There is a special reason for reviewing this book at this time: it is the 50th edition of a compendium that is known and used frequently in most chemical and physical laboratories in many parts of the world. Surely, a publication that has been published for 56 years, withstanding the vagaries of science in this century, must have had something to offer. There is another reason: while the book is a standard fixture in most chemical and physical laboratories, including those in medical centers, it is not as frequently seen in the laboratories of physician's offices (those either in solo or group practice). I believe that the Handbook can be useful in those laboratories. One of the reasons, among others, is that the various basic items of information it offers may be helpful in new tests, either physical or chemical, which are continuously being published. The basic information may relate

Handbook of Chemistry and Physics

Microstructural evolution, nanoprecipitation behavior and mechanical properties of selective laser melted high-performance grade 300 maraging steel

The ultrahigh charpy impact toughness of forged AlxCoCrFeNi high entropy alloys at room and cryogenic temperatures

Massive nanoprecipitation in an Fe-19Ni-xAl maraging steel triggered by the intrinsic heat treatment during laser metal deposition

With the development of high-strength materials, the existing fatigue strength formulae cannot satisfactorily describe the relation between fatigue strength sigma(w) and tensile strength sigma(b) of metallic materials with a wide range of strength. For a simple but more precise prediction, the tensile and fatigue properties of SAE 4340 steel with the tensile strengths ranging from 1290 MPa to 2130 MPa obtained in virtue of different tempering temperatures were studied in this paper. Based on the experimental results of SAE 4340 steel and numerous other data available (conventional and newly developed materials), through introducing a sensitive factor of defects P, a new universal fatigue strength formula sigma(w)=sigma(b)(C-P.sigma(b)) was established for the first time. Combining the variation tendency of fatigue crack initiation sites and the competition of defects, the fatigue damage mechanisms associated with different tensile strengths and cracking sites are explained well. The decrease in the fatigue strength at high-strength level can be explained by fracture mechanics and attributed to the transition of fatigue cracking sites from surface to the inner inclusions, resulting in the maximum fatigue strength sigma(max)(w) at an appropriate tensile strength level. Therefore, the universal fatigue strength formula cannot only explain why many metallic materials with excessively high strength do not display high fatigue strength, but also provide a new clue for designing the materials or eliminating the processing defects of the materials. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

General relation between tensile strength and fatigue strength of metallic materials

Microalloying with various elements, including titanium, coupled with thermomechanically controlled processing, has become a major technology for the manufacture of high-quality steel plate. In this research, the influence of TiN inclusions on the impact toughness of low-carbon plate steels microalloyed with titanium, vanadium, and boron was investigated. The three experimental steels had Ti/N ratios of 2.44, 3.5, and 4.2, and all three had a granular bainite microstructure. However, Charpy V-notch testing showed that steel A had very high toughness at both room temperature and −20 °C, whereas steels B and C showed very low toughness at −20 °C and moderate toughness at room temperature. Scanning electron microscope fractography revealed that coarse TiN inclusions had acted as cleavage fracture initiation sites in steels B and C. The effect of Ti and N levels on TiN formation and growth is analyzed using alloy thermodynamics. It is shown that not only is the Ti/N ratio important, but also the product of total Ti and N plays a most important role in TiN formation and growth. It is concluded that the product of the total Ti and N contents should not be greater than the solubility product of TiN at the solidus temperature to prevent the precipitation of TiN particles before solidification. Furthermore, the ratio of Ti to N should also be maintained lower than the stoichiometric ratio of 3.42 to ensure a low coarsening rate for the TiN inclusions during soaking before rolling.

Effect of TiN inclusions on the impact toughness of low-carbon microalloyed steels

The microstructural evolutions of advanced 9–12%Cr ferrite/martensite heat-resistant steels used for power generation plants are reviewed in this article. Despite of the small differences in chemical compositions, the steels share the same microstructure of the as-tempered martensite. It is the thermal stability of the initial microstructure that matters the creep behavior of these heat-resistant steels. The microstructural evolutions involved in 9–12%Cr ferrite heat-resistant steels are elaborated, including (1) martensitic lath widening, (2) disappearance of prior austenite grain boundary, (3) emergence of subgrains, (4) coarsening of precipitates, and (5) formation of new precipitates, such as Laves-phase and Z-phase. The former three microstructural evolutions could be retarded by properly disposing the latter two. Namely improving the stability of precipitates and optimizing their size distribution can effectively exert the beneficial influence of precipitates on microstructures. In this sense, the microstructural stability of the tempered martensite is in fact the stability of precipitates during the creep. Many attempts have been carried out to improve the microstructural stability of 9–12%Cr steels and several promising heat-resistant steels have been developed.

Microstructural stability of 9--12%Cr ferrite/martensite heat-resistant steels

http://digital.csic.es/bitstream/10261/80804/1/160_DSanMartin_ActaMater_58_2010_4067.pdf

A new ultrahigh-strength stainless steel strengthened by various coexisting nanoprecipitates

Relation among rolling parameters, microstructures and mechanical properties in an acicular ferrite pipeline steel

Toughness is a major concern for low-carbon microalloyed steels. In this work, the impact fracture behavior of two low-carbon Ti-V microalloyed steels was investigated in order to better understand the role of TiN inclusions in the toughness of the steels. The steels had similar chemical compositions and were manufactured by the same rolling process. However, there was an obvious difference in the ductile brittle transition temperature (DBTT) in the Charpy V-notch (CVN) impact tests of the two steels; one (steel 1) possessing a DBTT below −20 °C, while the DBTT of the other (steel 2) was above 15 °C. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) fractography revealed that there were TiN inclusions at the cleavage fracture initiation sites on the fracture surfaces of steel 2 at both low and room temperatures. It is shown that the TiN inclusions had nucleated on Al2O3 particles and that they had pre-existing interior flaws. A high density of TiN inclusions was found in steel 2, but there was a much lower density in steel 1. Analysis indicates that these inclusions were responsible for the shift of DBTT to a higher temperature in steel 2. A mechanism is proposed for understanding the effect of the size and density of TiN inclusions on the fracture behavior, and the cleavage fracture initiation process is analyzed in terms of the distribution and development of stresses ahead of the notch tip during fracture at both low and room temperatures.

Wei Yan

Papers

Effect of TiN inclusions on the impact toughness of low-carbon microalloyed steels

Microstructural stability of 9--12%Cr ferrite/martensite heat-resistant steels

A new ultrahigh-strength stainless steel strengthened by various coexisting nanoprecipitates

Relation among rolling parameters, microstructures and mechanical properties in an acicular ferrite pipeline steel

Influence of TiN Inclusions on the Cleavage Fracture Behavior of Low-Carbon Microalloyed Steels