Effects of mechanical alloying time on microstructure and properties of 9Cr-ODS steels

Pre-alloyed powders of oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steels were produced by atomization. The atomized powders without mechanical alloying (MA) and with short-time MA were consolidated by hot isostatic pressing (HIP). The morphology and microstructure of the atomized and the MA powders were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The microstructure of 9Cr-ODS steels with different MA time was characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and atom probe tomography (APT). The results showed that high-density of nanosized precipitates and ultrafine grains are formed in the ODS steels using the processing route, which remarkably reduce MA time. The yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of ODS steels are improved with the increase of MA time. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.