Austenitic oxide-dispersion-strengthened (ODS) stainless steel was fabricated using a wet mixing process without a mechanical milling in order to reduce contaminations of impurities during their fabrication process. Solution of yttrium nitrate was dried after a wet mixing with 316L stainless steel powder. Carbon and oxygen contents were effectively reduced by this wet processing. Microstructural analysis showed that coarse yttrium silicates of about 150 nm were formed in austenitic ODS steels with a silicon content of about 0.8 wt%. Wet-processed austenitic ODS steel without silicon showed higher yield strength by the presence of finer oxide of about 20 nm.

The hydrogen embrittlement susceptibility of high strength TRIP/TWIP steels with the tensile strength of 600Mpa to 900Mpa grade was investigated using cathodically hydrogen charged specimens. TWIP steels with full austenite structure show a lower hydrogen content than do TRIP steels. The uniform distribution of strong traps throughout the matrix in the form of austenite is considered beneficial to reduce the hydrogen embrittlement susceptibility of TWIP steels. Moreover, an austenite structure with very fine deformation twins formed during straining could also improve the ductility and reduce notch sensitivity. In Ubend and deep drawing cup tests, TWIP steels show a good resistance to hydrogen embrittlement compared with TRIP steels.

The present work was performed to investigate the effect of coiling temperature on the annealed texture in Cu/Nb-added ultra-low-carbon steels. The ultra-low-carbon steels were coiled at 650 and 720˚C, respectively. The result showed that the Cu-added ultra-low-carbon steel at a low coiling temperature produced a desirable annealed texture related to good formability. On the other hand, Nb-added ultra-low-carbon steel at a high coiling temperature also produced a desirable texture. This is attributed to the effect of Nb, which retards recrystallization during the coiling process.

The texture and microstructure in Cu/Nb added ultra low carbon steels through the different thickness layer were studied after hot rolling. It was found that the two ultra low carbon steels all show the inhomogeneity of hot rolling texture and the Cu-added ultra low carbon steel was far more inhomogeneous than Nb-added one. In the center layer, the strong α fibre, γ fibre textures and the shear textures including 001<110>, 111<112> were founded. Near the surface, the α fibre texture and the orientation texture caused by a typical plane-strain deformation condition of bcc metals were observed.

본 논문은 가장 극한 조건(공정모델-2)에서 화학 제염한 경우 원자로 냉각재 펌프용 스테인리스강의 내식성 평가에 관하여 연구하였다. 사이클 경과에 따른 304 스테인리스강의 전기화학적 특성은 다른 스테인리스 강보다 우수한 특성을 나타냈다. 또한 공정모델-1과 공정모델-2의 304 스테인리스강은 가장 낮은 무게 감량을 나타냈다. 공정모델 용액에서 304 스테인리스강, 415 스테인리스강, 431 스테인리스강에 대한 실험 결과 공정모델-1에 대한 공정모델-2의 무게감량비는 각각 2.908, 2.372,그리고 2.370배를 나타냈다. 그 이유는 공정모델-2의 경우가 공정모델-1에 비하여 화학약품 농도나 온도가 높은 가혹한 조건에 기인한 것으로 사료된다.

The mechanical properties of sintered low alloy steels were analysed using Finite Element Methods (FEM), in which the powder is modelled as an elastic–plastic continuum material. A quantitative analysis of microstructure was correlated with tensile and fatigue behavior to understand the influence of pore size, shape, and distribution on mechanical behavior. Tensile strength, Young’s modulus, strain-to-failure, and fatigue strength all increased with a decrease in porosity. The decrease in Young’s modulus with increasing porosity was predicted by analytical modeling. Two-dimensional microstructure-based finite element modeling showed that the enhanced tensile and fatigue behavior of the denser steels could be attributed to smaller, more homogeneous, and more spherical porosity which resulted in more homogeneous deformation and decreased strain localization in the material. The relationship between relative density of P/M steels and mechanical behavior is also obtained from FEA and compared with the experimenta data. Good agreement between the experimental and FEA results is observed, which demonstrates that FEA can capture the major features of the P/M steels behaviour during loading. The implications of pore size, morphology, and distribution on the mechanical behavior and fracture of P/M steels are discussed. It is therefore demonstrated that FEA can predict the possible mechanism of failure during loading.

The present study examines the sintering behaviour and effect of manganese addition both mechanically-blended and mechanically alloyed on Cr-Mo low alloyed steels to enhance the mechanical properties. Mn sublimation during sintering provides some specific phenomena which facilitate the sintering of alloying elements with high oxygen affinity. First step is the optimization of milling time to attain a master alloy with 50% of Mn which is diluted in Fe-1.5Cr-0.2Mo water atomized prealloyed powder by normal mixing. These mixtures are pressed to a green density of 7.1 g/cm3 and sintered at 1120 ºC in 90N2-10H2 atmosphere.

The microstructures of Ni-containing P/M steels produced by admixed powders or diffusion alloyed powders are usually heterogeneous. To improve the microstructure homogeneity, the effects of Mo and Cr additions in the prealloyed powder form were examined. The results showed that the microstructural homogeneity was improved and superior mechanical properties were achieved with increases in the alloy content, particularly for the Cr. Such a beneficial effect was attained due to the reduction of the repelling effect between Ni and C, as was demonstrated through thermodynamic analysis using the Thermo-Calc software.

A CCT diagram for Cr-Mo prealloyed sintered steels suitable for sinter hardening was established by combining dilatometry data, microstructural studies and microhardness measurements of the material. CCT diagrams deepen the understanding of material properties after sinter hardening and support the design of materials on an industrial scale by providing information about required cooling rates for successful sinter hardening of these materials.

Manganese is an alloying element that improves the hardenability of steels. It could be a valid substitute in sintered steels, increasing mechanical properties. The hardenability of three low alloy Mn steels was studied to establish the influence of manganese on the heat treatments. The Grossmann approach was adopted, which uses cylinders with different diameters to induce different gradients of cooling rate in the cross section. The correlation of microstructure and microhardness to the actual cooling rate makes the results independent on the process parameters and applicable to each industrial condition, once the actual cooling rate in the parts is known.

The removal of oxygen during sintering by carbothermic reduction was studied for steel compacts Fe-Cr-Mo-C and Fe-Mo-C prepared from prealloyed powders. The compacts were prepared by pressing at 600 and 1000 MPa and sintering at 1100 and 1300°C in vacuum. It showed that for the Cr-Mo steel, deoxidation strongly depends on the sintering temperature, in contrast to the plain Mo steel; at 1300°C very low oxygen levels were measured with the standard density compact while at high density still significant oxygen is contained. This indicates inhibition of final deoxidation by pore closure, but apparently without adverse effect on the mechanical properties.

Wrought Si-steels are generally used for electromagnetic valves, which are needed good response. To date, Hitachi Powdered Metals Co., Ltd. have produced Fe-Si base sintered magnetic material, EU-52, which shows a magnetic flux density of more than 1.25T at 2000A/m and a maximum permeability of more than 3500. However these magnetic properties are lower than that of wrought Si-steels. Because EU-52 has a low density of 7.2Mg/m3. For improving the magnetic properties, it is necessary to increase the density of sintered cores. To increase density, a new mixing method of coating fine Si powders on atomized iron powders was developed, for avoiding the Kirkendall effect. As the result, developed P/M Fe-Si magnetic cores shows higher density of 7.38Mg/m3, higher magnetic flux density of 1.48T at 2000A/m and higher maximum permeability of 6800.

This work presents mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of duplex stainless steels obtained through powder metallurgy starting from austenitic, martensitic powders by controlled addition of alloying elements in the right quantity to obtain the chemical composition of the structure similar to biphasic one. In the mixes preparations the Schaffler's diagram was taken into consideration. Prepared mixes of powders have been sintered in a vacuum furnace with argon backfilling. After sintering rapid cooling was applied using nitrogen. Corrosion properties have been studied through electrochemical methods in 1M NaCl.

The present paper investigates the possibilities of niobium using for the mechanical properties of the common low alloyed Cu-Ni-Mo-C sintered structural steels enhancing. On both thermodynamic and experimental bases there were demonstrated the Nb nitrides/carbides/carbonitrides preferential formation in these steels during sintering in dissociated ammonia at both common and elevated temperatures. The obtained results for fine Nb powder and 0.3% graphite additions to Distaloy AB iron base powder cold compacted and sintered in dissociated ammonia proved the expected strengthening effect, leading to higher mechanical properties of the processed steels than of the common Cu-Ni-Mo-C ones.

We investigated that the effect of based compound on machinability of two types of PM steels. One is a copper steel which is selected as a general PM steel, and the other is a diffusion alloyed steel selected as a high strength PM steel. It is found that based compound addition improves machinability in drilling of both of the PM steels. Although the compound addition degrades the mechanical properties of PM steels, it is considered that decrease of the properties can be compensated by increasing density.