Effect of test temperature on low-cycle fatigue of high-chromium steel with high boron and low nitrogen content

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Abstract

High-boron 9–10 % chromium martensitic steels are an advanced material for manufacturing various components of thermal power units in coal-fired power plants operating under ultra-supercritical steam conditions (up to 650 °C and 35 MPa), enabling an increase in efficiency to 44 % and reduction of harmful environmental emissions. The work studies the influence of various testing conditions on the behaviour of a 10 % Cr martensitic steel with high boron and low nitrogen content, additionally alloyed with cobalt, tungsten, molybdenum, copper, and rhenium, under lowcycle fatigue (LCF). After heat treatment, the steel microstructure consisted of tempered lath troostite with a high dislocation density. The main strengthening phases were identified: grain-boundary M23C6 carbide particles with an average size of 70 nm and uniformly distributed NbX carbonitrides with an average size of 30 nm. Increasing the strain amplitude during low-cycle fatigue significantly reduces the number of cycles to failure regardless of test temperature, due to intensive development of plastic deformation. Microstructural analysis revealed no significant changes in the lath structure after low-cycle fatigue testing at room temperature, while at elevated temperatures, structural recrystallisation initiates and a well-developed subgrain structure with an average subgrain size of about 600±50 nm forms.

About the authors

Ivan S. Brazhnikov

Belgorod State National Research University

Author for correspondence.
Email: brazhnikov@bsuedu.ru
ORCID iD: 0009-0008-8069-7376

engineer of the Joint Research Center of Belgorod State National Research University “Technology and Materials”

Russian Federation, 308015, Russia, Belgorod, Pobedy Street, 85

Alexandra E. Fedoseeva

Belgorod State National Research University

Email: fedoseeva@bsu.edu.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-4031-463X

PhD (Engineering), senior researcher of the Laboratory of Mechanical Properties of Nanostructured Materials and Superalloys

Russian Federation, 308015, Russia, Belgorod, Pobedy Street, 85

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