A strain-gradient crystal plasticity constitutive model was developed in order to predict the Hall Petch behavior of a Ni-base polycrystalline superalloy. The constitutive model involves statistically stored dislocation and geometrically necessary dislocation densities, which were incorporated into the Bailey-Hirsch type flow stress equation with six strength interaction coefficients. A strain-gradient term (called slip-system lattice incompatibility) developed by Acharya was used to calculate the geometrically necessary dislocation density. The description of Kocks-Argon-Ashby type thermally activated strain rate was also used to represent the shear rate of an individual slip system. The constitutive model was implemented in a user material subroutine for crystal plasticity finite element method simulations. The grain size dependence of the flow stress (viz., the Hall- Petch behavior) was predicted for a Ni-base polycrystalline superalloy NIMONIC PE16. Simulation results showed that the present constitutive model fairly reasonably predicts 0.2%-offset yield stresses in a limited range of the grain size.

Prior austenite grain size plays an important role in the production of high strength hot-rolled steel. This study investigated the effect of Ti and C contents on the precipitates and prior austenite grain size. Steel with no Ti solutes had prior austenite grain size of about 620 μm. The addition of Ti ~ 0.03 wt.% and 0.11 wt.% reduced the prior austenite grain size to 180 μm and 120 μm, respectively. The amount of Ti required to significantly decrease the prior austenite grain size was in the range of 0.03 wt.%. However, the amount of carbon required to significantly decrease the prior austenite grain size was not present from 0.04 wt.% to 0.12 wt.%. Oxides of Ti (Ti2O3) were observed as the Ti content increased to 0.03 wt.%. The specimen containing 0.11 wt.% of Ti exhibited the complex carbides of (Ti, Nb) C. The formation of Ti precipitates was critical to reduce the prior austenite grain size. Furthermore, the consistency of prior austenite grain size increased as the carbon and Ti contents increased. During the reheating process of hot-rolled steel, the most critical factor for controlling the prior austenite grain size seems to be the presence of Ti precipitates.

The spot weldability of dissimilar metal joints between stainless steels (AISI316) and interstitial free (IF) steels were investigated. This study was aimed to determine the spot welding parameters for a dissimilar metal joint and to evaluate the dissimilar metal joint's weldability, including its welding nugget shape, tensileshear strength, hardness, and microstructure. The fracture surface was investigated by using a Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The experimental results showed that the shape of nugget was asymmetric, in which the fusion zone of the STS316 sheet was larger due to the higher bulk-resistance. The microstructure of the fusion zone was fully martensite. In order to evaluate the microstructure further, dilution of stainless steels were calculated and imposed onto the Schaeffler diagram. The predicted microstructure from the Schaeffler diagram was martensite. In order to confirm the predicted microstructure, XRD measurements were carried out. The results showed that that initial weld nugget was composed of austenite and martensite.

The effects of Quenching and Partitioning (Q&P) and Annealed Martensite (AM) heat treatment on the microstructure and tensile properties were investigated for 0.24C-0.5Si-1.5Mn-1Al steels. The Q&P steels were annealed at a single phase (γ) or a dual phase (γ+α), followed by quenching to a temperature between Ms and Mf. Then, enriching carbon was conducted to stabilize the austenite through the partitioning, followed by water quenching. The AM steels were intercritically annealed at a dual phase (γ+α) temperature and austempered at Ms and Ms±50˚C, followed by cooling in oil quenching. The dual phase Q&P steels showed lower tensile strength and yieldyield strength than those of the single phase Q&P steels, and tThe elongation for the dual phase Q&P steel was partitioning 100s higher than that of that for the single phase Q&P steels as the partitioning time was less than 100s up to partitioning 100s. For AM steels, the tensile/yield strength decreased and the total elongation increased as the austempering temperature increased. The stability of the retained austenite controlled the elongation for Q&P steels and the volume fraction of the retained austenite controlled the elongation for AM steels.