Thermal fatigue of a heat-resistant Fe-0.45C-26Cr-33Ni-2Si-2Nb alloy

The thermal fatigue of a heat-resistant Fe-0.45C-26Cr-33Ni-2Si-2Nb alloy is studied during thermal cycling in the temperature range 50-900°C up to 1000 cycles. The alloy is investigated in the initial as-cast state and after isothermal annealing during 1000 h at a temperature of 800, 900, 1000, or 1100°C; these conditions imitate the temperature conditions of operation and the structural state of various layers in a reaction pipe in the radiant furnace coils of ethylene production installations. After isothermal annealing, the thermal fatigue life of the alloy is found to decrease by a factor of 1.7-1.2 as compared to the initial as-cast state. It is shown that isothermal annealing and subsequent thermal cycling lead to the formation of carbide precipitates of various sizes in the alloy structure that affect the thermal fatigue life of the alloy. Thermal fatigue cracks are shown to form and grow predominantly at the sites of accumulation of fine carbide precipitates. Coarse (>10 μm) precipitates retard crack growth, and cracks branch near such precipitates. © 2011 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.