Mechanical Properties of a Stainless Steel after Annealing in Uranium Carbide

Year 2022, Volume: 9 Issue: 4, 1035 - 1046, 30.11.2022

Yüksel Sarıkaya , Müşerref Önal , Abdullah Devrim Pekdemir

https://doi.org/10.18596/jotcsa.1090922

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the interaction of carbide nuclear fuels with steel that is being used as cladding material for nuclear reactors. The specimens prepared from steel EN 1.4988 were consecutively annealed in three uranium carbide (UC) powders, having different carbon contents, at 600 °C for 1000 h. Both Ar and Na were used as bonding elements. The increase in the carbon content of the carburized specimens was determined and evaluated according to the bound and free carbon contents in the UC powders. The migration of free and bound carbon atoms into steel via self-diffusion and over Fe3C formation is interpreted as carburizing. Microhardness measurements and stress-strain tests were used to determine the mechanical properties of crude and carburized steel specimens. Maximum hardness at the contact surface and depth of the carburized zone were determined from the microhardness profiles and discussed depending on the bonding elements and carbon content in the specimens. These variables have a significant impact on the elongation percent, 0.2% yield stress, and tensile stress.

Keywords

Carburizing, mechanical properties, microhardness, stainless steel, uranium carbide

Supporting Institution

Karlsruhe University and Ankara University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit

Project Number

16L043013

Thanks

We are grateful to Karlsruhe University for experimental facilities and Ankara University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit (Project No: 16L043013) for financial support to this work.

References

• 1. Majumdar S, Sengupta AK, Kamath HS. Fabrication, characterization and property evaluation of mixed carbide fuels for a test Fast Breeder Reactor. J Nucl Mater. 2006;352(1-3):165-73.
• 2. Yan MF. Study on absorption and transport of carbon in steel during gas carburizing with rare-earth addition. Mater Chem Phys. 2001;70(2):242-4.
• 3. Farfan S. High cycle fatigue, low cycle fatigue and failure modes of a carburized steel. Int J Fatigue. 2004;26(6):673-8. doi:10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2003.08.022
• 4. Yao J, Zhang Q, Gao M, Zhang W. Microstructure and wear property of carbon nanotube carburizing carbon steel by laser surface remelting. Appl Surf Sci. 2008;254(21):7092-7.
• 5. Pertek A, Kulka M. Microstructure and properties of composite (B + C) diffusion layers on low-carbon steel. J Mater Sci. 2003;38:269-73.
• 6. Wang J, Tao Q, Fu L, Lai W, Shen C, Sun Z, vd. Greater diffusion rate of carbon atoms from nonlinear migration in micro-cell and spatially heterogeneous stable states in FCC iron. J Mater Sci. 2018;53(23):15952-68.
• 7. Pertek A, Kulka M. Characterization of complex (B + C) diffusion layers formed on chromium and nickel-based low-carbon steel. Appl Surf Sci. 2002;202:252-60.
• 8. Sun Y. Kinetics of low temperature plasma carburizing of austenitic stainless steels. J Mater Process Technol. 2005;168(2):189-94.
• 9. Balachandran G, Vadiraj A, Sharath BS, Krishnamurthy BR. Studies on induction hardening of gray iron and ductile iron. Trans Indian Inst Met. 2010;63(4):707-13.
• 10. Dong M, Cui X, Jin G, Wang H, Cai Z, Song S. Improved microstructure and properties of 12Cr2Ni4A alloy steel by vacuum carburization and Ti + N co-implantation. Appl Surf Sci. 2018;440:660-8.
• 11. Gençoğlu S, Yazıcı A. Surface Characteristics and distortion analysis of the case-hardened helical gears: a comparison of different case-hardening treatments. Trans Indian Inst Met. 2020;73(1):119-26.
• 12. Kulka M, Pertek A. Characterization of complex (B + C + N) diffusion layers formed on chromium and nickel-based low-carbon steel. Appl Surf Sci. 2003;218(1-4):114-23.
• 13. Scheuer CJ, Cardoso RP, Mafra M, Brunatto SF. AISI 420 martensitic stainless steel low-temperature plasma assisted carburizing kinetics. Surf Coat Technol. 2013;214:30-7.
• 14. Sarıkaya Y, Önal M. High temperature carburizing of a stainless steel with uranium carbide. J Alloys Compd. 2012;542:253-6.
• 15. Çavuşlu F, Usta M. Kinetics and mechanical study of plasma electrolytic carburizing for pure iron. Appl Surf Sci. 2011;257(9):4014-20.
• 16. Sarıkaya Y, Önal M, Pekdemir AD. Application of diffusion and transition state theories on the carburizing of steel AISI 316 by annealing in uranium carbide powder. Heliyon. 2019;5(8):e02305.
• 17. Akita M, Tokaji K. Effect of carburizing on notch fatigue behaviour in AISI 316 austenitic stainless steel. Surf Coat Technol. 2006;200(20-21):6073-8.
• 18. Xia X, Idemitsu K, Arima T, Inagaki Y, Ishidera T, Kurosawa S, vd. Corrosion of carbon steel in compacted bentonite and its effect on neptunium diffusion under reducing condition. Appl Clay Sci. 2005;28(1-4):89-100.
• 19. Panda RR, Mohanty DAM, Mohanta DK. Mechanical and wear properties of carburized low carbon steel samples. J Multidiscip Curr Res. 2014; Jan/Feb:109-12.
• 20. Savaria V, Monajati H, Bridier F, Bocher P. Measurement and correction of residual stress gradients in aeronautical gears after various induction surface hardening treatments. J Mater Process Technol. 2015;220:113-23.
• 21. Shen S, Song X, Li Q, Li X, Zhu R, Yang G. Effect of CrxCy–NiCr coating on the hydrogen embrittlement of 17-4 PH stainless steel using the smooth bar tensile test. J Mater Sci. 2019;54(9):7356-68.
• 22. Elangeswaran C, Cutolo A, Muralidharan GK, de Formanoir C, Berto F, Vanmeensel K, et al. Effect of post-treatments on the fatigue behaviour of 316L stainless steel manufactured by laser powder bed fusion. Int J Fatigue. 2019;123:31-9.
• 23. Chen Q-Y, Ren J-K, Xie Z-L, Zhang W-N, Chen J, Liu Z-Y. Correlation between reversed austenite and mechanical properties in a low Ni steel treated by ultra-fast cooling, intercritical quenching and tempering. J Mater Sci. 2020;55(4):1840-53.
• 24. Tian Z, Zhao Y, Jiang Y, Ren H, Qin C. Investigation of microstructure and properties of FeCoCrNiAlMox alloy coatings prepared by broadband-beam laser cladding technology. J Mater Sci. 2020;55(10):4478-92.
• 25. Sahu JN, Sasikumar C. Mechanical properties of a Ni–Cr–Mo steel subjected to room temperature carburizing using surface mechano-chemical carburizing treatment (SMCT). Trans Indian Inst Met. Nisan 2018;71(4):915-21.
• 26. Sahu JN, Sasikumar C. Evaluation of microstructure due to addition of carbon in Ni–Cr–Mo steel mechanically through surface mechanochemical case carburizing treatment (SMCT). Trans Indian Inst Met. 2019;72(1):55-63.
• 27. Zhang W, Fang K, Hu Y, Wang S, Wang X. Effect of machining-induced surface residual stress on initiation of stress corrosion cracking in 316 austenitic stainless steel. Corros Sci. 2016;108:173-84.
• 28. Wang S, Hu Y, Fang K, Zhang W, Wang X. Effect of surface machining on the corrosion behaviour of 316 austenitic stainless steel in simulated PWR water. Corros Sci. 2017;126:104-20.
• 29. Yang Y, Yan MF, Zhang YX. Tribological behavior of diamond-like carbon in-situ formed on Fe3C-containing carburized layer by plasma carburizing. Appl Surf Sci. 2019;479:482-8.
• 30. Sahu JN, Sasikumar C. Room Temperature case carburizing of a Ni–Cr–Mo steel through shot peening/blasting techniques. Trans Indian Inst Met. 2015;68(S2):227-33.
• 31. Yang Y, Yan MF, Zhang SD, Guo JH, Jiang SS, Li DY. Diffusion behavior of carbon and its hardening effect on plasma carburized M50NiL steel: Influences of treatment temperature and duration. Surf Coat Technol. 2018;333:96-103.
• 32. Argade GR, Shukla S, Liu K, Mishra RS. Friction stir lap welding of stainless steel and plain carbon steel to enhance corrosion properties. J Mater Process Technol. 2018;259:259-69.
• 33. Ozturk B, Fearing VL, Ruth JA, Simkovich G. Self-diffusion coefficients of carbon in F3C at 723 K via the kinetics of formation of this compound. Metall. Mater. Trans. 1982;13A:1871-73.
• 34. Ahamad NW, Jauhari I, Azis SAA, Aziz NHA. Kinetics of carburizing of duplex stainless steel (DSS) by superplastic compression at different strain rates. Mater Sci Eng A. 2010;527(16-17):4257-61.
• 35. Yang Y, Yan MF, Zhang YX, Li DY, Zhang CS, Zhu YD, vd. Catalytic growth of diamond-like carbon on Fe3C-containing carburized layer through a single-step plasma-assisted carburizing process. Carbon. 2017;122:1-8. doi.org/10.1016/j.carbon.2017.06.033
• 36. Cao Z, Liu T, Yu F, Cao W, Zhang X, Weng Y. Carburization induced extra-long rolling contact fatigue life of high carbon bearing steel. Int J Fatigue. 2020;131:105351.