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An effective way of increasing the strength and fracture toughness of reactor pressure vessel steels is to change the material specification from that of Mn-Mo-Ni low alloy steel(SA508 Gr.3) to Ni-Mo-Cr low alloy steel(SA508 Gr.4N). In this study, we evaluate the effects of alloying elements on the microstructural characteristics of Ni-Mo-Cr low alloy steel. The changes in the stable phase of the SA508 Gr.4N low alloy steel with alloying elements were evaluated by means of a thermodynamic calculation conducted with the software ThermoCalc. The changes were then compared with the observed microstructural results. The calculation of Ni-Mo-Cr low alloy steels confirms that the ferrite formation temperature decreases as the Ni content increases because of the austenite stabilization effect. Consequently, in the microscopic observation, the lath martensitic structure becomes finer as the Ni content increases. However, Ni does not affect the carbide phases such as M23C6 and M7C3. When the Cr content decreases, the carbide phases become unstable and carbide coarsening can be observed. With an increase in the Mo content, the M2C phase becomes stable instead of the M7C3 phase. This behavior is also observed in TEM. From the calculation results and the observation results of the microstructure, the thermodynamic calculation can be used to predict the precipitation behavior.

keyword : RPV steel, reactor pressure vessel, Low alloy steel, SA508, thermodynamic calculation

For the advanced high strength steels (AHSS), high-manganese TWIP (twinning induced plasticity) steels exhibit high tensile strength (800-1000 MPa) and high elongation (50-60%). However, the TWIP steels need to be understood of delayed fracture following the cup drawing test. Among the factors to cause delayed fracture, i.e, martensite transformation, hydrogen embrittlement and residual stress, the effects of martensite transformation (γ→ε or γ→α`) were investigated on the delayed fracture phenomenon. Microstructural phase analysis was conducted for cold rolled (20, 60, 80% reduction ratio) steels and tensile deformed (20, 40, 60% strain) steels. For the Al-added TWIP steels, no martensite phase was found in the cold rolled and tensile deformed specimen. But, the TWIP steels with no Al addition indicated the martensite transformation. The cup drawing specimens showed the martensite transformation irrespective of the Aladdition to the TWIP steel. However, the TWIP steel with no Al exhibited the larger amount of martensite than the case of the TWIP steel with Al addition. For the reason, it was possible to conclude that the Al addition suppressed the martensite transformation in TWIP steels, therefore preventing the delayed fracture effectively. However, it was interesting to note that the mechanism of delayed fracture should be incorporated with hydrogen embrittlement and/or residual stress as well as the martensite transformation.

keyword : TWIP steel, high Mn steels, deformation twinning, strain induced martensite transformation, delayed fracture

This study is concerned with the effects of Mo, Cr, and V addition on tensile and Charpy impact properties of API X80 linepipe steels. Four kinds of steels were processed by varying Mo, Cr, and V additions, and their microstructures and tensile and Charpy impact properties were investigated. Since the addition of Mo and V promoted to form fine acicular ferrite and granular bainite, while prohibiting the coarsening of granular bainite, it increased the strength and upper shelf energy, and decreased the energy transition temperature. The Cr addition promoted the formation of coarse granular bainite and secondary phases such as martensite-austenite constituents, thereby leading to the increased effective grain size, energy transition temperature, and strength and to the decreased upper shelf energy. The steel containing 0.3wt.% Mo and 0.06wt.% V without Cr had the highest upper shelf energy and the lowest energy transition temperature because its microstructure was composed of fine acicular ferrite and granular bainite, together with a small amount of hard secondary phases, while its tensile properties maintained excellent.

keyword : API X80 Linepipe steel, tensile properties, charpy impact properties, effective grain size

Heat treatment is an important step for tool manufacture, but unavoidably generates dimensional distortion. This study investigated the continuous dimensional change and the anisotropic behavior of STD11 tool steel during austenitizing and tempering heat treatment especially using quenching dilatometer. Dilatometric results represented that the dimensional change along longitudinal direction was larger than that along transverse direction. Anisotropic phase transformation strain was produced in forged STD11 tool steel during heat treatment. Anisotropic dimensional change increased with increasing austenitizing temperature. After tempering, anisotropic distortion was partially reduced. FactSage thermodynamic equilibrium phase simulation and microstructural observation (FE-SEM, TEM) showed that large (7~80 μm) elongated M7C3 carbides could be formed along rolling direction. The resolution of elongated carbides during austenitizing was found to be related with the change of martensite transformation temperature after heat treatment. Anisotropic size change of STD11 tool steel was mainly attributed to large elongated carbides produced during rolling process. Using dilatometric and metallographic examination, the possible mechanism of the anisotropic size change was also discussed.

keyword : anisotropy, STD11, tool steel, quenching dilatometer, austenitizing and tempering

The influences of various parameters such as inclusions, surface roughness, exposed areas and chloride ion concentrations on the initiation of pitting of Fe-17Cr alloy were investigated, using micro-droplet cell technique. Micro-droplet cell allows one to align the micro-electrode to the desired spot of the working electrode and measure directly local currents with the potentiodynamic polarization. Micro electrochemical tests were carried out at the inclusions after EDX analysis of inclusion. EDX analysis identified inclusions as Cr-oxides. It was found that some active inclusions among Cr-oxide inclusions acted as initiation sites for pitting corrosion. In addition, the rougher surface and the denser chloride ion concentration offered easier pit initiation sites, causing the more susceptible to pitting corrosion.

keyword : micro potentiodynamic polarization, micro-droplet cell, pitting corrosion, inclusion, surface roughness, chloride ion concentration

Metal matrix composite (MMC) materials having low electrical contact resistance based on 316L stainless steel (STS) matrix alloy with ZrB2 particles were fabricated for PEMFC (Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell) separator by powder metallurgy (PM). The effects of the boride particle addition into the matrix alloy on microstructure, surface morphology, and interfacial contact resistance (ICR) between the samples and gas diffusion layer (GDL) were investigated. Both conventional and PM 316L STS samples showed high ICR due to the existence of non-conductive passive film on the alloy surface. The addition of the boride particles, however, remarkably reduced ICR of the samples. SEM observation revealed that the boride particles were protruded out of the matrix surface and particle density existing on the surface increased with increasing the boride content, causing increase of the total contact area between the conductive particles and GDL. ICR of the samples also decreased with increasing the boride content resulted from the increased contact area.

keyword : fuel cell, separator, 316L stainless steel, interfacial contact resistance, powder metallurgy

The solvent extraction process for the recovery of vanadium from leaching solution of SCR(selective catalytic reduction) spent catalyst was investigated by using Alamine336 as an extractant. The effects of experimental conditions, such as initial pH and concentration of sulfate ion, and ammonia concentration of stripping solution were studied. The extraction percentage of vanadium were increased with the increase of initial pH of leaching solution and decreased with the increase of sulfate ion. More than 99% of vanadium in leaching solution were extracted and stripped at the A/O ratio of 1.0 in 2 stages. On the basis of these results, an optimum solvent extraction process which vanadium was effectively recovered from SCR spent catalyst was proposed.

keyword : vanadium, spent scr catalyst, alamine336, solvent extraction

NiSi is currently being employed in 45 nm CMOS devices as a contact material. We employed a first principles calculation to understand the movements of atoms when Co, Pd, and Pt were added to tetragonal-NiSi on Si (001). The Ni atoms in the tetragonal-NiSi/Si (001) favored away from the original positions along positive c-direction in a systematic way during the energy minimization. Two different Ni sites were identified at the interface and the bulk, respectively. The Ni site at the interface farther away from the interface was more favorable for Pd and Pt substitution. Co, however, prafered the bulk site to the interface site, unlike Pd and Pt.

keyword : NiSi/Si interface, tetragonal-NiSi, metal substitution, metal segregation, first principles calculation

Texturing for crystalline silicon solar cells is one of the important techniques to increase conversion efficiency by effective photon trapping. Generally, incoming wafers or alkali etched wafers are used for texturing. From this conventional etching process, 7~10 μm-sized random pyramids are formed. In this study, acid etching for removal of saw damages was practiced before texturing. This improved the resulting surface morphology, which consisted of 2~4 μm-sized pyramids. Because these pyramids covered the surface much more extensively, we obtained reduction of optical losses on the surface. In order to compare with conventional texturing, FE-SEM is used for observing surface morphology and reflectance data is analyzed by UV-VIS spectrophotometer.

keyword : saw damage etching, texturing, random pyramids, optical Losses, crystalline silicon, solar cells