Precipitation and fracture in a ferritic stainless steel
A dual stabilised ferritic stainless steel with titanium and niobium additions had been experiencing failures during production. Following hot rolling and cooling while coiled and prior to annealing, the steel had been prone to shattering across its width during uncoiling. This project was initiated by the manufacturers, Columbus Stainless, so that the present understanding of this stainless steel could be expanded, with the ultimate aim of avoiding production losses. This stainless steel is designed for high temperature use in automotive exhaust systems. This requires a good blend of hot strength, creep and corrosion resistance. The composition (notably the niobium addition) and manufacturing processes (where the precipitation and grain size are major concerns) are intended to provide these properties. This thesis puts the steel into the broader context of the ferritic stainless steels and discusses its high temperature use and its dual stabilisation.
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