Microstructure Evolution and Nanotribological Properties of Different Heat-Treated AISI 420 Stainless Steels after Proton Irradiation

Abstract

In this paper, low-energy proton irradiation experiments with different cumulative fluences were performed on samples of AISI 420 stainless steel that were either annealed or tempered at 600 or 700 °C. The effects of the cumulative proton irradiation fluence on the evolution of the microstructure of AISI 420 were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Scratch tests were performed using a Tribo Indenter nanomechanical tester, in order to investigate the effects of the cumulative fluence on the tribological properties of the AISI 420 stainless steel. The results indicate that the dislocation density of the microstructure near the surface of the AISI 420 stainless steel increases with higher cumulative proton irradiation fluences. Under the same load, the nanoscale friction coefficient and wear rate both decreased with increasing cumulative proton irradiation fluence. This indicates that the surface hardening effect induced by proton irradiation can diminish the nanoscale friction coefficient and wear rate.

Influence of M ₂₃C ₆ Carbides on the Heterogeneous Strain Development in Annealed 420 Stainless Steel

“…In order to recreate simulation RVEs as closely as possible representing the real material, the initial microstructure of the steel was extensively studied and quantified using EBSD and XRD. The microstructure of annealed AISI 420 consists of ferrite with various precipitate particles, predominantly M 23 C 6 carbides and MX carbonitrides [21] . Fig.…”

Influence of Heat Treatment Technologies on the Structure and Properties of the Corrosion-Resistant Martensitic Steel Type AISI 420

“…Heat treatment technology assumes the choice of operations and modes of heat treatment according to the conditions of processing and operation of machine parts, structures, tools, and the requirements for the structure and properties of materials standards and technical conditions [3,5]. The influence of various types and modes of HT on the properties of steel AISI 420 was investigated by the authors of [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12].…”

“…In [8], experiments were carried out with low-energy irradiation of AISI 420 stainless steel samples with protons of different energies, preliminarily annealed or quenched at temperatures of 600 or 700 °C. The results obtained show that the microstructure's dislocation densi-ty near the surface of AISI 420 stainless steel increases with increasing energy irradiation with protons.…”

Surface Residual Stress Tailoring of 420 Martensitic Stainless Steel by Laser Shock Peening

“…AISI 420 martensitic stainless steel (AISI 420SS) is a high chromium stainless steel that has been widely used in valve, aerospace, and pump industries due to its high plasticity, shock resistance, and corrosion resistance properties [4,5]. However, its applications in some industries are still limited due to the low hardness and poor wear resistance properties of the material [6][7][8].…”