CHARACTERISTICS

IN H I G H - S T R E N G T H
M.

A.

Krishtal

OF

STRESS

RELAXATION

STEEL
and

V.

A.

Postnikov

UDC 669 14.018.295:539.319

It was r e p o r t e d in [1,2} that some i n c r e a s e in strength o c c u r s in pure metals with s t r e s s relaxation

after plastic d e f o r m a t i o n as the r e s u l t of aging.
The i n c r e a s e in strength in the f i r s t period of relaxation is also controlled by precipitation of i n t e r stitial a t o m s at dislocations. The existence of a second stage of s t r e s s relaxation is explained by the fact
that the c o n c e n t r a t i o n of impurities at dislocations i n c r e a s e s more slowly than in the f i r s t period at some
point in the c o u r s e of aging.
As follows f r o m [31, the f i r s t period of s t r e s s relaxation is due to i n t e r g r a n u l a r stabilization of
s t r e s s e s , and the second stage to i n t r a g r a n u l a r stabilization. However, it was concluded in a study of
s t r e s s relaxation in s e v e r a l alloys [4] that boundary and bulk relaxation o c c u r , which over the c o u r s e of
the entire p r o c e s s affects the relaxation c u r v e ; boundary relaxation attenuates only toward the end of the
p r o c e s s and m a y r e s u m e with an i n c r e a s e of t e m p e r a t u r e sufficient to activate boundary shifts.
We investigated r e i n f o r c i n g steel 23Kh2G2T (0.18-0.26% C, 1.4-1.7% Mn, 1.35-1.7~c Cr, 0.4-0.7/~ Si,
0.02-0.08% T i , up to 0.05~ AI), which is used for p r e s t r e s s e d concrete. The mechanical p r o p e r t i e s of the
steel axe as follows: ob = 110 k g / m m 2, o0. 2 = 92 k g / m m 2, 00.02 = 72 k g / m m 2, 5s = 16%, 510 = 9~. The
t e s t s w e r e made by the method d e s c r i b e d in [5].
I-1,kcaVg-atom

z o kg/mm2

IH-,

"": d:2

"-"dl!
$

""

21 ~ l t ]

20
ff
10

28

_2

23 ~

I~ 2b ~e )
c

leo u

0 20 Jo 50 1oo h
d

26

Fig. 1. Variation of r e l a x a t i o n effect Ao (1), height of

Koester peak Q-1 (2), and activation e n e r g y H (3) with
testing t e m p e r a t u r e : a) 20; b) 100; c) 200; d) 300 .
T o l ' y a t t i Polytechnic Institute.

T r a n s l a t e d f r o m Metallovedenie i T e r m i c h e s k a y a Obrabotka Metal-

lov, No. 3, pp. 73-74, March, 1977.

rotected b co yright registered in the name o f Plenum Publishing Corporatiotl, 227 West 1 7th Street, N e w York, N.Y. 10011. No part ]
IThis material is p
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microfilming, recording or otherwise, witnou~ wrltten pet1,.a~,~,, ~,j
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243

3
z

Fig. 2. Time to f r a c t u r e
with hydrogenation vs r e laxation t i m e : 1) 20; 2)
100~; 3) 200; 4) 300 .

12

f5 h

F i g u r e 1 shows relaxation c u r v e s with an initial s t r e s s of 60 k g / m m 2 (0.65 a0.25, where the two r e laxation periods can be seen, and an anomalously l a r g e drop of the s t r e s s at 200.
To c l a r i f y the c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of s t r e s s r e l a x a t i o n we d e t e r m i n e d the variation of the height of the
K o e s t e r peak with relaxation time and testing t e m p e r a t u r e . The tests were made with a high-frequency
apparatus by the r e s o n a n c e method with samples of r e i n f o r c i n g bars 200 mm long and 12 m m in diameter
cut f r o m the b a r s after each of the given relaxation t i m e s indicated by points on the internal friction curve
(Fig. 15. The frequency of m e a s u r e m e n t s was 1.25 kHz and the t e m p e r a t u r e range 20-300C
At 20 the reduction in the height of the K o e s t e r peak (Q-i) and the activation e n e r g y of the relaxation
p r o c e s s (H) calculated f r o m the t e m p e r a t u r e position of the K o e s t e r peak a g r e e qualitatively with the r e laxation c u r v e . An i n c r e a s e of Q-1 and H is o b s e r v e d at 100 , which ends at the end of the f i r s t relaxation
period, and these values d e c r e a s e in the second r e l a x a t i o n period. At 200 there is a sharp i n c r e a s e in
the height of the K o e s t e r peak and activation e n e r g y in the f i r s t hour of testing, with a later d e c r e a s e in
c o n f o r m i t y with the anomalous effect of the drop in s t r e s s .
A peak on the c u r v e of Q-I vs T and constant activation energy a r e observed in tests at 300 . The
height of the K o e s t e r peak after deformation with an initial s t r e s s a 0 = 0.65 00. 2 in the beginning of the test
(100-3005 is 14" 10 -4 , while the m a x i m u m value is about 2 0 . 1 0 -4 .
However, this peak is r e a c h e d after 300, 30, and 15 min r e s p e c t i v e l y at 100,200, and 300. This
indicates that the c r i t i c a l dislocation density is r e a c h e d at different t i m e s under conditions of s t r e s s r e l a x a tion at different t e m p e r a t u r e s .
It is known that with hydrogen e m b r i t t l e m e n t a Koester peak o c c u r s and there is an i n c r e a s e in the
density of dislocations r e s u l t i n g f r o m plastic deformation at points of evolution and formation of hydrogen
molecules in the c r y s t a l lattice. It was a s s u m e d that the region where the maximum K o e s t e r peaks occur
in the c o u r s e of relaxation c o r r e s p o n d s to the conditions m o s t favorable for hydrogen embrittlement.
Hydrogenation was conducted in a 4% solution of H2SO4 at a c u r r e n t density of 0.01 A / c m 2 at r o o m
t e m p e r a t u r e during the entire hydrogen e m b r i t t l e m e n t test. The lowest r e s i s t a n c e to hydrogen e m b r i t t l e merit (Fig. 2) c o r r e s p o n d s approximately to the m a x i m u m K o e s t e r peak (Fig. 1). Thus, in a c c o r d a n c e
with the conclusions drawn, the most dangerous period for hydrogen e m b r i t t l e m e n t is the f i r s t period of
s t r e s s relaxation, which is due to a l a r g e number of stacking faults in the e a r l y stages r e s u l t i n g f r o m intensive s t r a i n hardening of the steel [6].
The change in the activation e n e r g y of the r e l a x a t i o n p r o c e s s , which is beyond the limits of the e x p e r i mental e r r o r in tests at 200 (Fig. l c ) , and the fairly distinct change of the activation energy in other c a s e s ,
also beyond the limits of the experimental e r r o r , point to s e v e r a l m e c h a n i s m s of the relaxation p r o c e s s .
This indicates the complexity of the s t r e s s relaxation p r o c e s s in steel (as c o m p a r e d with pure metals),
a s s o c i a t e d above all with aging p r o c e s s e s , which o c c u r most intensively in the region of the maximum
K o e s t e r peak.
LITERATURE
1.

CITED

2.
3.

V . A . Pavlov and I. A. P e r e t u r i n a , , T e m p e r a t u r e dependence of the deforming s t r e s s in bee metals,"

in: P h y s i c s of Strain Hardening of Single C r y s t a l s [in R u s s i a n ] , Naukova Dumka, Kiev (19725, p. 39.
K. Fujimoto, T. Imanaka, and N. Konishi, T r a n s . Inst. Met., No. 8, 208 (19675.
I . A . Oding and V. S. Ivanova, T h e o r y of C r e e p and L o n g - T e r m Strength [in Russian], M e t a l l u r g i z -

4.

dat, Moscow (1959}, p. 375.

C . M . Z e n e r , ~Elasttcity and inelasticity of.metals," in: E l a s t i c i t y and Inelasticity of Metals, Univ.
of Chicago P r e s s (1948).

244

Ya. I. y a r k h i n et al., "Effect of heat t r e a t m e n t on r e s i s t a n c e of h i g h - s t r e n g t h r e i n f o r c i n g s t e e l s , "

in: P r o b l e m s of Metal Science and P h y s i c s of Metals [in R u s s i a n ] , Izd, T P I . Tula {1972), p. 166.
A. S a s t r i Suri, M i c r o s t r u e t u r e and Design of Alloys, P r o c , T h i r d Int. Conf. Strength of Metals and
A l l o y s , Vol. 1, C a m b r i d g e (1973), p. 596.

5.
6.

PROCESSES IN S I L I C I D E

FRACTURE

COATINGS

ON S T E E L S
Z.

S.

Broide

and

V.

I.

Udovitskii

UDC 620.17:621.793.6

Diffusion siliciding, like other e h e m i c o t h e r m a l t r e a t m e n t s , has a s t r o n g effect on the strength and

r e s i s t a n c e to f r a c t u r e of steel [11. The effect is due above all to substantial changes in the p h y s i c o m e e h a n i cal p r o p e r t i e s of the s u r f a c e r e s u l t i n g f r o m diffusion s a t u r a t i o n .
The reduction of the yield s t r e n g t h and ultimate s t r e n g t h [2] and modulus of e l a s t i c i t y and s h e a r
s t r e n g t h [3] in combination with the high w e a r r e s i s t a n c e of silicided s t e e l s [4] indicate the n e c e s s i t y of
studying the c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of f r a c t u r e of f e r r i t e with silicon on the s u r f a c e of s t e e l s under load, taking
into account the effect of p o r e s f o r m e d in the p r o c e s s of silieiding.
A m i c r o m e c h a n i c a l a p p a r a t u s w a s c o n s t r u c t e d p e r m i t t i n g o b s e r v a t i o n of the changes o c c u r r i n g in the
coating on a silicided section in tension, c o m p r e s s i o n , bending, indentation of the coating with indenters
of different s h a p e s , and friction of the s u r f a c e a g a i n s t a r o t a t i n g shaft. The a p p a r a t u s was attached to the
MIM-8M m i c r o s c o p e with p r o v i s i o n for constant position of the selected a r e a of the m i c r o s e c t i o n in the
field of view at a mag-nification of 2000 in all t e s t s .
The m i c r o s t r e s s e s in the diffusion coating and in the b a s e metal (annealed steel 45) w e r e d e t e r m i n e d
by x - r a y a n a l y s i s .
During friction of dry silicided steel 45 or steel U8 (HRC 55-60) at a slip r a t e of 0.15 m / s e e under
a p r e s s u r e of 25 k g / c m 2 t h e r e is a gradual ndisintegration" of the porous s u r f a c e that slowly extends into
the depth of the coating (Fig. 1). T h i s type of d a m a g e is c o m p l e t e l y in a g r e e m e n t with the concept o[ the
fatigue m e c h a n i s m of w e a r , a c c o r d i n g to which the f r e e e n e r g y builds up in the s u r f a c e l a y e r in the f o r m
of s t r u c t u r a l d e f e c t s , phase t r a n s f o r m a t i o n s , etc. until complete disintegration.

Fig. I. Fracture of sflicide layer during

friction (slip rate 0.15 m/see, 25 kg/cm~)
( 310) : a) original structure; b) after [fiction (150 m).
- -

C h e r n o v t s y State University.

T r a n s l a t e d f r o m Metatlovedenie i T e r m i c h e s k a y a Obrabotka Metallov.

No. 3, p. 75, M a r c h , 1977.

This material is protected by copyright registered in the name o f Plenum Publishing Corporation, 227 West 17th Street. New York, N.Y. l O0t l. No part
o f this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any .form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
rnicroffdming, recording or otherwise, without written permission o f the publisher. A copy o f this arn'cle is available from the publisher for $ 7.50.

245