LIU Qiang, LI Xiang, CHENG Huijing, GAO Ming, LIU Wei, YANG Shufeng
A method for analysing and characterizing the three-dimensional morphology and three-dimensional structural characteristic parameters of inclusions in steel was developed based on X-ray microscopy. Three different types of steels were selected to analyse the three-dimensional structural characteristic parameters and three-dimensional spatial distribution of inclusions, including the volume fraction, equivalent diameter, shape factor, diameter and volume distribution, sphericity and orientation. The results showed that the X-ray microscope could accurately characterize the inclusions with size of 1-500 μm in steel. It could also distinguish the high-density phase, non-metallic inclusions and micro-porosity based on the difference of contrast or grey. When the deformation of stainless steel reached 50%, the three-dimensional morphology of plastic inclusions evolved from spherical to flat, and the shape factor decreased from 0.67 to 0.57, and the spatial orientation angle (Phi) increased from 63.48° to 77.40°. For the steel treated with Te, the element of Te was wrapped outside the MnS to form a composite inclusion, which improved the corrosion resistance of the steel. According to the three-dimensional structural characteristic parameters of MnS inclusions, the three-dimensional grain boundaries of sulphur-containing steel were divided, and the relationship between the precipitation process of grain boundary inclusions and solidification selective crystallization was explained. A new method for characterizing the three-dimensional morphology and structural of inclusions in steels was established instead of synchrotron radiation, which was to promote the research of controlling the inclusions modification evolution of characterizing inclusions using X-ray microscopy. The proposed method provided more accurate and reliable analytical and testing approaches for the control of inclusions.