The Influence of Niobium and Aging Treatment in The 18% Ni Maraging Steel
The Influence of Niobium and Aging Treatment in The 18% Ni Maraging Steel
The Influence of Niobium and Aging Treatment in The 18% Ni Maraging Steel
a Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, P.O. Box 1, Chumdan-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju 506-824, Korea
Mechanical Engineering Department, Mokpo National University, 61 Torim-ri, Chonggye-myon, Muan-gun, Chonnam, Korea
Abstract
Effects of Nb (niobium) contents and aging conditions on the strength and fatigue life of 18% Ni maraging steel commonly using in aircraft,
space field, nuclear energy, and vehicle, etc. were investigated. Hardness value decreased about 3% for annealed specimens and increased
about 60% for 1 h aged specimens. But the values of the other specimens aged 2 h or more showed almost the same. The yield strength was
the highest about 1800 MPa in 0.06% Nb specimen having twice as much as the base metal specimen. Also, the elongation was the highest
in 0.03% Nb specimen showing the same as base metal specimen. The higher aging temperature and the longer aging time, the fatigue life
increased. On the other hand, the 0.03% Nb specimen showed the highest fatigue life which increased about 12% more than base metal
specimen. 0.06% Nb specimen aged at 482 C for 8 h simultaneously satisfied the 250 grade strength and 200 grade elongation having the
most superior mechanical properties.
2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: GMAW; Niobium content; Solution annealing; Age hardening; Yield strength; Fatigue life
1. Introduction
Recently the needs of high reliable substances of high
strength and high ductility are gradually increased with the
development of aerospace industry [1]. The characteristics of
this grey and white steel has high ductility, formability, corrosion resistant and high temperature strength, and is easy to
fabricate, weld and treat with heat, and maintain an invariable
size even after heat treatment [2,3].
Maraging steels having 18% Ni are divided into two broad
classes depending on the primary strengthening element in
the chemical analysis. The original maraging steels, introduced in the early 1960s, depend on cobalt (712% cobalt
depending on grade) as their strengthening agent. They are
cobalt strengthened 18% Ni maraging steels. Also, a new
type of maraging steel is introduced which contains no cobalt
and has titanium as a primary strengthening agent. They
are titanium strengthened 18% Ni maraging steels. Cobaltstrengthened grades, or C-type 18Ni maraging, are designated by the letter C in the grade identification and
Corresponding author. Tel.: +82 62 972 6707; fax: +82 62 972 6670.
E-mail address: [email protected] (D.G. Lee).
0924-0136/$ see front matter 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2005.02.102
D.G. Lee et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 162163 (2005) 342349
343
Ni
Co
Mo
Al
Ti
Nb
0.00% Nb
0.03% Nb
0.06% Nb
18.03
17.96
17.98
8.42
8.39
8.43
4.99
4.94
4.96
0.10
0.09
0.10
0.41
0.39
0.40
0.000
0.033
0.068
Yield strength
(MPa)
Tensile
strength
(MPa)
Elongation
(%)
Youngs
modulus
(MPa)
0.00% Nb
0.03% Nb
0.06% Nb
892.16
900.17
894.95
980.13
986.45
982.84
21.16
21.40
23.12
8362.97
8407.56
8606.28
344
D.G. Lee et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 162163 (2005) 342349
D.G. Lee et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 162163 (2005) 342349
345
346
D.G. Lee et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 162163 (2005) 342349
Fig. 6. Effect of Nb content and aging temperature on the yield strength and elongation.
D.G. Lee et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 162163 (2005) 342349
347
However, if we look at 455, 482 and 510, 455 and 482 C are
nearly linear increase but for 510 C, increase rate is slowdown at 4 and 8 h area. The cause of this situation is that; it is
necessary to treat longer time at lower temperature to do aging
treatment of maraging steel, shorter time at higher temperature. If aging time is unnecessarily long reverse transformed
martensite is formed, and it is cause of strength and fatigue
life reduce. As shown in figure of the 0.03% Nb contained
specimen, the higher aging temperature, the longer fatigue
life is, and at the same temperature, the longer aging time is,
the longer fatigue life is. Fatigue life increase rate deviation
between 4 and 8 h is only 2% at high temperature, 510 C.
But the life increase rate deviation is 30% between 4 and
8 h at 455 C, which is the highest increase among the test
temperatures. This reason is that aging for 8 h at 510 C is
over-aging. In case of 0.06% specimen, the effect of aging
temperature on fatigue life is same. Also, increase of fatigue
life at 510 C is same. The longer aging time at high temperature is, the slower fatigue life is. Refer to above study
we can find an effect of aging temperature on fatigue life.
In the fatigue life at 455 C, the more aging time increase,
the more it increases is linear. However, in aging treatment
at 482 and 510 C, it increases nearly linear up to 4 h and
slow down after 4 h. Particularly the fatigue life increase rate
over 4 h is very low at 510 C due to over-aging and formation of reverse transformed martensite [15,16]. Because we
achieved this study within optimal aging temperature interval
of 18% Ni maraging steel, so the higher aging temperature
the longer fatigue life. Remarkable life reducing due to over
aging was not found, but life reduction may occur with aging
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D.G. Lee et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 162163 (2005) 342349
Fig. 11. Representative fatigue fracture surfaces. The crack has grown from left to right.
4. Conclusion
Effects of niobium contents and aging conditions on the
strength and fatigue life of 18% Ni maraging steel commonly
using in aircraft, space field, nuclear energy, and vehicle, etc.
were investigated. Three different niobium contents, 0.03%,
0.03%, and 0.06%, three aging temperatures, 455, 482, and
D.G. Lee et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 162163 (2005) 342349
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