Estudo da precipitação de carbonetos e da fase sigma no aço inoxidavel tipo AISI 446 sob condições de trabalho em forno de radiação

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2002

RESUMO

Tubes of AISI 446 ferritic stainless steels used in a heating furnace of a Petrobrás petrochemical plant, were studied. Samples of brand new and used tubes were investigated using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, hardness and microhardness measurements and dilatometry. It was found that under the working conditions the tubes were subjected to, precipitation of carbides and sigma phase occurs. The amount of carbides and sigma increased considerably after use. The chemical analysis of the samples in several positions made it possible to identify significant sulfidation and enrichment in carbon, in the used samples. This carbon enrichment is directly responsible by the increase in the amount of carbides. It was also possible to establish a significant difference in chemical composition from one side of the tube to the other, due to the temperature distribution in the furnace, in face of this difference, carbon enrichment is much more pronounced in one side than in the other. The tubes were also submitted to a series of heat treatment to check its effect in the components involved. It was seen that the sigma phase does dissolve at 900°C and the carbides also dissolve but at 1200°C. Under the conditions investigated, aging did not resulted in reprecipitation of sigma phase, thus confirm the sluggish nature of its precipitation. The x-ray diffraction results after heat treatment showed a change in structure of the carbides which can be Cr2C ,Cr3C2 ,Cr23C6 and Cr7C3 depending on the position of the sample in tube and the analysed area. The effect of carbon enrichment after heat treatment was sueh that the resulting microstructures after treating above 1100°C showed the presence of austenite which under some conditions decomposed to perlite plus ferrite. Taking in consideration that AISI 446 steel is essentially ferritic, the occurrence of austenite is the result of the matrix enrichment in carbon with the solubilizing treatment. Aiming to better characterize the sigma phase, iron-chrome samples were east in an experimental furnace. After rolling the samples the identification of sigma through x-ray diffraction was easy to be confirmed

ASSUNTO(S)

raios x - difração aço - tratamento termico aço - metalurgia carbonetos microscopio eletronico aço - metalografia aço inoxidavel

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