The paper presents the technology of manufacturing layered castings, consisting of grey cast iron (base part) and high-chromium stainless steel (working part/layer). The aim of researches was an attempt of integration of heat treatment of steel X46Cr13 grade with founding of grey cast iron in bimetallic system and determination of the influence of cooling rate of bimetallic system in classical sand mould with bentonite on microstructure and hardness of the working layer. The castings were manufactured using mould cavity preparation method, where steel plate was poured by grey cast iron using different pouring temperature and thickness of base part. Then, the quality of joint between cast iron and steel plate was estimated by using ultrasonic non-destructive testing. The efficiency of heat treatment process was analysed by measurement of hardness and in metallographic examination. Conducted studies showed, that self-hardening’s ability of steel X46Cr13 let obtain technologically usable layered casting characterized by hardness of working surface up to 35 HRC.
The machinability and the process parameter optimization of turning operation for 15-5 Precipitation Hardening (PH) stainless steel have been investigated based on the Taguchi based grey approach and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). An L27 orthogonal array was selected for planning the experiment. Cutting speed, depth of cut and feed rate were considered as input process parameters. Cutting force (Fz) and surface roughness (Ra) were considered as the performance measures. These performance measures were optimized for the improvement of machinability quality of product. A comparison is made between the multi-criteria decision making tools. Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) and TOPSIS are used to confirm and prove the similarity. To determine the influence of process parameters, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) is employed. The end results of experimental investigation proved that the machining performance can be enhanced effectively with the assistance of the proposed approaches.
This paper discusses issues related to optimising the technological parameters of the process of brazing gold in a vacuum
furnace. An investigation of the brazing process was carried out for materials used in constructing components for aircraft engine
fuel systems. The vacuum brazed material was AMS 5510 stainless steel (in the form of plates and pipes). AMS 4787 (BAu-4) was
used as the brazing filler. In particular, the influence of the method of preparing the surface on solder spreading and the thickness
of the diffusion zone were analysed. The best spreading of solder was obtained for nickel plated surfaces. When the sample surface
was more rough or scratched, the effect of the spreading of solder was limited and the diffusion process of the solder into the base
material became dominant. Moreover, the influence of the brazing temperature on microstructure changes and on interdiffusion
of the AMS 5510 stainless steel/BAu-4 solder system was determined. It was observed that an increase in the brazing temperature
modifies the morphology of the formed joint by forming a massive and rounded phase. Furthermore, an increase in the brazing
temperature enhances the exchange of components.
In this study, ODS ferritic stainless steels were fabricated using a commercial alloy powder, and their microstructures and mechanical properties were studied to develop the advanced structural materials for high temperature service applications. Mechanical alloying and uniaxial hot pressing processes were employed to produce the ODS ferritic stainless steels. It was revealed that oxide particles in the ODS stainless steels were composed of Y-Si-O, Y-Ti-Si-O, and Y-Hf-Si-O complex oxides were observed depending on minor alloying elements, Ti and Hf. The ODS ferritic stainless steel with a Hf addition presented ultra-fine grains with uniform distributions of fine complex oxide particles which located in grains and on the grain boundaries. These favorable microstructures led to superior tensile properties than commercial stainless steel and ODS ferritic steel with Ti addition at elevated temperature.
The sintered stainless steels of different microstructures (austenitic, ferritic and duplex) were laser surface alloyed with hard powders (SiC, Si3N4) and elemental alloying powders (Cr, FeCr, FeNi) to obtain a complex steel microstructure of improved properties. Laser surface alloying (LSA) involved different strategies of powder placing: the direct powder feeding to the molten metal pool and filling grooves machined on the sample surface by powder, and then laser surface melting. Obtained microstructures were characterised and summarised, basing on LOM, SEM and XRD analysis. The links between base material properties, like superficial hardness and microhardness, derived microstructures and erosion resistance was described. The LSA conditions and alloying powder placement strategies on erosion resistance was evaluated. The erosion wear is lower for Cr, FeCr, FeNi laser alloying, where powders were dissolved in the steel microstructure, and hard phases were not precipitated. Precipitations of hard phases (carbides, silicides, martensite formation) reduce erosion resistance of SiC alloyed stainless steel. The LSA with Si3N4 works better due to lack of precipitates and formation of a soft and ductile austenitic microstructure. The erosion wear at the impingement angle of 90° is high for hard and therefore brittle surface layers obtained as a result of alloying by hard particles (SiC, Si3N4). The softer and ductile austenitic stainless steel resist better than harder ferritic and duplex stainless steel material at studied erodent im pingement angle.
Selective Laser Melting (SLM) is a modern manufacturing method with many applications in medicine, aerospace and automotive industries. SLM processed materials are characterized by good dimensional accuracy and properties comparable or superior to materials obtained by traditional processing methods. In this paper an SLM process was used to obtain 316L stainless steel parts. This paper presents the microstructure, chemical and phase composition, physicochemical and electrochemical properties of 12 groups of tested samples, differentiated by the SLM processing parameters. Based on the investigation, it can be inferred that the selection of the appropriate SLM parameters is very important to determined final material properties. The samples produced with the energy density E = 600 J/mm3 were observed to possess optimum properties – a homogeneous structure, density closest to the desired one, good wettability and pitting corrosion resistance.
In the present paper, elemental Fe, Cr and Ni powders were used to fabricate nano-structured duplex and ferritic stainless steel powders by using high energy planetary ball milling. We have studied the effect of milling atmosphere like wet (toluene) and dry (argon) milling of elemental Fe-18Cr-13Ni (duplex) and Fe-17Cr-1Ni (ferritic) powders for 10 h in a dual drive planetary mill. Stearic acid of 1wt. % was added during milling to avoid agglomeration. The dry and wet milled duplex and ferritic stainless steel powders were characterized by XRD, SEM and particle size analysis techniques. We have found that both the milling atmospheres have great influence in controlling the final particle morphology, size and phase evolution during milling. It was reported that dry milling is more effective in reducing particle size than the wet milling. The Nelson-Riley method of extrapolation was used to calculate the precise lattice parameter and Williamson-Hall method was used to calculate the crystallite size and lattice strain of both the stainless steel milled in argon atmosphere. Dry milled duplex and ferritic stainless steel were then consolidated by conventional sintering method at 1100, 1200 and 1300°C temperatures under argon atmosphere for 1 hour.
Crystal structure and phase composition of stainless steel substrates (AISI 304 type) was studied and it was found that they adopted the cubic symmetry. The calculated elementary cell parameter for the mayor Fe-Ni phase (weight fraction 99%) was a = 3.593 Å, whereas the mean grain size was <D> = 2932 Å. Morphology of the stainless steel substrate surface was studied with profilometry. Mechanical properties of the stainless steel substrates and stainless steel substrates coated with ceramic layer of barium strontium titanate were studied with microhardness tester. For measurements performed according to the Vickers method the average microhardness was found HV = 189 or HV = 186 for the “in-line” and “mapping” measurement pattern, respectively. The sol-gel method was used to coat the surface of the stainless steel substrate with a thin ceramic layer of the chemical composition Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3. It was found that the stainless steel substrate covered with sol-gel deposited ceramic coating exhibited the average hardness within the range HV = 217 up to HV = 235 for loading force F = 98 mN and F = 0.98 N, respectively. The Knopp method was also used and it was found that the stainless steel substrate with Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 coating exhibited hardness HK = 386.
The dry sliding wear behavior of heat-treated super duplex stainless steel AISI 2507 was examined by taking pin-on-disc type of wear-test
rig. Independent parameters, namely applied load, sliding distance, and sliding speed, influence mainly the wear rate of super duplex
stainless steel. The said material was heat treated to a temperature of 850°C for 1 hour followed by water quenching. The heat treatment
was carried out to precipitate the secondary sigma phase formation. Experiments were conducted to study the influence of independent
parameters set at three factor levels using the L27 orthogonal array of the Taguchi experimental design on the wear rate. Statistical
significance of both individual and combined factor effects was determined for specific wear rate. Surface plots were drawn to explain the
behavior of independent variables on the measured wear rate. Statistically, the models were validated using the analysis of variance test.
Multiple non-linear regression equations were derived for wear rate expressed as non-linear functions of independent variables. Further,
the prediction accuracy of the developed regression equation was tested with the actual experiments. The independent parameters
responsible for the desired minimum wear rate were determined by using the desirability function approach. The worn-out surface
characteristics obtained for the minimum wear rate was examined using the scanning electron microscope. The desired smooth surface was
obtained for the determined optimal condition by desirability function approach.