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Structure-property relationships in bainitic steels

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Abstract

Bainitic microstructures can be produced in a variety of steels either as a result of a deliberate attempt to achieve a particular combination of strength and toughness or in response to welding during fabrication. In addition, such microstructures can offer advantages in terms of their resistance to creep or fatigue deformation or susceptibility to hydrogen embrittlement. The relationships among chemical composition, processing, microstructure, and the mechanical properties will be reviewed. Particular emphasis will be placed on recent advances in alloy design. These developments rely on an improved understanding of the mechanisms of bainitic transformation, and the relevance of recent research in this area to the design of new alloy systems will be discussed. Bainitic structures which arise during welding can have a significant and sometimes detrimental effect on the fracture toughness of the welded joint. The fracture toughness of bainitic microstructures in so-called “local brittle zones” in the heat-affected zone and in weld metals and the importance of controlling the bainitic morphology will be considered and the transformation mechanisms discussed. In summary, the aim of this review will be to indicate the prospects for improved microstructural control of structure-property relationships in steels containing a significant proportion of bainite.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Metallurgy and Science of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Road, OX1 3PH, Oxford, UK

    D. V. Edmonds (Lecturer)

  2. British Steel Sheffield Laboratories, Swinden House, Moorgate, Rotherham, UK

    R. C. Cochrane (Manager, Welding Research)

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  1. D. V. Edmonds
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  2. R. C. Cochrane
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Additional information

This paper is based on a presentation made in the symposium “International Conference on Bainite” presented at the 1988 World Materials Congress in Chicago, IL, on September 26 and 27, 1988, under the auspices of the ASM INTERNATIONAL Phase Transformations Committee and the TMS Ferrous Metallurgy Committee.

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Edmonds, D.V., Cochrane, R.C. Structure-property relationships in bainitic steels. Metall Trans A 21, 1527–1540 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02672567

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