Mössbauer study of martensitic transformation in Xe ion-irradiated type 304 austenitic stainless steel

Foil specimens of type 304 stainless steel have been irradiated with Xe⁺ ions in the range of 100–400 keV and 1×10²⁰–1×10²¹ ions/m² to elucidate the dynamics of the ion-induced martensitic phase transformation in stainless steel. It has been clearly shown by depth selective conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy (DCEMS) that the ion-induced martensitic phase in type 304 stainless steel has grown from the surface to a depth dependent both on the ion energy and the fluence of the Xe⁺ ions. Especially, we observed by means of DCEMS that the extension of the martensitic phase into the interior of stainless steel has been induced with increasing ion energy. It is concluded from these results that the depth distribution of the ion-induced martensitic phase is stress-induced by the formation of the highly pressurized Xe⁺ inclusion in type 304 stainless steel.     

Positron beam studies of void swelling in ion irradiated Ti-modified stainless steel

The void swelling behavior of heavy ion irradiated D9 steel has been investigated using variable low energy positron beam. The normalized defect-sensitive S-parameter shows up a large increase in the depth region corresponding to the maximum radiation damage as a function of irradiation temperature. From the variation of S-parameter as a function of irradiation temperature, the peak swelling temperature has been deduced and the results are discussed.     

Surface transformation of AISI 304 stainless steel by high power diode laser

A high power diode laser was used in continuous mode to irradiate milled AISI 304 substrates in order to modify their surface morphology. Milling of the steel substrates was operated at different feeds, thus allowing the achievement of a broad range of starting surface texture, characterized by average roughness of ∼0.65-1.5 μm. Laser finishing was then operated on them by varying laser power and scan speed.The effectiveness of the laser finishing was evaluated by 3D surface profilometry and SEM imaging. Laser was found to modify the surface morphology of the irradiated zones and achieve high quality surface textures. Further, consistent trends of the amplitude, spacing and hybrid roughness parameters according to laser operational settings can often be found. Finally, mapping of the experimental data can lead to the definition of a first approximation tool, which can be profitably used for simulation and process control.     

Phase transformation of graphite irradiated by high-intensity pulsed ion beams

The microstructure and morphology of graphite irradiated by high-intensity pulsed ion beams (HIPIB) has been studied by varying the ion current density as 200, 350 and 1500 A/cm² with one to five shots. Phase transformation from graphite to diamond-like carbon (DLC) on the HIPIB-irradiated graphite was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy where a typical broadened asymmetric peak appeared in the wavenumber range of 1100-1700 cm⁻¹. Formation of DLC on the irradiated graphite strongly depended on the HIPIB parameters and preferably took place at the medium ion current density of 350 A/cm² up to five shots. Numerical simulation of ablation process was performed to explore the transformation mechanism of DLC from graphite irradiated by HIPIB. The calculation showed that the temperature profile in irradiated graphite at 350 A/cm² is almost identical to that at 200 A/cm², showing a deeper heat-affected zone in comparison with that of 1500 A/cm². Moreover, the ablation depth per shot is around 0.8 μm at 350 A/cm², higher than that of 0.4 μm at 200 A/cm² and much lower than that of 8.4 μm at 1500 A/cm², respectively. The experimental and numerical results indicate that a proper temperature and pressure repetitively created in the top layer of ablated graphite during HIPIB irradiation facilitates the phase transformation.     

Localized modification of magnetic properties in 304 stainless steel foil by MeV ion beams

MeV ions were implanted in 304 stainless steel foils to investigate the localized modification of the magnetic susceptibility associated with the phase transformation. The magnetic susceptibility was found to be increased by Au⁺ or Si⁺ implantation because of the localized formation of a martensitic phase. The magnetic susceptibility of ferromagnetic substrates was enhanced much more than that of non-magnetic substrates. The enhancement in the magnetic susceptibility for Au⁺-implanted samples was a factor of 4–5 greater than that for Si⁺-implanted samples.On leave from GLORY Ltd., Simoteno, Himeji, Hyogo 670, Japan     

Exploration of heterogeneous duplex grain structure in type 304 austenitic stainless steel using ultrasonic spectroscopy

Cyclic stress-strain tests at different temperatures for a given constant strain range on a single reference heat (9T2796) of Type 304 austenitic stainless steel showed many unexpected features. The metallographic investigations of the fatigued specimens showed existence of heterogeneous duplex grain structure of ASTM grain size numbers ranging from 1.6 to 3.2. Since it was not feasible economically to cut even a small portion, for the metallographic examination, of the machined and heat treated specimen ready for the test, a non-destructive technique was needed to sort out specimens according to their grain structures prior to testing. Results of using ultrasonic spectroscopy for this purpose are described in this work.     

Trapping and release of rare gases by 304L stainless steel

Helium andargon ions in the energy range 100 to 1400 eV and at doses varying from 10¹² to 10¹⁵ ions/cm² were implanted in a 304L stainless steel sample. Following implantation a linear temperature increase of the sample caused the gases to be released. The thermal release rates were studied as a function of ion dose and energy. The maxima observed in the thermal release rates are used to determine activation energies for thermally activated processes occurring in the metal. A rapid increase in the CO release rate coincident with the highest temperature He re-emission maximum indicates that the same mechanism is responsible for the release of both CO and He. It is suggested that the transport mechanisms revealed here are important in controlling void formations in neutron irradiated metals.     

Hydrogen damage in AISI 304 stainless steel studied by Doppler broadening

Hydrogen damage of AISI 304 stainless steel has been systemically investigated by measuring Doppler broadening of positron annihilation. Defect profiles of the S-parameter, the low-momentum annihilation fraction as a function of positron incident energy up to 30 keV (i.e. ∼1 μm depth) have been analyzed. Experimental results show that hydrogen damage between the surface and the bulk has a significant variation with depth, and strongly depends on the condition of hydrogen-charging, i.e. current density and charging time. It has been suggested that the increase in S-parameter near the surface after hydrogen-charging mainly comes from the formation of voids; however the increase in S-parameter in the bulk after hydrogen-charging mainly comes from the production of structural defects (dislocations). Defect densities induced due to hydrogen-charging in some cases (e.g. dislocation density in the bulk) are estimated based on the simple two-state trapping model.     

Tribological changes on SS304 stainless steel induced by nitrogen plasma immersion ion implantation with and without auxiliary heating

In order to achieve quite thick treated layers with reasonable thickness uniformity in SS304 steel, the plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) process was run in high-temperature, up to 350 °C, to induce high thermal diffusion but avoid the white layer formation. In these experiments, we heated the sample-holder with a shielded resistive wire properly wound around it and subjected the SS samples to nitrogen glow discharge PIII with relatively low voltages (10 kV) in different temperatures. We also treated the SS samples by the traditional PIII method, slowly increasing the high voltage pulse intensities, until 14 kV at the end of processing, reaching temperatures of up to 350 °C. These modes of treatments were compared with respect to nitrogen implantation profiles, X-ray diffraction, tribology and mechanical properties. X-ray diffraction results indicated a much higher efficiency of auxiliary heated PIII mode compared to the ordinary PIII. Very prominent γ_N peaks were observed for the first mode, indicating large concentration of nitrogen in thick layers, confirmed by the nitrogen profiles measured by GDOS and AES. Improved mechanical and tribological properties were obtained for SS304 samples treated by the PIII with auxiliary heating, more than for ordinary PIII. Hardness was enhanced by up to 2.77 times, as seen by nanoindentation tests.     

Effect of He+ and H+ ion irradiation on polystyrene films probed by NIR photothermal deflection spectroscopy

+ and H⁺ ions. Photothermal deflection spectroscopy (PDS) technique was used to record the absorption spectrum in the wavelength range 1.20 μm to 2.0 μm. The evolution of the various overtone and combination bands occurring in this range has been related to the changes taking place in the polystyrene structure. Received: 1 September 1998 / Accepted: 20 November 1998 / Published online: 24 February 1999     

Oxidation of AISI 304L stainless steel surface with atomic oxygen

Oxidation of stainless steel surface in oxygen atmosphere was investigated by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) depth profiling. The samples made of AISI 304L stainless steel were exposed to highly non-equilibrium oxygen atmosphere at different temperatures between 300 and 800 K and for different periods between 5 and 600 s. The degree of dissociation of oxygen molecules was of the order of 10%. A thin oxide layer formed on the stainless steel surface consisted of the iron oxide. The thickness depended on the sample temperature. At room temperature it was 7 nm, and it remained the same up to 200 °C. With further increase of temperature, the thickness of the oxide layer increased and reached 40 nm at 450 °C. The thickness was independent of exposure time. The results were explained by two mechanisms of oxide growth. Up to 200 °C the oxidation was run by electro-migration, while at higher temperatures the thermal induced migration prevailed.     

Fe Ion-induced phase transformation in 17/7 stainless steel

CEMS observation has showed the large difference in the fraction of the induced alpha phase between⁵⁶Fe ion and⁵⁷ion irradiation. In case of⁵⁷Fe ion irradiation, the projectile⁵⁷Fe probe atom observes the phase transformation which may be induced by itself. It is most probable that CEMS in⁵⁷Fe ion irradiation reflects the phase transformation due to compositional changes and alloying effects.     

Electron-loss of a He+ ion moving in carbon

We report the difference between the atomic and the solid electron distribution models in the electron-loss cross section for a He⁺ ion moving in carbon based on the unitarized impact parameter method. The solid model yields maximally 50% larger cross sections at the energies considered.     

304不锈钢点蚀声发射监测研究

为研究304不锈钢在高于常温条件下的点蚀声发射特性,对70℃下6%氯化铁溶液中304不锈钢点蚀过程进行了声发射监测。采用参数和波形分析相结合的方法处理信号,并通过点蚀形貌观察进行验证。结果表明声发射撞击和能量随时间逐渐增加,在某一时段达到峰值,随后下降并维持平稳状态。信号波形主要由幅度、能量较大的低频段(<100kHz)弯曲波和幅度、能量较小的高频段(>100 kHz)扩展波构成。研究结果对304不锈钢高于常温条件下声发射点蚀监测具有一定意义。     

Research on acoustic emission monitoring of pitting corrosion on 304 stainless steel

In order to study acoustic emission(AE) characteristics of pitting corrosion on 304 stainless steel under higher than normal temperature,pitting corrosion process of 304 stainless steel in 6%ferric chloride solution at 70°was monitored by AE technology.Conventional parameter-based approach and signal-based analysis were combined to deal with recorded AE signals,and micrographic observation was performed for further verification.The results showed that AE hit and energy increased gradually with time and reached the peak at certain time, and then declined and maintained a stable condition.Signal waveform was mainly composed of low-frequency(< 100 kHz) flexural wave with larger amplitude and energy and high-frequency (> 100 kHz) expansion wave with lower amplitude and energy.The research results have some certain significance for AE monitoring of pitting corrosion on 304 stainless steel under higher than normal temperature.     

Mechanism of defect evolution in H+ and He+ implanted InP

The defect evolution in InP with the 75 keV H⁺ and 115 keV He⁺ implantation at room temperature after subsequent annealing has been investigated in detail. With the same ion implantation fluence, the He⁺ implantation caused much broader damage distribution accompanied by much higher out-of-plane strain with respect to the H⁺ implanted InP. After annealing, the H⁺ implanted InP did not show any blistering or exfoliation on the surface even at the high fluence and the H₂ molecules were stored in the heterogeneously oriented platelet defects. However, the He molecules were stored into the large bubbles which relaxed toward the free surface, creating blisters at the high fluence.     

In situ and tomographic observations of defect free channel formation in ion irradiated stainless steels

The effects of heavy-ion irradiation on dislocation processes in stainless steels were investigated using in situ irradiation and deformation in the transmission electron microscope as well as post mortem electron tomography to retrieve information on the three-dimensional dislocation state. Irradiation-induced defects were found to pose a strong collective barrier to dislocation motion, leading to dislocation pileups forming in grain interiors and at grain boundaries. The passage of multiple dislocations along the same slip plane removes the irradiation defects and leads to the eventual formation of a defect-free channel. These channels are composed of densely tangled dislocation networks which line the channel-matrix walls as well as residual dislocation debris in the channel interiors. The structures of the dislocation tangles were found to be similar to those encountered in later stages of deformation in unirradiated materials, with the exception that they developed earlier in the deformation process and were confined to the defect free channels. Also, defect free channels were found to widen through both source widening as well as complex cross-slip mechanisms.     

Development of nitride-layer of AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel during high-temperature ammonia gas-nitriding

Ammonia-gas nitriding of AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel was studied at temperatures higher than 800 °C using SEM and X-ray diffraction. The result showed that S-phase, an expanded austenite, was formed even at such high temperatures due to a high nitriding potential of ammonia gas. The equilibrium phase, CrN was formed through a decomposition of S-layer in two different modes; the one was through continuous precipitation of particles at the surface-side of S-layer due to a higher nitriding potential; the other through a discontinuous(-like) precipitation at the austenite interface-side, producing a fine lamellar structure of austenite and CrN. The γ-phase in the surface-side resulting from the precipitation of CrN particles subsequently transformed into Fe₄N because of a fast enrichment of N atoms and a limited mobility of Cr atoms at the surface-side. A coarse lamellar structure made of austenite and Cr₂N was developed in front of fine lamellae composed of austenite and CrN by the decomposition of supersaturated austenite through a discontinuous precipitation via grain boundary movement.     

Mössbauer effect study of 316L stainless steel irradiated with 54 MeV12C6+ ions

Using Mössbauer effect (ME) and X-ray diffraction method, phase transformation in 316L stainless steel samples irradiated with 54MeV¹²C⁶⁺ has been studied. Phase transformation and the distribution of carbon in the samples have been discussed.