Ex-situ observation of ferrite grain growth behavior in a welded 9Cr-1Mo-V-Nb steel during aging at 740 °C

Abstract

It has recently been reported that ferrite grains coarsened to several hundred micrometers were occasionally observed in long-term serviced 9Cr-1Mo-V-Nb steel welds. To clarify the factors that cause ferrite grain growth in martensite during high-temperature exposure, alternating aging heat treatment and observation of the same field of view was performed using a welded 9Cr-1Mo-V-Nb steel. Such ex-situ observations revealed that the rapid grain growth of ferrite by consuming martensite occurred in the weld metal during aging at 740 °C. In the test material used in this study, some δ-ferrite grains were observed in the weld metal near the fusion line. In the region where δ-ferrite grains were observed, the concentrations of austenite-forming elements such as Mn and Ni were locally decreased in the matrix due to dilution by the base metal, promoting δ-ferrite retention after welding. Ex-situ observation indicated that no significant grain growth of δ-ferrite occurred during aging. Therefore, it was suggested that a new ferrite grain formation followed by rapid grain growth consuming martensite occurred during aging. The elastic strain energy density of the dislocations P^M_dis and the interfacial energy density P^M_surf in martensite can affect the driving force for ferrite grain growth by consuming martensite. Based on the evaluation results for P^M_dis and P^M_surf after 500 h of aging, P^M_surf was considered to be the main driving force for ferrite grain growth. Although the ferrite-formation process could not be directly observed, it is possible that ferrite was formed by the recrystallization of martensite through the bulging mechanism.