Influence of Solid Solution Treatment on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of 20CrNiMo/Incoloy 825 Composite Materials.

The utilization of 20CrNiMo/Incoloy 825 composite materials as high-pressure pipe manifold steel can not only improve the strength and hardness of the steel, but also improve its corrosion resistance. However, research on the heat treatment of 20CrNiMo/Incoloy 825 composite materials is still scarce. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of solid solution treatment on the microstructure and properties of 20CrNiMo/Incoloy 825 composite materials. Firstly, the composite materials were subjected to solid solution treatment at temperatures ranging from 850 to 1100 °C with varied holding times of 1 h, 4 h, and 6 h. Microstructural analysis revealed that the solid solution treatment temperature had a more pronounced effect than the treatment time on the interface decarburization layer, carburization layer, and grain size. It was observed that the carburized layer thickness decreased while the decarburized layer thickness increased with an increase in the solid solution treatment temperature, oil cooling was found to enhance the hardness of the base layer of the composite materials, and the size of the original austenite grains of 20CrNiMo steel and Incoloy 825 increased with an increase in the solid solution treatment temperature. Secondly, the tensile properties, microhardness, and fracture morphology were evaluated after the composite materials underwent solid solution treatment at temperatures between 950 °C and 1100 °C for 1 h. The results indicated that increasing the solution temperature initially led to an increase in tensile strength and elongation after fracture, followed by a decrease; furthermore, the hardness of Incoloy 825 exhibited a declining trend, while the hardness of 20CrNiMo first decreased then increased. Thirdly, the shear properties and interfacial element diffusion of the composite materials were analyzed following solid solution treatment in a temperature range of 950 °C to 1100 °C for 1 h. The findings demonstrated that higher solid solution treatment temperatures induced full diffusion of Cr, Ni, and Fe atoms at the interface and softened the matrix, leading to an increase in the thickness of the diffusion layer and toughening of the composite interface. Therefore, the shear strength increased with an increase in the solid solution treatment temperature. Finally, the optimal solid solution treatment process for 20CrNiMo/Incoloy 825 composite materials was determined to be 1050 °C/1 h oil cooling, following which the composite materials had good comprehensive mechanical properties.