Microstructural evolution of bainitic steel severely deformed by equal channel angular pressing.

High Si bainitic steel has been received much of interest because of combined ultra high strength, good ductility along with high wear resistance. In this study a high Si bainitic steel (Fe-0.22C-2.0Si-3.0Mn) was used with a proper microstructure which could endure severe plastic deformation. In order to study the effect of severe plastic deformation on the microstructure and properties of bainitic steel, Equal Channel Angular Pressing was performed in two passes at room temperature. Optical, SEM and TEM microscopies were used to examine the microstructure of specimens before and after Equal Channel Angular Pressing processing. X-ray diffraction was used to measure retained austenite after austempering and Equal Channel Angular Pressing processing. It can be seen that retained austenite picks had removed after Equal Channel Angular Pressing which could attributed to the transformation of austenite to martensite during severe plastic deformation. Enhancement of hardness values by number of Equal Channel Angular Pressing confirms this idea.

Mechanical properties evaluations of an age hardenable martensitic steel deformed by equal channel angular pressing.

Effect of severe plastic deformation by equal channel angular pressing on the mechanical properties of an age hardenable low carbon martensitic steel was investigated. Equal Channel angular pressing was carried out on the solution-annealed steel up to four passes at room temperature through the route Bc. Aging was carried out at 753 K for 2.4 ks. It was found that after four passes deformation, the microstructure is consist of fine grained high angle grain boundaries and lamellar dislocation cell block. The strength of steel is increased considerably while a increasing in elongation is revealed.

Study of thermomechanical treatment on mechanical-induced phase transformation of NiTi and TiNiCu wires.

The nickel-titanium shape memory alloys have been used in orthodontic application due to their unique properties like superelasticity and biocompatibility. The phase transformation behavior of these alloys can be changed by alloying elements and thermomechanical processing conditions. In this study, two types of NiTi and TiNiCu wires of 0.4mm diameter were produced via thermomechanical treatments with final step of 20% cold drawing followed by annealing at different temperatures of 300 and 400 °C for varying times of 10, 30 and 60 min. The processed wires were characterized by oral cavity configuration three point bending (OCTPB) test at 37 °C to specify the mechanical transformation features. Also, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to analyze the thermal transformation temperatures of selected wires. The results showed the thermomechanical treatment at 300 °C for 30 min was the suitable process in terms of superelasticity and transformation temperatures for orthodontic application.