Roles of bulk carbon content on grain size, carbide reactions and intergranular rupture life in 2.25cr martensitic heat resistant steels

Abstract

The steel of a higher bulk carbon content shows the denser precipitation distribution of carbides after the solution treatment followed by tempering. Such a carbide distribution produces the smaller prior austenite grain size after the welding simulation at a high temperature. Because the equilibrium segregation concentration of phosphorus decreases with decreasing prior austenite grain size, the specimen of the higher bulk carbon content shows therefore the longer intergranular rupture life. The rupture life is also increased by the partitioning of phosphorus pre-segregated at prior austenite grain boundary/carbide interfaces onto the fresh surface of precipitates formed on the surface of pre-formed carbides. The intergranular rupture life is additionally increased by the repulsive segregation between carbon and phosphorus which decreases the overall phosphorus segregation concentration at the prior austenite grain boundaries.