Abstract
Detailed microstructure characterization of Grade 91 (Modified 9Cr-1Mo, ASTM A387) steel subjected to a thermo-mechanical treatment process was performed to rationalize the cross-weld creep properties. A series of thermo-mechanical processing in the austenite phase region, followed by isothermal aging at temperatures at 973 K to 1173 K (700 °C to 900 °C), was applied to the Grade 91 steel to promote precipitation kinetics of MX (M: Nb and V, X: C and N) in the austenite matrix. Detailed characterization of the base metals after standard tempering confirmed the presence of fine MX dispersion within the tempered martensitic microstructure in steels processed at/and above 1073 K (800 °C). Relatively low volume fraction of M23C6 precipitates was observed after processing at 1073 K (800 °C). The cross-weld creep strength after processing was increased with respect to the increase of MX dispersion, indicating that these MX precipitates maintained during weld thermal cycles in the fine-grained heat-affected zone region and thereby contribute to improved creep resistant of welds in comparison to the welds made with the standard “normalization and tempering” processes. The steels processed in this specific processing condition showed improved cross-weld creep resistance and sufficient room temperature toughness. The above data are also analyzed based on existing theories of creep deformation based on dislocation climb mechanism.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 2188-2200 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A: Physical Metallurgy and Materials Science |
Volume | 47 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 1 2016 |
Funding
The authors thank Drs. Xinghua Yu and David T. Hoelzer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for their comments on this manuscript. Research sponsored by the Crosscutting Research Program, Office of Fossil Energy, U.S. Department of Energy. This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the U.S. Department of Energy. The United States Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the United States Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, world-wide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes. The Department of Energy will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan ( http://www.energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan ).
Funders | Funder number |
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U.S. Department of Energy | |
Office of Fossil Energy |