite content increased with the increase of the alloying additions.
- (2)
- The average martensitic blocks size was approximately 2.56 μm, 1.43 μm, and 1.72 μm for LH, MH, and HH, respectively. That is because the increase of V led to grain refinement in MH, whereas the increase of Cr and Mo led to some grain coarsening in HH. The content of coarse laths and the KAM value increased with the increase in martensitic block sizes.
- (3)
- LH, MH, and HH possessed the UTS of 1218 ± 18 MPa, 1281 ± 19 MPa, and 1258 ± 22 MPa, and hardness of 528 ± 8 HV5, 597 ± 12 HV5, and 592 ± 9 HV5, respectively. All the materials experienced a secondary hardening process during TF tests, with the hardness of 573 ± 9 HV5, 688 ± 11 HV5, and 675 ± 10 HV5, respectively, after TF tests.
- (4)
- LH exhibited the longest crack length after TF tests, and HH exhibited the shortest. Grain refinement led to the increase in strength and enhancement of TF resistance in MH. Although the grain coarsening and strength decrease may facilitate the crack propagation in HH, the increase in the amount of coarse laths enhanced the TF resistance in the material. It is suggested that the grain size and the amount of coarse laths are the most important factors to determine the TF resistance of chromium hot-work steels that are processed by SLM.
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Material Type | C | Cr | Mo | Si | V | Mn | Fe |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
LH | 0.34 | 4.77 | 0.89 | 0.94 | 0.54 | 0.48 | Bal. |
MH | 0.37 | 5.05 | 1.32 | 1.11 | 1.07 | 0.49 | Bal. |
HH | 0.36 | 5.72 | 1.47 | 1.08 | 1.07 | 0.68 | Bal. |
Tolerance (±) | 0.005 | 0.035 | 0.024 | 0.020 | 0.020 | 0.015 |
Material Type | Yield Strength (YS), MPa | Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS), MPa | Total Elongation, % |
---|---|---|---|
LH | 1090 ± 31 | 1218 ± 18 | 7.7 ± 0.3 |
MH | 1184 ± 26 | 1281 ± 19 | 7.1 ± 0.3 |
HH | 1142 ± 10 | 1258 ± 22 | 8.6 ± 0.2 |
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Wang, M.; You, B.; Wu, Y.; Liang, B.; Gao, X.; Li, W.; Wei, Q. Effect of Cr, Mo, and V Elements on the Microstructure and Thermal Fatigue Properties of the Chromium Hot-Work Steels Processed by Selective Laser Melting. Metals 2022, 12, 735. https://doi.org/10.3390/met12050735
Wang M, You B, Wu Y, Liang B, Gao X, Li W, Wei Q. Effect of Cr, Mo, and V Elements on the Microstructure and Thermal Fatigue Properties of the Chromium Hot-Work Steels Processed by Selective Laser Melting. Metals. 2022; 12(5):735. https://doi.org/10.3390/met12050735
Chicago/Turabian StyleWang, Mei, Bo You, Yan Wu, Bo Liang, Xianhui Gao, Wei Li, and Qingsong Wei. 2022. "Effect of Cr, Mo, and V Elements on the Microstructure and Thermal Fatigue Properties of the Chromium Hot-Work Steels Processed by Selective Laser Melting" Metals 12, no. 5: 735. https://doi.org/10.3390/met12050735