MANUFACTURING PROCESS FOR PLATE OR FORGING OF FERRITE-AUSTENITE TWO-PHASE STAINLESS STEEL

Abstract: This invention to a process for producing a plate or forging (bar, stamp work or the like), of ferrite-austenite two-phase stainless steel, containing at most 0.03 % C, at most 2.0 % Si, at most 2.0 % Mn, 25 to 35 % Cr, 6 to 15 % Ni, at most 0.35 % N, remainder Fe and inevitable impurities with or without the addition of 0.001 to 0.030 % B with the following nickel balance value specified at -13 to -9; Ni balance value = Ni% + 0.5 Mn% + 30 × (C + N)% - 1.1 (Cr% + 1.5 Si%) + 8.2 The process of the invention is characterized in that the average crystal grain size is controlled to at most 0.015 mm by heating an ingot of the above-mentioned ferrite-austenite two-phase stainless steel at a temperature of at most 1,200°C and keeping the forging ratio by hot working at a value of at least 5.

Description: This invention relates to a process for manufacturing a plate or forging (bar, stamp work or the like) of ferrite-austenite two-phase stainless steel and particularly of ferrite-austenite two-phase stainless steel superior in resistance to nitric acid. A stainless steel having a high content of Cr shows a strong resistance in a nitric acid environment. As intergranular corrosion is extremely severe depending on the density of nitric acid, an extremely-low carbon type and Nb-stabilized high-chrome austenite stainless steel, for example, 310 LC (low carbon - 25 % Cr - 20 % Ni steel), 310 LCNb (low carbon - 25 % Cr - 20 % Ni - 0.2 % Nb steel) or the like, is employed hitherto. However, in the case of such an austenite stainless steel having a high content of Ni, since the solid solubility limit of carbon (C) is small, chrome carbide deposits preferentially at the crystal grain boundaries to deteriorate intergranular corrosion resistance under the effect of heating at 500 to 900 °C or of welding heat. As the solidification cracking sensitivity is high at the time of welding, the reliability of the weld zone is lost. On the other hand, a ferrite-austenite two-phase stainless steel contains much Cr and has the advantage of showing high resistance to solidification cracking at the time of welding. However, it has the drawback that selective corrosion at welded parts occurs easily under the effect of welding heat. Such corrosion tendency is conspicuous particularly in a nitric acid environment. Therefore the conventional two-phase stainless steels are not fully reliable if used as a nitric acid resistant material having welded sites. Neue Hütte, volume 22, number 5, 1977, pages 266-272 is a scientific article on the corrosion resistance of ferrite-austenite steels and the production of stainless steels. In the process described in section 1.3.1 on page 269 of this document a Ti or Mo containing steel is worked by at least 69% in a temperature range of 850° - 950°C and then heat treated at 950°C to produce a steel with a grain size of at most 8 µm. The stability of ferrite-austenite steels against acids is discussed on page 268, 1st paragraph. These steels are resistant against weak acids like formic acid and citric acid, but not against stronger acids like rather concentrated hydrochloric acid. In DD-A-134 246 there is provided a non-stabilized stainless steel with improved corrosion, forming and welding characteristics with a content of less than 0.01% C and less than 0.015% N. The steel is produced by a thermomechanical treatment at above 1100°C, a forming temperature between 1000°C and 700°C and a final heat treatment at 950°C. In US-A-2,073,901 there are provided articles with high corrosion resistance at elevated temperatures, which can be used under conditions of considerable strain or sudden stress at high temperatures. The articles are made of a low carbon austenitic-iron-chromium-nickel alloy which is subjected to a high temperature treatment ranging from 900° to 1350°F (482,2°-732,2°C) during manufacturing, said alloy being hot worked down to a finishing temperature between 1650°F and 1900°F (898,9° - 1037,8°C) to produce a fine grain structure and then cooling of the article produced. DE-B-24 57 089 describes the use of corrosion- and heat- resistant austenitic-ferritic chromium-nickel-nitrogen steels consisting of 0.005 - 0.065 % carbon, 0.1 - 1.00% silicon, 0.5 - 4% manganese, 22.5 - 28.0 % chromium, 3.5 - 8.0 % nickel, 0.08 - 0.4 % nitrogen, the balance being iron, which have a ferrite portion of 30 - 70 %. The steels are formed in two steps: a first forming step at temperatures above 1155°C, and a second forming step at temperatures below 1000 to 800°C. The steels used are resistant against organic acids. AT-B-29 51 76 discloses a process for grain-fining of an alloy which, at usual temperatures, consists of two phases. The alloy is formed in the two-phase temperature range while one phase is at least partially dissolved in the other phase, the matrix phase. During or after forming recrystallization of the matrix phase and separation of the first phase takes place. The forming is characterized by an area reduction of at least 50 %. The forming can optionally be performed at a temperature above the recrystallization temperature. After having studied the influence that the structure and trace elements exert on nitric acid resistance of stainless steel, the inventors proposed a high-chrome two-phase stainless steel effective to remove the above-described defects of austenite stainless steel and two-phase stainless steel, superior in nitric acid resistance and weldability, and cheap in cost as well; see Japanese Patent Application No. 130442/1981 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3106/1983). This type of steel has a high Cr and Ni content as compared with a conventional ferrite-austenite two-phase stainless steel generally containing 23 to 25 % Cr and 4 to 6 % Ni, and a specific Ni balance value at the same time. Moreover a structure constitution with very high nitric acid resistance has been found which is superior in nitric acid resistance to the above-mentioned materials of 310 LC and 310 LCNb even though it contains less expensive Ni. The nitric acid resistance is further improved by adding 0.001 to 0.03 % B thereto, and further by decreasing the P content to 0.010 % or below and the S content to 0.005 % or below (which are contained inevitably as impurities). The steel has the following composition (% by weight): (1) The incoming steel alloy contains at most 0.03 % C, at most 2.0 % Si, at most 2.0 % Mn, at most 0.040 % P, at most 0.030 % S, 25 to 35 % Cr, 6 to 15 % Ni, at most 0.35 % N, remainder Fe and inevitable impurities, and satisfying the following expression: -13 < Nieq - 1.1 x Creq + 8.2 < -9 (2) 0.001 to 0.03 % B is added to the above-mentioned steel. (3) The P and S contents are decreased independently or simultaneously to at most 0.010 % and to at most 0.005 % respectively in the above-mentioned steel (1) and (2). The superior resistance of the steel to nitric acid is mainly due to its composition and also to a fine structure of ferrite and austenite peculiar with the two-phase stainless steel. That is, the superior resistance to nitric acid is due to a superior intergranular corrosion resistance, and it is generally known that the intergranular corrosion resistance depends on the crystal grain size. The smaller the crystal grain size is, the better it becomes. Thus the superior intergranular corrosion resistance of the steel is deeply related to the fine structure which is a feature of the two-phase stainless steel. Originally, the crystal grain size of the two-phase stainless steel is influenced largely by its manufacturing history. The larger the forging ratio is, the smaller the grain size becomes. However, when the steel is heated at high temperatures of 1,250 °C or more for hot working, the structure comes near to a single phase structure of ferrite whereby the crystal grains are excessively coarsed. Now, in consideration of such characteristic of the two-phase stainless steel, a principal object of this invention is to manufacture a plate or forging of ferrite-austenite two-phase stainless steel superior particularly in resistance to nitric acid. This object is attained by the unexpected finding that nitric acid resistance and particularly intergranular corrosion resistance can be further improved by controlling the crystal grain size of the product to at most 0.015 mm through hot working of a two-phase stainless steel having the above-mentioned composition. In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 shows the relation between the intergranular corrosion depth and the average crystal grain size of product plate and a manufacturing condition of product. Fig. 2 shows the relation between the heating temperature and the γ (austenite phase) content. Fig. 3 shows the relation between the forging ratio and the crystal grain size. In view of the characteristics of the two-phase stainless steel, it has been found that resistance to nitric acid and particularly intergranular corrosion resistance can be improved by controlling the crystal grain size of a product to at most 0.015 mm. According to the invention the following hot working is applied on the two-phase stainless steel. In the manufacture of a plate or a forging of ferrite-austenite stainless steel containing at most 0.03 % C, at most 2.0 % Si, at most 2.0 % Mn, 25 to 35 % Cr, 6 to 15 % Ni, at most 0,35 % N, remainder Fe and inevitable impurities with or without of 0.001 to 0.030 % B and having the Ni balance value adjusted to -13 to -19, intergranular corrosion resistance in a nitric acid environment is improved and thus resistance to nitric acid is greatly enhanced by adjusting the ingot heating temperature to at least 900 °C and at most 1,200 °C in the process of hot working and further adjusting the forging ratio during the hot working to at least 5, controlling the degree of working per hot working step to be at least 50%, and repeating the hot working step two times or more, thus keeping the average crystal grain size of the product at the above-mentioned value of at most 0.015 mm. Here, "forging ratio" refers to the overall working rate of the material (ingot), which is expressed by ingot sectional area/product sectional area. It has been found that a steel containing more Cr and Ni than a conventional ferrite-austenite two-phase stainless steel which generally comprises 23 to 23 % Cr and 4 to 6% Ni and having a specific Ni balance value at the same time, shows improved resistance to nitric acid even compared with the steals 310 LC and 310 LCNb which contain more expensive Ni. The resistance to nitric acid is further enhanced by adding B thereto as occasion demands, and furthermore by decreasing P to at most 0.010 % and S to at most 0.005 % which are contained inevitably as impurities. In the production of a plate and forging of the ferrite-austenite two-phase stainless steel having the mentioned composition, a steel material which is remarkably superior in resistance to nitric acid is thus obtainable by regulating the heating temperature and the forging ratio in the process of hot working as described above. The reasons for the limitation of the individual components of the steel will now be explained. C: C is an effective element for the formation of austenite. However, since it forms a carbide which acts to increase intergranular corrosion sensitivity, its amount should be as small as possible. Still, in consideration of the ease of manufacture, the upper limit will be 0.03 %. Si and Mn: Si and Mn are elements used as deoxidizer during the process of steel manufacture. Si and Mn will have to be added normally in an amount of at most 2.0 % to facilitate manufacture industrially. Therefore the content of each of these elements is limited to at most 2.0 %. Cr: Cr is a ferrite forming element and is important not only for formation of a two-phase structure of austenite and ferrite but also for the increase of corrosion resistance and particularly resistance to nitric acid. Therefore it must be added in an amount of at least 25 % for a satisfactory resistance to nitric acid. The resistance to nitric acid enhances as the Cr content increases under proper structural balance, however, when it exceeds 35 %, workability deteriorates and manufacture of steel material and fabrication of equipment become difficult. As practical applicability is lost the upper limit will be specified at 35 %. Ni: Ni is an austenite forming element and is also important along with Cr for the formation of a two-phase structure, and further it is a very important element for decreasing the active dissolution rate including general corrosion. Therefore it must be added in an amount of 6 % to 15 % to obtain a preferable structural balance of ferrite-austenite corresponding to the content of Cr which is the principal ferrite forming element. N: N is a powerful austenite forming element like C and Ni, and is also effective for the enhancement of corrosion resistance such as pitting resistance. However, when the N content exceeds 0.35 %, a blowhole may arise in the ingot during the process for manufacturing steel and hot workability will deteriorate. Therefore the N content is limited to at most 0.35 %. In this invention, it is meaningless to specify these elements independently, and an excellent effect will be obtainable only under an optimum combination, therefore it is necessary to limit the range of each component so that the following expression will be satisfied: -13 < Ni balance value < -9 where Ni balance value = Niq - 1.1 x Creq + 8.2 ; Nieq = Ni% + 0.5 x Mn% + 30 x (C + N)% ; Creq = Cr% + 1.5 x Si%. When the Ni balance value is below -13, the selective corrosion between the structures becomes large. Under such conditions not only the resistance to nitric acid cannot be improved even if the Cr content is increased, but also the Ni balance value is shifted in the direction which is more disadvantageous for the corrosion resistance, thereby accelerating the corrosion. On the other hand, if the Ni balance value is greater than -9, then not only an economic disadvantage results from increasing the addition rate of expensive Ni, but also hot workability is impaired and corrosion resistance deteriorates. Therefore the Ni balance value is limited to -13 to -9. B: The resistance to nitric acid will be remarkably improved if B is added in an amount of at least 0.001%. However, workability and weldability will deteriorate when it exceeds 0.03%, therefore it is limited to 0.001 to 0.03%. P and S: The amount of P and S which are impurity elements should desirably, be kept as low as possible. As apparent from Japanese Industrial Standards an amount of at most 0.040 % P and at most 0.030 % S is normally permissible. However, when P is limited to at most 0.010 % and S to at most 0.005%, the effect of improving resistance to nitric acid will be enhanced. An effect equivalent to decreasing the amounts of P and S is attained by adding rare earth elements (REM) such as La, Ce and the like in a small quantity, for example, in an amount of about 0.02 %. Next, the reason why the heating temperature and forging ratio are regulated as described hereinabove in the manufacturing process of this invention will be described. In the case of a two-phase stainless steel, the amount of the austenite phase decreases to come near to a single phase structure of ferrite as the heating temperature rises to 1,100 °C or more. The above-mentioned steel is turned to a ferrite structure at about 1,350 °C. In the ferrite-austenite two-phase structure, growth of the ferrite crystal grains is suppressed by austenite crystal grains. However, when the volume part of austenite decreases, an effect of the suppression is the coarsening of the crystal grains, and thus the austenite crystal grains become coarse at the same time. Further, as will be apparent from Fig. 2 representing the relation between heating temperature and γ (austenite phase) content, the γ content decreases abruptly at 1,200 °C or more. The tendency of coarsening increases sharply and therefore the upper limit of the heating temperature is specified at 1,200 °C in the invention. On the other hand, in the case of two-phase stainless steel, cracks easily occur if the hot work is performed at 900 °C or below and thus the product yield deteriorates. Therefore it is prefered that the heating temperature is as high as possible. Then, in the process for hot working, it is difficult to obtain fine crystals when the degree of working is small even if the heating temperature is kept at 1,200 °C or below. Particularly hot working with a deformation of several % to 10 % has no effect but gives a driving force for the growth of crystal grains and thus promotes coarsening. Therefore a higher degree of hot working will be necessary inasmuch as with a small degree of hot working the heating-working process must be repeated for obtaining the required forging ratio. This may result in a coarsening of the crystal grains. On the other hand, it is difficult to obtain a forging ratio of at least 5 at once in a single working step. Therefore more than one hot working step must be performed. In such a case it is prefered that the degree of working per hot working step is at least 50 %. As will be apparent from the example described later, it is ensured by a manufacturing scale test that there may be a case where the desired average crystal grain size is not obtainable at a degree of working of less than 50 %, for example 40 %. Generally, the ingot structure is coarse as compared with forging material, and fine crystals are produced by repetition of working and recrystallization. It has now been found that an average crystal grain size of at least 0.015 mm as described above can minimize the intergranular corrosion depth to at most 0.010 mm, thus indicating a superior resistance to nitric acid (Fig. 1). As will further be apparent from Fig. 3 representing the relation between forging ratio and crystal grain size, it is necessary to keep the forging ratio ingot/product at a value of at least 5 for obtaining an average crystal grain size of at most 0.015 mm. The invention will now be illustrated by means of an example. EXAMPLE: Table 1 shows an example according to this invention, describing steels of this invention and the comparative steels SUS 329 Jl steel and extremely-low carbon 310 steel (310 ELC). Under the working conditions given in Table 1, a 1-ton ingot of each of the above steels (2 kinds of steels of this invention and SUS 329 Jl, 310 ELC) was heated twice by each forging ratio and hot rolled (sample No. 8 being heated three times), then heated to 1,050 °C and water-cooled for solid solution annealing. Corrosion samples with the dimensions 3 x 20 x 30 mm (general-grinding #03) are then 5 times subjected to a 48-hour boiling test in 65 % HNO₃ + 100 ppm Cr⁺⁶. The intergranular corrosiveness in the nitric acid environment is evaluated from the intergranular corrosion depth. Fig. 1 illustrates a test result of sample Nos. 1 to 4. As will be apparent from Fig. 1, the intergranular corrosion depth and the crystal grain size are correlated with each other. An average grain size of less than 0.015 mm will minimize the intergranular corrosion depth to a superior resistance to nitric acid. Further, as shown in Table 1, corrosion resistance cannot be improved satisfactorily even at a forging ratio of 7 or more if hot working is performed at a temperature of 1,250 °C or more. Therefore hot working must be carried out at 1,200 °C or below. Enhancement of the intergranular corrosion resistance is also difficult even if hot working is performed at a temperature of 1,200 °C or below when the forging ratio is 3. Furthermore, formation of fine crystal grains is insufficient to obtain a satisfactory corrosion resistance even if hot working is performed at 1,200 °C and the forging ratio is 5 when the degree of working in each heating step is below 40 %. Then, the intergranular corrosion resistance cannot be improved by employing the working process according to this invention on SUS 329 Jl and 310 ELC.

Claims: A process for producing a plate or forging of ferrite-austenite two-phase stainless steel superior in resistance to nitric acid, whereby the steel alloy contains at most 0.03 % C, at most 2.0 % Si, at most 2.0 % Mn, 25 to 35 % Cr, 6 to 15 % Ni, at most 0.35 % N, optionally 0.001-0.03 % B, optionally rare earth metals in a small quantity of about 0.02% the remainder being Fe and inevitable impurities, and satisfies the following expression: -13 < Nieq - 1.1 Creq + 8.2 < -9 where Nieq = Ni% + 0.5 Mn% + 30 x (C+N)%, Creq = Cr% + 1.5 Si%, characterized in that the average crystal grain size is kept at a value of at most 0.015 mm by controlling the heating temperature of the ingot to at least 900°C and at most 1,200°C and the forging ratio by hot working to a value of at least 5, controlling the degree of working per hot working step to be least 50%, and repeating the hot working step two times or more. The process according to Claim 1 characterized in that the contents of P and S which are inevitable impurities are controlled, independently or simultaneously, to at most 0.010 % for P and at most 0.005% for S.

Inventors: AOKI, MASAHIRO NAOETSU LAB. NIPPON STAINLESS, KOBAYASHI, MINEO NAOETSU LAB. NIPPON STAINLESS, NAGAYAMA, MASAAKI, OHKUBO, MASAO, YOSHIDA, TAKESHI NAOETSU LAB. NIPPON STAINLESS
Applicants: NIPPON STAINLESS STEEL CO., LTD., SUMITOMO CHEMICAL COMPANY, LIMITED
Application year: 1984
Main classification: C21D8
IPC codes: C22C38, C21D9, C21D8