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A Mechanistic Exploration of Liquid Metal Embrittlement in Austenitic Stainless Steels

Sage, Dean Devereux
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8069-6671
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1658931794571937

Abstract Details

2022, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Welding Engineering.
Otherwise ductile metals can experience catastrophic brittle failure in the presence of liquid metals. Although this phenomenon was first noted in the early 1900s, it has gained recent attention as the cause of failure in novel advanced high strength steels during welding. With the right combination of stress, temperature, and microstructure liquid metal can percolate through the grain boundaries of the solid substrate and reduce ductility to near zero. Although many mechanisms for embrittlement have been put forth suggesting brittle failure, reduction in surface energy, dislocation emission due to liquid metal adsorption, and dissolution, no consensus has been reached. The effects of test temperature and hold time are explored for both zinc and copper embrittlement of type 304L stainless steel through the use of hot tensile testing. Copper embrittlement peaks slightly above the melting temperature of copper (1085°C), while zinc embrittlement is most severe at 800°C. Holding the samples at the testing temperature before applying strain allowed the zinc plated samples to regain ductility, but only had slight effects on copper embrittlement. The reasons for these trends in embrittlement are explored in reference to the pseudo-binary phase diagrams between steel and zinc and copper. iv Characterization of zinc-steel interactions via electron microscopy revealed the presence of an α ferrite layer which forms as the zinc diffuses into the solid steel, which causes nickel to be ejected into the remaining liquid. At high enough concentrations of nickel the liquid layer isothermally solidifies as γ Zn (Ni). Thermo-Calc is also used to perform diffusion simulations of the zinc-steel interface both to the bulk and at a grain boundary. The simulations provide a chain of events which lead to the formation of the characterized structures. The results gleaned during characterization in combination with the diffusion simulations are then used to formulate a mechanism for embrittlement of 304L stainless steel by liquid zinc and the transformations which follow.
Carolin Fink (Advisor)
Boyd Panton (Committee Member)
Antonio Ramirez (Committee Member)
166 p.
Engineering; Materials Science; Metallurgy
Liquid Metal Embrittlement; LME; Stainless Steel; Zinc; Gleeble

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Sage, D. D. (2022). A Mechanistic Exploration of Liquid Metal Embrittlement in Austenitic Stainless Steels [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1658931794571937

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Sage, Dean. A Mechanistic Exploration of Liquid Metal Embrittlement in Austenitic Stainless Steels. 2022. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1658931794571937.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Sage, Dean. "A Mechanistic Exploration of Liquid Metal Embrittlement in Austenitic Stainless Steels." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2022. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1658931794571937

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1658931794571937
308
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.
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