Precipitate Dissolution and Grain Growth during Solution Treatment of Ce‐Containing 15Cr–22Ni–1Nb Austenitic Heat‐Resistant Steel

The precipitate dissolution and grain growth during the solution treatment of a newly developed Ce‐containing 15Cr–22Ni–1Nb steel are investigated. The dissolution of eutectic NbC is the result of the elements diffusion along the concentration gradients, and honeycomb (Fe,Cr,Ni,Si) 2 (Nb,Mo) Laves phase transforms into a more stable Mo 2 C‐type M 2 C carbide. As the cerium content is increased from 0 to 0.0630 mass%, the area fraction of eutectic precipitates in forged and solution‐treated 15Cr–22Ni steel is decreased first and then increased. For the steel with 0.0055 mass% cerium content, the substantial reduction in the area fraction of precipitates during hot forging and solution treatment is ascribed to the severe abnormal grain growth. In the case of 15Cr–22Ni steel with 0.0019 and 0.0630 mass% cerium content, the average size of austenite grains after solution treatment is reduced, the multipeak development of grain size distribution is restrained, the range of grain size distribution is narrowed, and the variation coefficient of grain growth, the critical size of abnormally grown grain, and the proportion of abnormally grown grain are all decreased. The variation coefficient of grain growth and the critical size of abnormally grown grain in the steel are increased as the solution time is extended, whereas the proportion of abnormally grown grain presents a general trend of reduction. The established mathematical model of grain growth in the paper can be well applied to predict and control the average size of austenite grains in 15Cr–22Ni steel after solution treatment.