Role of Rare Earth in Low Sulphur Nb-Ti-Bearing Steel

摘要

The effect of rare earth on the microstructures, mechanical properties and inclusions in low sulphur Nb-Ti-bearing steel were investigated. It is shown that the transverse yield point, the traverse tensile strength and elongation of testing steels decrease initially and then rise with increasing content of rare earth. The impact energy values of the testing steels exhibit a contrary trend. Proper amount of rare earth in the steels can improve the anisotropy of impact toughness above -20℃ and it does not affect the type of microstructures which are still composed of ferrites and pearlites, but the pearlite amount increases. On one hand, rare earth cleans the molten steel and reduces the amount of inclusions; on the other hand, rare earth makes the inclusions spheroidizd, refined and dispersed, and thus improves the distribution of inclusions.