• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.59-70
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• 2009

This study is concerned with the correlation between microstructure and mechanical properties in heat affected zones (HAZs) of API X80 pipeline steels containing complex oxides. Three kinds of specimens were fabricated by varying alloying elements of Ti, Al, and Mg to form complex oxides, and their microstructures, Vickers hardness, Charpy impact properties were investigated. The number of complex oxides increased as the excess amount of Ti, Al, and Mg was included in the steels. The simulated HAZs containing a number of oxides showed a high volume fraction of acicular ferrite region because oxides acted as nucleation sites for acicular ferrite. According to the correlation study between thermal input, volume fraction of acicular ferrite region, and Charpy impact properties, the ductile fracture occurred predominantly when the volume fraction of acicular ferrite region was 65% or higher, and the Charpy absorbed energy was excellent over 200 J. When the volume fraction of acicular ferrite region was 35% or lower, the Charpy absorbed energy was poor below 50 J as the brittle cleavage fracture occurred. These findings suggested that the active nucleation of acicular ferrite in the oxide-containing steel HAZs was associated with the great improvement of Charpy impact properties of the HAZs.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.199-208
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• 2008

This study is concerned with effects of complex oxides on Charpy impact toughness of heat affected zone (HAZ) of API X80 linepipe steels. Three kinds of steels were fabricated by varying alloying elements such as Ti, Al, and Mg and hot-rolling conditions to form complex oxides, and their microstructures and Charpy impact properties were investigated. The number of complex oxides present in the steel containing excess Ti, Al, and Mg was twice larger than that in the conventional steels, while their size ranged from 1 to $3{\mu}m$ in the three steels. After the HAZ simulation test, the steel containing a number of oxides contained about 20 vol.% of acicular ferrite in the simulated HAZ, together with bainitic ferrite and martensite, whereas the HAZ microstructure of the conventional steels consisted of bainitic ferrite and martensite with a small amount of acicular ferrite. This formation of acicular ferrite in the oxide-containing steel was associated with the nucleation of acicular ferrite at complex oxides, thereby leading to the great (five times or more) improvement of Charpy impact toughness over the conventional steels.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.46 no.12
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• pp.788-799
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• 2008

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.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.47 no.9
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• pp.523-532
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• 2009

In this study, four API X80 linepipe steel specimens were fabricated with varying cooling rates and finish cooling temperatures, and their microstructures and crystallographic orientations were analyzed to investigate the effects of cooling conditions on their tensile and Charpy impact properties. All the specimens consisted of acicular ferrite, granular bainite, and secondary phases such as martensite and martensiteaustenite constituent. The volume fraction of secondary phases increased with increasing cooling rate, and the higher finish cooling temperature resulted in the reduction in volume fraction and grain size of secondary phases. According to the crystallographic orientation analysis data, the effective grain size and unit crack path decreased as fine acicular ferrites having a large amount of high-angle grain boundaries were homogeneously formed, thereby leading to the improvement of Charpy impact properties. The specimen fabricated with the higher cooling rate and lower finish cooling temperature had the highest upper shelf energy and the lowest energy transition temperature because it contained a large amount of fine secondary phases homogeneously distributed inside fine acicular ferrites, while its tensile properties well maintained.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.48 no.10
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• pp.875-883
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• 2010

This study assessed the Charpy impact properties of the heat-affected zones (HAZs) of API X80 linepipe steels containing complex oxides. Three types of steel were fabricated by adding Mg and $O_2$ to form complex oxides and their microstructures and Charpy impact properties were investigated. The number of complex oxides increased with the amount of excess Mg and $O_2$ that was included in the steels. Simulated HAZs containing a number of oxides showed a high volume fraction of acicular ferrite (AF) because the oxides acted as nucleation sites for AF, thereby leading to an improvement in the Charpy impact properties. According to a correlation study between the heat input, the volume fraction of the AF, and the Charpy impact properties, ductile fractures occurred predominantly when the fraction of the AF was 20% or higher; moreover, the Charpy absorbed energy was excellent at more than 100 J. These findings suggest that the improvement of the Charpy impact properties of the HAZs was associated with the active nucleation of AF in the oxide-containing steel HAZs.