TY - JOUR A1 - Ikeda, Yuki A1 - Ni, H.C. A1 - Chakraborty, A. A1 - Ghassemi-Armaki, H. A1 - Zuo, J.M. A1 - Darvishi Kamachali, Reza A1 - Maaß, Robert T1 - Segregation-induced grain-boundary precipitation during early stages of liquid-metal embrittlement of an advanced high-strength steel JF - Acta Materialia N2 - Liquid-metal embrittlement (LME) of galvanized (Zn-coated) advanced high-strength steels is a long-known problem in materials science. Here we reveal the initial microstructural processes underneath the Zn-coating that lead to LME-microcrack initiation in the steel substrate. We track the microstructural evolution during the first tens of milliseconds and find pronounced signatures of Fe-Zn intermetallic precipitation in both ferrite grain boundaries and at internal ferrite-oxide phase boundaries. In concert with novel CALPHAD-integrated density-based thermodynamic modelling, we demonstrate that Zn-rich intermetallic phase-nucleation can occur at markedly low processing temperatures due to a segregation transition. We show that a small Znenrichment caused by Zn bulk-diffusion during the initial temperature rise in a joining process is sufficient to induce the segregation transition and subsequent nucleation of Fe-Zn intermetallic grain-boundary phases, which the experiments link to crack initiation sites. These findings direct focus onto LME-controlling microstructural and thermodynamic phenomena at temperatures below the ductility trough and the austenite formation temperature. KW - Resistance spot welding KW - Liquid-metal embrittlement KW - Steels KW - Grain boundaries PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-581067 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2023.119243 VL - 259 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Elsevier Ltd AN - OPUS4-58106 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Darvishi Kamachali, Reza A1 - Wallis, Theophilius A1 - Ikeda, Yuki A1 - Saikia, U. A1 - Ahmadian, A. A1 - Liebscher, C. A1 - Hickel, Tilmann A1 - Maaß, Robert T1 - Giant segregation transition as origin of liquid metal embrittlement in the Fe-Zn system JF - Scripta Materialia N2 - A giant Zn segregation transition is revealed using CALPHAD-integrated density-based modeling of segregation into Fe grain boundaries (GBs). The results show that above a threshold of only a few atomic percent Zn in the alloy, a substantial amount of up to 60 at.% Zn can segregate to the GB. We found that the amount of segregation abruptly increases with decreasing temperature, while the Zn content in the alloy required for triggering the segregation transition decreases. Direct evidence of the Zn segregation transition is obtained using high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. Base on the model, we trace the origin of the segregation transition back to the low cohesive energy of Zn and a miscibility gap in Fe-Zn GB, arising from the magnetic ordering effect, which is confirmed by ab-initio calculations. We also show that the massive Zn segregation resulting from the segregation transition greatly assists with liquid wetting and reduces the work of separation along the GB. The current predictions suggest that control over Zn segregation, by both alloy design and optimizing the galvanization and welding processes, may offer preventive strategies against liquid metal embrittlement. KW - CALPHAD KW - Microstructure Design KW - Grain boundary engineering KW - Steels KW - Density-based Model KW - Segregation Engineering PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-584292 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scriptamat.2023.115758 SN - 1359-6462 SN - 1872-8456 VL - 238 SP - 1 EP - 5 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-58429 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -