Intergranular Cracking Susceptibility of 2.25Cr Heat-Resistant Steels Depending on Alloying Elements and Impurities

Abstract

The intergranular cracking susceptibility of 2.25Cr heat-resistant steels increases with increasing bulk phosphorus content. This is due to the increase in phosphorus segregation concentration of prior austenite grain boundaries (PAGBs) and the prior austenite grain boundary/carbide interfaces (GCIs) with increasing bulk phosphorus content. Moreover, the susceptibility is higher in tungsten-added steels than the molybdenum-added steel. This is attributed to the higher driving force for carbide formation of tungsten which causes more active carbide formation in the tungsten-added steel, the consequent absence of the repulsive segregation between carbon and phosphorus, and the final higher phosphorus segregation concentration at the PAGBs and the GCIs. Additionally, the absence of sulfur segregation at the PAGBs and the GCIs of the molybdenum-added steel, which arises from the repulsive segregation between carbon and sulfur, acts as an additional factor which lowers the intergranular cracking susceptibility. (C) The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society and ASM International 2016