Coarsening and Hardening Behaviors of Cu-Rich Precipitates in Super304H Austenitic Steel

The coarsening and hardening behaviors of Cu-rich precipitates in Super304H austenitic steel aged at 923 K, 973 K, and 1023 K (650 °C, 700 °C, and 750 °C), respectively, have been investigated through measuring the particle size by transmission electron microscopy and microhardness. The results showed the Cu-rich precipitates have a cubic-to-cubic crystallographic relationship and coherent interface with the austenitic matrix during long-time aging, and that the coarsening behavior of the Cu-rich particles can be predicted with the help of the Lifshitz–Slyozov–Wagner theory. The activation energy for coarsening of the Cu-rich precipitates was evaluated to be 212 ± 3 kJ/mol. The coarsening of Cu-rich precipitates is controlled mainly by the volume diffusion of copper atoms in the austenitic matrix. The contributions to the maximum microhardness occurring at different aging temperatures from precipitation strengthening range from about 17 to 25 pct. The strengthening of the Cu-rich precipitates arises mainly from the coherency strain and partially from stacking-fault strengthening.