Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2025
07:47
Reverse Microemulsion-mediated Synthesis of Monometallic and Bimetallic Early Transition Metal Carbide and Nitride Nanoparticles
Published on: November 27, 2015
10.8K
Interphase and random nanoscale carbide precipitation in vanadium micro-alloyed steels studied using SANS
Zamran Zahoor Khan1, Steven R Parnell1, S Erik Offerman2
1Department of Radiation Science and Technology, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 15, 2629 JB Delft, The Netherlands.
Journal of Materials Science
|May 5, 2025
Summary
Two thermal treatments create nanoscale vanadium carbide (VC) precipitates in steel. Interphase precipitation (IP) yields higher VC precipitate density than random precipitation (RP), which shows broader size distribution.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Metallurgy
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Vanadium carbide (VC) precipitates significantly influence steel properties.
- Controlling precipitate formation is crucial for advanced material design.
- Understanding precipitation mechanisms, interphase precipitation (IP) and random precipitation (RP), is key.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the characteristics of nanoscale VC precipitates formed via two distinct thermal treatments.
- To compare the number density, size distribution, and morphology of VC precipitates under IP and RP conditions.
- To analyze the effect of carbon and vanadium content on VC precipitation under different mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Utilized small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) to quantify precipitate volume fraction and size distribution.
- Employed transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for detailed microstructural analysis and precipitate morphology.
- Investigated steels subjected to two different thermal treatments inducing IP and RP.
Main Results:
- Interphase precipitation (IP) resulted in a higher number density of VC precipitates compared to random precipitation (RP).
- Random precipitation (RP) exhibited a broader size distribution of precipitate radii.
- RP predominantly formed lens-shaped VC precipitates at grain boundaries (GBs) and sub-grain boundaries (SGBs), with smaller precipitates in the matrix.
Conclusions:
- The mechanism of precipitation (IP vs. RP) critically dictates VC precipitate characteristics in steel.
- Carbon and vanadium addition enhanced VC precipitate number density only under the RP mechanism.
- These findings provide insights into controlling nanoscale precipitate formation for tailored steel performance.
