Discontinuous precipitation of M₂₃C₆ in austenitic steels

Abstract

Grain boundary precipitation of M₂₃C₆ has been studied in a 20% Cr-35% Ni stainless steel with two grain sizes during creep deformation at 700°C as well as during an ordinary ageing treatment at 700°C. A special etching technique was applied which showed how the grain boundary precipitation gave rise to depletion of alloying elements in a zone of uniform thickness, independent of the carbide distribution, and with a gradual decrease of the depletion towards the grain interior. At some places the carbide precipitation and grain boundary migration co-operated and in these cases there was a sharp change in alloying content across the grain boundary. This process was more frequent in creep tested samples and the degree of co-operation was larger in the coarse-grained material where even a few cases of lamellar, eutectic-like precipitation was observed. Such a grain size dependence is expected theoretically and is caused by the large difference in diffusivity between carbon and the other alloying elements. It is proposed that the various degrees of co-operation between carbide precipitation and grain boundary migration are all examples of discontinuous precipitation. The various proposed mechanisms for grain boundary migration during discontinuous precipitation are discussed on the basis of the present results.