Effect of Partial N Substitution for Ni on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of GX40CrNiSi25-12 Austenitic Heat-Resistant Steel
摘要
In this paper, the effect of nitrogen (N)-substituted nickel (Ni) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of austenitic heat-resistant steel was investigated based on GX40CrNiSi25-12 austenitic heat-resistant steel. Firstly, the equilibrium solidification process of the N substituted for Ni test steel was simulated using JMatPro software. Various microstructural characterization techniques were employed to examine the changes in the microstructure of the test steel following the N substitution of Ni. Additionally, room temperature tensile tests were conducted to assess the influence of N substitution of Ni on the mechanical properties of the austenitic heat-resistant steel. The results indicate that increasing the N content and decreasing the Ni content in austenitic heat-resistant steels leads to a preferential reaction between N and the strong carbon–nitrogen complex element niobium (Nb). This interaction promotes the formation of a skeleton-like Nb(C, N) phase within the test steel, which inhibits the precipitation of the M23C6 phase between the dendrites. Consequently, the cutting effect of large-sized M23C6 between dendrites relative to the matrix is reduced. As a result of the solid solution strengthening and precipitation strengthening mechanisms associated with nitrogen, the tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation of the test steel N0.32 were enhanced by 19%, 16%, and 72%, respectively.