Inhibition Effect of Ti on the Formation of Martensite Lath in 14Cr Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Steel

Abstract

Three model powders defined as MP powders (milled pre-alloyed powders), mixed powders (MX, 50 wt.% MP powders + 50 wt.% Oxide-Dispersion Strengthened powders) and Oxide Dispersion Strengthened (ODS) powders (alloyed pre-alloyed powders with the addition of Ti and Y2O3) are obtained under identical ball milling parameters. These powders are then consolidated under same sintering condition by spark plasma sintering (SPS) in order to investigate the formation mechanism of martensite lath in the MP steel and the effect of Ti on the stability of ferrite. The results indicate that the addition of Y2O3 and Ti powders can act as friction material during the mechanical alloying process, thus promoting the refinement effect. The formation of martensite lath in the MP steel is attributed to the local Cr depletion resulted from the large amounts of M23C6 precipitation. Ti possesses a strong affinity to C and long range diffusion ability, which efficiently prevents the martensite lath formation and local Cr depletion. Present study supports the conclusion that the lack of martensite in the MX and ODS steel is due to the addition of Ti. Secondary phases in these steels are identified and analyzed as well.