Journal
MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING A-STRUCTURAL MATERIALS PROPERTIES MICROSTRUCTURE AND PROCESSING
Volume 527, Issue 15, Pages 3546-3551Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE SA
DOI: 10.1016/j.msea.2010.02.032
Keywords
Numerical simulation; Copper precipitates; Precipitation kinetics; Precipitation strengthening
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Funding
- Austrian Research Promotion Agency Ltd. (FFG)
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During ageing of steel containing a few percent Cu, a maximum increase of hardness and strength can be observed after several hours of annealing at around 500-550 degrees C. This strength increase is caused by small coherent bcc-Cu-precipitates of 2-3 nm diameter. For consistent computer simulations of the early stages of precipitation, it is shown that variations in the equilibrium Fe-content of the bcc-Cu nuclei must be taken into account. The simulated precipitation parameters are compared to experimental data reported in literature. Good agreement between experiment and simulation can be achieved in terms of the evolution of phase fraction, number density and mean radius of the Cu-precipitates. Based on these results, different models for precipitation strengthening are assessed and their predictions compared to the experimentally observed strength evolution. We find that mainly the coherency strain and modulus strengthening effects contribute to the precipitation strengthening potential. Together with the intrinsic strength of the alloy and Cu solid-solution strengthening, a consistent description of the lower yield strength evolution during precipitation hardening of an Fe-1.4% Cu alloy is achieved. (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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