The permanent strengths of interstitial-free (IF) steels with different grain sizes and dislocation densities processed by severe plastic deformation (SPD) and subsequent annealing are systematically investigated. Permanent strength, which is athermal and time-independent, corresponds to the fundamental capability to bear stresses caused by external forces. Sufficiently long-time (24 h) stress relaxation tests were carried out and experimental stress–relaxation time relationships were extrapolated to estimate the permanent strength that remained after an infinite time passed. The flow stresses observed in standard uniaxial tension tests increased with repeated SPD processes, and the fraction of permanent strength to the observed flow stress was mostly above 65%. The permanent strength also increased with repetition of SPD processes, and subsequent low-temperature annealing further augmented the permanent strength. During SPD processes, the dislocation-related strengthening was dominant, while the grain-size-related strengthening was minor, i.e., the Hall–Petch relation does not hold. On the other hand, after low-temperature annealing, the grain-size-related strengthening became dominant, quickly replacing the dislocation-related strengthening. In a coarse-grain region, the grain-size-related strength was consistent with the classical Hall–Petch relation. It was confirmed that the original Hall–Petch relation holds only in the coarse-grain region and it indicates “softening with grain coarsening due to annealing”, not “strengthening by grain refinement due to SPD”.

The relationship between hardness and solute carbon concentration estimated via electrical resistivity measurement was investigated in as-quenched and tempered martensitic steels containing carbon of 0.3–0.6 mass%. As a result of corelating the amount of hardening due to carbon in solid solution with the solute carbon concentration, by the calculation to subtract precipitation strengthening, grain refinement strengthening, dislocation strengthening, and softening due to retained austenite from the total strengthening, we derived an equation of solid solution strengthening, where the hardening increases proportionally to the 1/2 or 2/3 power of the solute carbon concentration. It was confirmed that the effects of the factors other than solid solution strengthening due to carbon on hardness are relatively small in tempered specimens when the tempering temperature is less than 673 K; therefore, the change in hardness in tempered martensitic steels can be mostly explained by solute carbon concentration regardless of carbon content.

To elucidate the mechanisms of deformation and a state of plastic stability at the front of Lüders bands during a tensile test, metastable austenitic transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) steels with different dislocation densities and ferritic steels were characterized via macroscopic-DIC-based stress–strain investigations and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A direct correlation between stress–strain curves and measured strain distributions in the tensile specimen indicated that the Lüders front represents a transition region from a state of plastic instability to one of stability, whereby a general rule relating the Lüders strain () and increments in the true stress in the Lüders band () to a lower yield stress () can be described as irrespective of the amount of deformation-induced martensite in the band or crystal structure of the steel. The inclination angle of the Lüders front with respect to the tensile direction changed from 55° to 90° with a reduction in the measured strain ratio (−ε_yy/ε_xx) in the Lüders band, and the change agreed with the tendency calculated by the plasticity model, assuming the pure shear occurs under the minimum shear strain criterion. SEM observations of the sheet surface and the front cross-section in the TRIP steel showed the formation of multiple inclined ~20 µm-wide shear deformation zones that accompanied a reduction in thickness. All the observed geometrical characteristics of the Lüders front were qualitatively described by a mechanism involving minimizing the misalignment from the fixed tensile axis caused by ‘shear’ deformation.

Controlling the size, number, and composition of secondary inclusions is vital in the production of high-quality steels. In this study, experimental and computational investigation of the relationship between secondary inclusion formation in Fe-36mass%Ni alloy and cooling rate was carried out. Assuming the case of large ingots, solidification experiments using various cooling rates (0.17 to 128 K/min) were employed and the size, number, composition, and distribution of inclusions were analyzed by SEM-EDS automatic inclusion analysis. Like previous studies, inclusion number density increased with increasing cooling rate, while inclusion size decreased with increase of cooling rate. On the contrary, oxide inclusion area fraction was found to have little relationship with the cooling rate and was instead found related with oxygen content of the sample. As a new attempt to investigate the relationship between microsegregation and secondary inclusion formation, a combination of SEM-EDS analysis and EPMA mapping analysis was carried out. By superimposing information of microsegregation and inclusions, it was found that high-Al₂O₃ inclusions formed during the early stage of solidification, whereas low-Al₂O₃ inclusions formed during the later stage of solidification. These findings suggest that Al₂O₃ inclusions formed in the early stage of solidification reacted with the remaining Si-enriched liquid steel and changed into low-Al₂O₃ inclusions. Experimental results were also confirmed by thermodynamic calculations. Present work made it possible to understand deeper the relationship between microsegregation and secondary inclusion formation.

Conventionally, it has been known that the product yield of the upper part of the sintering layer is extremely low, because of the heat loss caused by transferring heat toward the space above sintering layer, and of the large amount of unburned carbon in upper sintering layer.

As a countermeasure, REMO-tec (Re-ignition Method for Optimization of Total Energy Consumption) has been developed. Here, REMO-tec, is the sintering technique of re-igniting sintering packed bed at certain intervals after first ignition. This method has an effect on improving sinter yield with maintaining high sinter reducibility. This effect leads to improving sinter reducibility without decreasing sinter yield by decreasing control of coke breeze content in sinter mixture.

This paper focuses on coke combustion efficiency as combustion ratio of carbon in coke breeze for considering improvement of sinter yield through sinter pot test. Here, carbon combustion ratio is defined as proportion of actual heat generation at combustion to ideal heat generation as complete combustion (C+O₂→CO₂) of all carbon in coke. And it can be calculated based on component analyses of exhaust gas.

As the result, it was confirmed as shown bellows.

1) By re- ignition, the unburned coke remaining in the upper layer of the sinter packed bed was burned, which has a role of extending keeping time over 1200°C especially in the upper layer of sinter packed bed.

2) Due to the effect of 1), the increasing amount of heat supply at “REMO-tec” case was equivalent to the same as the experimental case of increasing coke breeze content, at which increasing heat amount at blending coke breeze content was four times larger of the heat amount at re-ignition. (For a 430 mm layer pot test)

3) In addition, since the re-ignition heat is donated to the upper layer (surface layer), the amount of heat consumption in the upper layer of the sinter packed bed increases and the amount of heat consumption in the lower layer decreases compared to the case of increasing coke breeze content, which results in decrease of the difference between heat consumption in upper layer and that in lower layer.

In addition, these effects have been also confirmed at the commercial sinter plant.

The effect of Al₂O₃ on the compositional region of silico-ferrite of calcium and aluminum (SFCA) and the liquid phase and the phase equilibria, including SFCA, was investigated in a CaO-SiO₂-Fe₂O₃-5mass%Al₂O₃ system at 1240°C in air. To obtain the desired composition, reagent-grade CaCO₃, SiO₂, Fe₂O₃, and Al₂O₃ powders were weighed, mixed, and equilibrated at 1240°C in air. Each obtained sample was divided into two parts: one was pulverized into a powder and analyzed by XRD, and the other was subjected to microstructural observation and compositional analysis using EPMA. The results revealed that the compositional region of SFCA lies on the CF₃-CA₃-C₄S₃ plane and is C/S = 2.77–7.60 for 5 mass% Al₂O₃. Compared with the SFC composition region for 0 mass% Al₂O₃, the compositional range of SFCA extended in the CF₃-C₄S₃ direction, suggesting that the addition of Al₂O₃ contributes to the stability of SFCA. Furthermore, the liquid-phase region was divided into a ferrite melt with a high Fe₂O₃ concentration and a silicate melt with a high SiO₂ concentration, both of which shifted to the lower Fe₂O₃ side compared to the liquidus isotherm in the CaO–SiO₂–Fe₂O₃ system. Unlike CaO–SiO₂–Fe₂O₃, SFCA-I (SFC-I) was observed in the CaO-SiO₂-Fe₂O₃-5mass%Al₂O₃ system, thus indicating that the addition of Al₂O₃ contributes to the stability of SFCA-I.

To better understand the formation mechanism of lamellar pearlite, the orientation relationship (OR) between ferrite and cementite in spheroidized pearlite was analyzed using electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) over a wide area and with high precision. Lamellar cementite was sufficiently spheroidized and coarsened, and substructures of lamellar pearlite, i.e., block and colony boundaries, were maintained even after a long period of spheroidized annealing. As a result, the cementite spheroidization facilitated the indexing of the cementite orientation in the EBSD analysis. It was consequently discovered that three different ORs—Bagaryatsky, Isaichev, and Pitsch–Petch ORs—were simultaneously established in the pearlite. Each OR deviated from the theoretical one, and the deviation was significantly larger in the Pitsch–Petch OR than in the other two. Also, the ferrite/cementite boundaries satisfying each OR were unevenly distributed, and the transition of ORs tended to correspond to colony boundaries with low-angle misorientation. From these results, the pearlite colony boundary was classified into three types: (1) the colony boundary maintaining an orientation relationship with different cementite variants, (2) the colony boundary characterized by two different ORs with low-angle misorientation, i.e., the transition between the Bagaryatsky and Isaichev ORs, and (3) the colony boundary with high-angle misorientation, i.e., the transition between the Isaichev and Pitsch–Petch ORs. In addition to the multiple variant formation, the coexistence of multiple ORs contributed to the change in lamellar alignment, with a high degree of freedom in the pearlitic transformation.

Increasing the utilization of steel scrap is strongly required for reducing CO₂ emission in iron- and steel-making processes. In steel scrap recycling, the content of tramp elements in steel (such as copper and tin) inevitably increases. Accordingly, it is important to understand the thermodynamic characteristics of relevance to the accumulation of tramp elements in molten steel. The values of the interaction coefficients of Mo, B, Ni, Ti, and Nb with Sn in molten iron were reported previously. However, little is known about the interaction coefficients of alloying elements with tramp elements in molten high-chromium steel. In this work, the interaction coefficients of Mo, B, Ni, Ti, and Nb with Sn in the molten Fe–18mass%Cr alloy were measured at 1873 K by a chemical equilibration technique that uses the liquid immiscibility of the Fe–18mass%Cr alloy and Ag, yielding the following results:

The results show that the values of the interaction coefficients of M with Sn in the Fe-18mass%Cr alloy are smaller than those for molten iron, which were measured in the previous work, except for titanium. The interaction coefficients of M with Sn in Fe and Fe–18mass%Cr alloy were estimated based on a regular solution model. The estimated interaction coefficients of B, Ni, and Ti with Sn in molten iron and Ni and Ti with Sn in the molten Fe–18mass%Cr alloy reasonably agree with the measured values.

The effect of the particle size distribution of MgO and carbon on the behaviour of the MgO–C reaction was investigated by heating four kinds of MgO–C sample bricks with different size distributions, and the reaction mechanism was discussed quantitatively using an improved MgO–C reaction model in which the unreacted core model was combined with a statistical distribution function. As a result, it was found that the MgO–C reaction is promoted when the ratio of fine particles of MgO increased and finer particles of carbon were used in the brick. A kinetic model of the MgO–C reaction based on the unreacted core model was developed and improved by combining the model with the statistical distribution function. The improved model considers the effect of the particle size distribution of the refractory materials on the MgO–C reaction rate. The effect of the carbon particle size on the MgO–C reaction can be explained using this model. The effect of the MgO particle size on the reaction behaviour can also be explained by the model under conditions with a relatively large ratio of MgO aggregates. However, when the ratio of fine MgO particles was large, the calculation result was much larger than the experimental result. As a reason for this, it is predicted that the fine particles sinter with each other during heating, resulting in an increase in the apparent particle diameter of the fine MgO.

In-situ deformation experiments with cold-rolled and intercritically annealed Fe-5Mn-0.1C steel were carried out at ambient temperature to characterize the deformation heterogeneity during Lüders band propagation. Deformation band formation, which is a precursor phenomenon of Lüders band propagation, occurred even in the macroscopically elastic deformation stage. The deformation bands in the Lüders front grew from both the side edges to the center of the specimen. After macroscopic yielding, the thin deformation bands grew via band branching, thickening, multiple band initiation, and their coalescence, the behavior of which was heterogeneous. Thick deformation bands formed irregularly in front of the region where the thin deformation bands were densified. The thin deformation bands were not further densified when the spacing of the bands was below ~10 µm. Instead, the regions between the deformation bands showed a homogeneous plasticity evolution. The growth of the thin deformation bands was discontinuous, which may be due to the presence of ferrite groups in the propagation path of the deformation bands. Based on these observations, a model for discontinuous Lüders band propagation has been proposed.

A typical hydrogen-related transgranular fracture, namely quasi-cleavage fracture, is usually accompanied by serrated markings on the resultant fracture surfaces in steels with body-centered cubic phases. The present paper investigated the microscopic three-dimensional morphology and crystallographic feature of serrated markings in a 2Mn-0.1C steel mainly composed of ferrite microstructure. The serrated markings corresponded to the corners of the step-like morphologies which consisted of microscopic {011} facets whose longitudinal directions were almost parallel to <110> or <112> direction. In addition, the microscopic {011} quasi-cleavage facets had the largest inclination angle from tensile axis among six crystallographically equivalent {011} planes, suggesting that resolved normal stress imposed on the {011} plane is an important factor for the hydrogen-related quasi-cleavage fracture. We propose that not only the slip deformation enhanced by hydrogen but also the coalescence of vacancies / voids induced by hydrogen-enhanced plastic deformation should be considered for understanding the mechanism of the hydrogen-related quasi-cleavage fracture along the {011} planes.

CO₂ Ultimate Reduction System for Cool Earth 50 (COURSE50) successfully carried out operational trials with an experimental blast furnace in which the effect of the reaction-control by COG injection, top gas recycling, and use of high reducibility sinter on the carbon rate were determined. The conditions of the operational trials were designed by applying the mathematical blast furnace model that was developed. The results obtained in the operational trials indicate that the proportion of carbon direct reduction can be decreased while maintaining that of CO reduction, by the reaction-control by COG injection, top gas recycling, and use of high reducibility sinter. A reduction in the carbon rate of approximately 10% was achieved as predicted by the mathematical blast furnace model.

To obtain the flow stress in duplex stainless steel, a duplex flow model is proposed that applies a rule of mixtures with the relationship between the volume fractions of austenite and ferrite. The model includes the saturated stress ratio λ and the volume fractions of austenite and ferrite at various temperatures. It considers the mechanical deformation and microstructural evolution with dynamic recrystallization (DRX) and dynamic recovery (DRV) of the two phases during hot working. To confirm the validity of the proposed model and new inverse analysis method, hot compression experiments were performed at deformation temperatures of 1050, 1150, and 1250°C and strain rates of 0.1, 1, and 10 s⁻¹ with SUS329J4L, which is an austenite-ferrite duplex stainless steel. According to the flow curves, the softening rate from the peak stress was steeper with decreasing temperature from 1250 to 1050°C, corresponding to estimated austenite volume fractions from 33% (1250°C) to 61% (1050°C). Microstructural heterogeneity between DRX in the austenite and DRV in the ferrite was observed at deformation temperatures from 1050 to 1250°C, confirming that a clearly different restoration mechanism occurred in the two phases.

To understand the formation mechanism of degenerate pearlite, the effect of carbon concentration on the cementite morphology in pearlite was investigated in hypoeutectoid C–Mn steels with fully pearlite and ferrite–pearlite duplex microstructures. The carbon concentration in untransformed austenite was enriched by the precipitation of proeutectoid ferrite during isothermal holding after austenitization and could be controlled based on local equilibrium theory. Consequently, it was found that the morphology of cementite in the pearlite formed by the decomposition of the untransformed austenite continuously changed from lamellar to fine rod or spherical shapes by decreasing the carbon concentration. The critical carbon concentration for the cementite morphology transition was evaluated at approximately 0.42 mass% at 773 K. The ferrite growth rate increases with decreasing carbon concentration in austenite, which leads to non-cooperative growth between ferrite and cementite in the eutectoid reaction, resulting in the formation of degenerate pearlite. The critical carbon concentration and its temperature dependence for lamellar and degenerate pearlite transition can be estimated by a simple competition model of growth kinetics between ferrite and pearlite formations. In addition, it was found that the softening of degenerate pearlite during annealing after the decomposition was much faster than that of lamellar pearlite because the constrictions of cementite lamella do not exist for Ostwald ripening.

The knowledge of Cr₂O₃ activity in slag is necessary to decarburize chromium-containing special steel while minimizing the oxidation loss of chromium. In the present study, firstly, the phase relationship in the CaO–SiO₂–Cr₂O₃ system was determined at 1573 K. Subsequently, the Cr₂O₃ activities in two- and three-phase coexisting slags at 1573 K were measured by equilibrating molten copper with oxide phases under a stream of Ar + H₂ + CO₂ gas mixtures, and the Gibbs energy changes of the formations of CaCr₂O₄ and Ca₃Cr₂Si₃O₁₂ were derived. It was found that the present results were compatible with the phase diagram and the literature data reported at higher temperature than 1573 K.

A random sampling method using Fe-19.9 mass% Cr-24.8 mass% Ni-4.5 mass% Mo-1.5 mass% Cu alloy quenched during unidirectional solidification was applied to examine the measurement accuracy of the solute partition coefficients between the solid and liquid phases. Better agreement between the solute profiles obtained by the random sampling and Scheil’s equation was observed at appropriate regions where the solid fraction ranged from 0.9 to 1 at quenching. The partition coefficients of Cr, Ni, Mo, and Cu were determined to be 0.95, 1.01, 0.71, and 0.84, respectively. The values obtained using the present method agreed well with the values measured using the in-situ measurement method, which is recognized to be a reliable technique. The developed technique, which uses conventional equipment and techniques such as a unidirectional solidification furnace and scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, requires less time to determine the solute partition coefficients than conventionally used techniques. Thus, the modified random sampling method presented in this study can be used for systematic measurements of solute partition coefficients.

It is known that Al added to the Zn coating layer of hot-dip galvanized steel sheets (HDG) diffuses to the surface at room temperature and forms Al-based oxides in air. In order to understand the diffusion behavior of Al in Zn coating layer, this study investigated the effect of the aging temperature on the segregation behavior of Al-based oxides in HDG with and without temper rolling (skinpass rolling) using a material with a Zn coating weight of about 56 g/m² with an Al content of approximately 0.20 mass%. The specimens were aged at −15, 5, 20, 38, 100 or 200°C in air after production, and the surface and cross sections were observed and analyzed by XRF, SEM-EDX, EBSD and TEM. As a result, up to the aging temperature of 38°C, the amount of Al-based oxides increased linearly to the square root of aging time, suggesting that the formation rate is determined by the diffusion of Al in Zn coating layer in this temperature range. However, this linear relationship did not hold at aging temperatures above 100°C. In addition, in the temper-rolled HDG, the formation rate of Al-based oxides is larger than that without temper rolling up to the aging temperature of 38°C, and then decreased drastically at aging temperatures above 100°C. The segregation behavior of Al-based oxides is discussed in view of the diffusion behavior of Al and the changes in the macrostructure of the Zn coating layer during the aging after production.

The aluminum deoxidation equilibrium in molten Fe-10 to 40mass%Cr-8mass%Ni and Fe-18mass%Cr-8 to 30mass%Ni alloys was experimentally determined at 1873 K and 1773 K to obtain the thermodynamic parameters at both temperatures, corresponding to the refining and casting processes, respectively. Thermodynamic analysis on Al deoxidation was carried out based on the sub-regular solution model using a Redlich–Kister type polynomial. Fe–Al, Ni–Al, Cr–Al and Fe–Cr–Ni interaction parameters were obtained from experimental results and a thermodynamic assessment. Using these parameters, the Al deoxidation equilibrium over the complete composition range of the Fe–Ni alloy and in more than 50mass%Fe of the Fe–Cr and Fe–Cr–Ni alloys can be calculated for the temperature ranges of both of the refining and casting processes.

Negative effect from low coke rate operation at cohesive zone is obvious because it makes thinning of coke slit thickness. Correct knowledge about gas permeability of cohesive layer is becoming more and more important. In order to precisely understand cohesive behaviour, a softening and melting simulator under rapid heating and quenching conditions was applied for clarify a determinant factor of gas permeability behaviour. To focus on softening and melting behaviour, granulated slag particle bed layer without iron oxide was prepared as packed bed sample layer can show softening and melting. The packed bed slag samples in graphite crucible were rapidly heated up to 1200°C, and then gradually heated up to 1500°C with 10°C/min under inert gas atmosphere and 0.1 MPa load. Gas pressure drop and shrinkage degree of the sample layer were measured during the softening and melting test, and quenched sample was made at certain temperature when the maximum gas pressure drop was measured. The CT observation of the quenched sample provided 3D shape information of gas path shape in sample packed bed. Gas pressure drop was estimated with fanning’s equation with the gas path information. The estimation values were shown positive correlation with measured maximum pressure drop. The CT observation also gave triple line length among molten slag, graphite, and gas. Combination the triple line length and molten slag surface tension could use for evaluation of static force balance when maximum pressure drop obtained.

The partitioning of solute elements during intercritical annealing and the effects of partitioning on ferrite transformation during slow cooling after intercritical annealing in a 0.17% C–1.5% Si–1.7% Mn (mass%) steel were investigated by a new FE-EPMA (field emission electron probe microanalysis) technique. This new technique enables highly accurate measurement of the C distribution. During the intercritical annealing, C and Mn concentrated into austenite, while Si concentrated into ferrite. The distribution of Mn in austenite was inhomogeneous, and austenite with small Mn content was transformed into ferrite during slow cooling. This ferrite transformation proceeded in the NPLE (negligible partitioning local equilibrium) mode. Two kinds of ferrite were produced due to slow cooling, one being intercritically-annealed ferrite, and the other transformed ferrite. The transformed ferrite had larger Mn content than the intercritically-annealed ferrite. Furthermore, the transformed ferrite was classified into the ferrite grown epitaxially from the intercritically-annealed ferrite and that nucleated in the austenite with relatively small Mn content. Prior microstructure and distribution of solute elements before cooling are determined by the intercritical annealing conditions, and then control the ferrite transformation. Precise control of the ferrite transformation is effective for stable production of cold-rolled high strength steel with composite microstructure.