Effect of Microstructure On The Impact Toughness A

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OPEN Effect of microstructure on the

impact toughness and temper
embrittlement of SA508Gr.4N
Received: 7 August 2017
Accepted: 11 December 2017 steel for advanced pressure vessel
materials
Published: xx xx xxxx
Zhiqiang Yang, Zhengdong Liu, Xikou He, Shibin Qiao & Changsheng Xie
The effect of microstructure on the impact toughness and the temper embrittlement of a SA508Gr.4N
steel was investigated. Martensitic and bainitic structures formed in this material were examined via
scanning electron microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and
Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) analysis. The martensitic structure had a positive effect on both the
strength and toughness. Compared with the bainitic structure, this structure consisted of smaller blocks
and more high-angle grain boundaries (HAGBs). Changes in the ultimate tensile strength and toughness
of the martensitic structure were attributed to an increase in the crack propagation path. This increase
resulted from an increased number of HAGBs and refinement of the sub-structure (block). The AES
results revealed that sulfur segregation is higher in the martensitic structure than in the bainitic
structure. Therefore, the martensitic structure is more susceptible to temper embrittlement than the
bainitic structure.
Reactor pressure vessels (RPV) are generally considered to be the most critical components in the nuclear
plant beside the reactor core1,2. The RPV should serve for 40 years under high-temperature, high-pressure, and
neutron-irradiation conditions. Therefore, to ensure safe operation of the reactor, the RPV should be fabricated
from material with high strength, high fracture toughness, and high resistance to irradiation embrittlement3–5.
The RPV is typically fabricated from ASME SA508 Class 3 steel6–8. With the development of generation IV
reactors, larger and higher-power nuclear power plants (compared with those housing generation III reactors)
are being built. However, the low strength (620 MPa) of the SA508 Class 3 steel renders this material unsuita-
ble for generation IV reactors and, hence, new materials must be developed. Many countries have considered
SA508Gr.4N steel as a candidate material9,10.
The RPVs are large forgings and with wall thickness of more than 200 mm11. Generally, the forged RPVs
are quenched and tempered, as result, the through-thickness microstructure vary significantly because of the
differential cooling rates during quenching. These differing microstructures will lead to heterogeneous mechan-
ical properties along the thickness direction of the RPV. Therefore, an understanding of the microstructure and
mechanical properties of RPV steels with different quenched microstructures is essential.
The microstructure of the initial quenched martensite is a key factor in determining the performance of RPVs.
Park et al.12 reported that the strength of a quenched Ni–Cr–Mo low alloy steel with a fully martensitic microstructure
is significantly higher than that of the quenched microstructure composed of bainite. Similarly, compared with bainite,
tempered martensite is more susceptible to temper embrittlement. Raoul et al.13 found that, in high-P (0.017%) A533
steel, P segregation in martensite is considerably higher than that in bainite. Furthermore, Lee et al.14 determined the
effect of martensitic fraction on the cleavage fracture toughness of a Ni–Cr–Mo steel. The results revealed that the frac-
tion of martensite increases with increasing quenching cooling rate, thereby resulting in a decrease in the fraction of
large carbides. Marini et al.15 investigated the effect of bainitic and martensitic microstructures on the embrittlement
Institute for Special Steels, Central Iron and Steel Research Institute Group, Beijing, 100081, China. Correspondence and
requests for materials should be addressed to Z.Y. (email: [email protected]) or Z.L. (email: [email protected])
or X.H. (email: [email protected])
Scientific Reports | (2018) 8:207 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-18434-3 1

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Measured composition
Material C Ni Cr Mo Mn Si S
ASME SA-508/SA-508M ≤0.23 2.80–3.90 1.50–2.00 0.40–0.60 0.20–0.40 <0.40 <0.02
Test steel 0.19 3.73 1.69 0.50 0.28 0.15 0.003
Measured composition
Material
P Al Cu V Nb Ti Fe
ASME SA-508/SA-508M <0.02 <0.025 <0.25 <0.03 <0.01 <0.015 Bal.
Test steel 0.002 0.002 0.004 0.003 0.005 0.001 Bal.
Table 1. Chemical composition of the SA508 Gr.4N steel (wt%).
Heat treatment Pre-heat-treatment Austenitizing Tempering

Condition 920/2/AC
[°C/h/C.R (cooling rate) 900/2/AC 860/5/60, 4.4 620/8/AC
(AC, air cooling. °C/min)] 640/8/AC
Table 2. Heat Treatment process of SA508Gr.4N Steel.
Figure 1. CCT diagram for the SA508Gr.4N steel austenitized at 860 °C.
Figure 2. Step-cooling heat treatment.
of an A508 steel subjected to neutron irradiation. The results revealed that, compared with the fully bainitic micro-
structures, the martensitic microstructures are more susceptible to non-hardening embrittlement. Gurovich et al.16
have reported that the critical brittleness temperature of the initial state of a VVER-100 RPV steel increases with the
grain size. Moreover, the concentration of P on the grain boundaries increases with increasing duration of the embrit-
tlement heat treatment and, in turn, will accelerate temper embrittlement. Although these studies have elucidated the
influence of the initial microstructure on the mechanical properties of Ni–Cr–Mo steels, the relationship among the
microstructure, impact toughness, and temper embrittlement of SA508Gr.4N steels remains unclear.

Figure 3. Optical, SEM, and TEM micrographs of the SA508Gr.4N steel quenched at rates of: (a,c,e) 60 °C/min
(martensite); (b,d,f) 4.4 °C/min (bainite).
State QCR (°C/min) Microstructure Sample No. UTS (MPa) YS (MPa) A (%) Z (%)
QT-A-1 760 635 24 80
60 Martensite
QT-A-2 766 639 25 80
QT
QT-B-1 738 594 24 75
4.4 Bainitie
QT-B-2 740 602 24 81
QT-S.C-A-1 751 625 22 79
60 Martensite
QT-S.C-A-2 759 631 26 81
QT-S.C
QT-S.C-B-1 725 590 25 80
4.4 Bainitie
QT-S.C-B-2 729 594 25 76
Table 3. Tensile properties of the SA508Gr.4N steel under different states.

Figure 4. Charpy energy curves of the SA508Gr.4N steel under different states: (a) QT; (b) QT-S.C.
QCR (°C/
State min) Microstructure USE (J) DBTT (°C) △DBTT (°C)
60 Martensite 280 −86 —
QT
4.4 Bainitie 258 −25 —
60 Martensite 301 −76 10
QT-S.C
4.4 Bainitie 273 −21 4
Table 4. Impact properties associated with the QT and QT-S.C states of the of SA508Gr.4N steel.
In this work, the microstructure associated with different states of a SA508Gr.4N steel is examined via scan-
ning electron microscopy (SEM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), transmission electron microscopy
(TEM), and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). The mechanical properties are evaluated through tensile tests
at room temperature and Charpy impact tests performed at temperatures ranging from −192 °C to 100 °C. The
effect of impact toughness and temper embrittlement are discussed from the viewpoint of carbide size, block size,
fraction of high-angle grain boundaries (HAGBs) and grain boundary characteristics.
Materials and Methods

Material and heat treatments. The chemical composition of the test steel (SA508 Gr.4N) with elemen-
tal composition as per ASME boiler and pressure vessel-section – materials–SA-508/SA-508M specification17.
The chemical composition of the steels is given in Table 1. The carbon content was determined from the GB/
T223.69-2008 steel and alloy carbon content. After combustion in the tube furnace, the gas volumetric method
was adopted. The concentrations of Al, Ni, Cr, Mo, Mn, V, Ti, Nb were used to determine the multi-element
content of GB/T223.79-2007 iron and steel via X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. In the testing standard, the min-
imum detectable content of P, S, Ti is 0.001%, and the lowest detectable content of Si, Mn, Cu, Al, Nb, Cr, Mo, V
is 0.002%.
The steel was melt in vacuum induction furnace, with vacuum pouring in a 100 kg mold, and forged into
square and round bars, of 14 × 14 mm and 16 mm diameter respectively, between 1150 °C and 900 °C.
The steel was subjected to a heat-treatment process (see Table 2) consisting of heating at 920, 900, and
640 °C for 2, 2, and 8 h, respectively. Subsequently, the steel was austenitized at 860 °C for 5 h. To obtain different
quenched structures, the quenching cooling rate (QCR) was determined from the continuous cooling transfor-
mation (CCT) curve. The critical phase transformation point and CCT curve of the steels were measured with
a thermal dilatometer (Fuji Electronic Industrial, Formastor–F) according to the Chinese standard YB/T 5127–
1993 and YB/T 5128–93. The specimens cut from the steel bars were machined into long Φ 3 × 10 mm cylinders.
These cylinders were then heated to 860 °C at a rate of 10 °C/s, austenitized for 5 min at this temperature, and
then cooled to room temperature at linear cooling rates of 12.8, 6.4, 3.2, 1.28, 0.64, 0.28, 0.14, 0.07, 0.03 °C/s. The
CCT curve was drawn based on the experimental data and is shown in Fig. 1. The CCT curves show that a critical
cooling rate (Vc) of ∼35 °C/min is required for martensite formation. Therefore, QCRs of 60 °C/min (martensite)
and 4.4 °C/min (bainite) were applied (surface and 1/4 T, Wall thickness: T = 700 mm). Afterward, the steel was
tempered at 620 °C for 8 h. All the specimens were then removed from the furnace and exposed to air until they
were cooled to room temperature. Part of the sample was removed to determine the mechanical properties of the
material from tensile and impact tests. Another part of the sample was subjected to a step-cooling heat treatment
(see Fig. 2) that promotes temper-embrittlement. Then, the performance and microstructure analyses were car-
ried out.
Tensile and Charpy impact tests. The mechanical properties were evaluated through uniaxial tensile testing
(NCS GNT300) of ASTM-E8 standard specimens (diameter: 5 mm, gauge: 25 mm) at room temperature. Impact

Figure 5. Optical and SEM micrographs of the SA508Gr.4N steel after tempered:(a,c) Martensite; (b,d) Bainite.
transition curves were obtained from Charpy impact testing of full-size (10 mm × 10 mm × 55 mm) specimens with
a 2 mm-long 45° V-notch. The V-type impact test was carried out with a square having dimensions of 14 × 14 mm
processing. The notched direction was perpendicular to the square bar. Testing was performed at temperatures
ranging from −192 °C to 100 °C, on an NI-500 impact testing machine with a maximum capacity of 500 J.
Microstructural analysis. The specimens for optical microscopy (OM, Zeiss 40MAT) and SEM (Hitachi
S4300) were polished and etched with a 4% nitric acid +96% ethanol solution. Further details of the microstruc-
ture were revealed via EBSD (FEI Quanta 650 with Nordlys Nano) and TEM (Hitachi H800). Specimens for
EBSD and TEM were prepared through conventional dual-jet electro-polishing in the solution of 8% perchloric
acid +92% ethanol at a temperature of −25 °C. In addition, grain boundary segregation of elements after the
step-cooling heat treatment was investigated via AES (Ulvac-PHI-700).
Results
Microstructure of the SA508Gr.4N steel in the quenched state. Figure 3 shows the micrographs
of SA508Gr.4N steels in the as-quenched state. A quenching rate of 60 °C/min yields an almost lath martensite
microstructure (Fig. 3a) with lath widths ranging from 60 nm to 340 nm (Fig. 3e).
Packets with different extension directions occur within the prior austenite grains, and the blocks within
the same packets were approximately parallel (Fig. 3c). A quenching rate of 4.4 °C/min yields a granular bainite
structure composed of a bainitie ferrite matrix and islands of martensite and austenite (M-A island; see Fig. 3d,f).
This microstructure consists of two types of M-A islands (see Fig. 3d), namely: elongated islands distributed in
the bainitic ferrite matrix, and blocky islands located primarily at the interface between the matrix and the prior
austenite grain boundaries. The martensite within the M-A islands consists of extremely fine twins18. Moreover,
the island is harder than the ferrite matrix, and facilitating debonding, cracking, and crack initiation, can lead to
a decrease in the toughness of the steel19.
Effect of microstructure on mechanical properties. Table 3 shows the tensile properties of the
SA508Gr.4 N steel in the quenched and tempered (QT) state and the after step-cooling heat treatment (QT-S.C)
state. Two tests were carried out for each process. For both states, the measured ultimate tensile strength (UTS:
∼760 MPa) and yield strength (YS: ∼630 MPa) of the fast cooling (60 °C/min) sample were slightly higher than
those (UTS: ∼740 MPa, YS: ∼600 MPa) of the slow cooling (4.4 °C/min) sample.
After the step-cooling heat treatment, the strength of each sample decreases, but the strength of the fast cool-
ing samples is still significantly higher (∼25 MPa) than that of the slow cooling samples. ASME specification for
mechanical properties of SA508Gr.4N steel stipulates UTS and YS values of 725 MPa and 585 MPa, respectively.
The test (i.e., SA508Gr.4N) steel meets the requirements of the ASME specification. Furthermore, the difference

Figure 6. TEM micrographs of the SA508Gr.4N steel after tempering: (a,c) Martensite; (b,d) Bainite.
in the microstructures has no effect on the ductility, as evidenced by a total elongation (A) and a reduction in
area (Z) of 24% and 78%, respectively, for both states. These values are higher than those stipulated in the ASME
requirements (A ≥ 18%, Z ≥ 45%).
The temperature dependence of the Charpy impact energy of the SA508Gr.4N steel is shown in Fig. 4. The
Charpy energy curves can be divided into three regions corresponding to the: upper shelf energy (USE), change
in temperature, and lower shelf energy. The curves are basically S-shaped. When the test temperature is reduced,
the impact force decreases and the impact energy decreases rapidly at the transition temperature. When the tem-
perature is reduced to a certain extent, the rate of change of the impact force decreases gradually and becomes
stable at a relatively low value. ASME specifies an impact performance of >48 J at a test temperature of −30 °C17.
With the increase of QCR, the Charpy energy curves shifted to the lower-temperature zone on the left, indicating
an increased toughness (Fig. 4). The impact energy at −30 °C of the QT and the QT-S.C states at a quenching cool
rate of 4.4 °C/min were higher than 78 J and 70 J, respectively, above the values indicated by ASME.
The USE and ductile-to-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) of different states were determined by fitting
the Boltzmann function fitting (Table 4). As the table shows, irrespective of the heat-treatment state, the USE
increases gradually and the DBTT decreases when the QCR is increased. This indicates that the impact toughness
of SA508Gr.4N steel can be improved by increasing the QCR. After the step-cooling heat treatment, the USE and
DBTT both increase, and ΔDBTT increases with increasing QCR. This indicates that martensitic microstructures
are more susceptible to temper embrittlement than bainitic microstructures12,13.
Microstructure of the SA508Gr.4N steel during tempering. The microstructure of the SA508Gr.4N
steel tempered at 620 °C for 8 h is shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. As Fig. 5 shows, the tempered microstructure con-
sists mainly of carbides. The carbides in tempered martensite are fine and evenly dispersed, whereas those in the
tempered bainite are needle-like and clustered.
After tempering, martensite lath widths of 80 nm–450 nm, and lath widths increases slightly, as shown in
Fig. 6(a). A large fraction of the M/A decomposes into ferrite and carbide, but a small fraction of incompletely
decomposed M/A islands persists (see Fig. 6b). The carbides in martensite are relatively small and dispersed in a
short rod (Fig. 6c), whereas the carbides in bainite are relatively coarse (Fig. 6d). The diffraction spot used to deter-
mined the carbide content in both martensite and bainite allowed the identification of M23C6 carbides. Changing
the cooling rate during quenching has no effect on the type of carbide formed, but only on its morphology. Previous
studies have reported a linear dependence of the carbide size on the critical distance between a crack tip and a
cleavage initiation site. Therefore, the coarse carbides are detrimental to the impact toughness of the material20,21.

Figure 7. Optical and SEM micrographs of the SA508Gr.4N steel after step-cooling heat treatment: (a,c,e)
Martensite; (b,d,f) Bainite.
Microstructure of the SA508Gr.4N steel during the step-cooling heat treatment. The micro-
structure of the SA508Gr.4N steel after the step-cooling heat treatment is shown in Figs 7 and 8. As Fig. 7 shows,
the carbides in the martensite are diffuse and small (Fig. 7c), and those in the bainite are discontinuous and
disperse (Fig. 7d). The carbides in martensite are fine and uniformly distributed (Fig. 7e); on the other hand, the
carbides distribution in bainite is not uniform and larger carbides were present (Fig. 7f). The distribution of car-
bides on the grain boundaries causes their embrittlement, promoting the fracture of the material along the grain
boundaries. The grain boundary carbides in bainite are coarser than those in martensite, and larger carbides will
reduce the critical fracture stress and decrease the toughness of the material.
After prolonged thermal insulation, clear martensite laths persist in the microstructure and a small fraction of
sub-grains (Fig. 8a) is formed. Many sub-grains are formed in the bainite (Fig. 8b). Large carbides are distributed
in the martensite lath boundary (Fig. 8c) and small carbons are dispersed in the bainite ferrite matrix (Fig. 8d).
The carbides are distributed either on the martensite lath or the bainite ferrite matrix, and will maintain a certain
coherent relationship with the matrix. The stress field produced by the precipitates can change the stress distri-
bution at the crack tip and prevent the nucleation and propagation of cracks. However, if the carbide itself is very
small and its strength is not high, a dislocation motion occurs and the dislocation concentrated in the carbide
forms a crack, which will reduce the toughness of the steel. If the dislocation cannot cut through the carbide, the
Orowan bypassing mechanism will not significantly reduce the toughness of the material.

Figure 8. TEM micrographs of the SA508Gr.4N steel after step-cooling heat treatment: (a,c) Martensite; (b,d)
Bainite.
Discussion
Effect of the microstructure on the impact toughness. The experimental results reveal that, for both
the QT and QT-S.C states, the impact properties of the martensitic microstructures are improved more signifi-
cantly than those of the bainitic microstructures.
The impact toughness of a low alloy steel is (in general) strongly dependent on crack initiation. In addition, the
effective grain size and HAGBs distribution in the steel have a significant effect on the crack propagation path22.
Morito et al.23 suggested that the block size plays a key role in the strength and toughness of low carbon steels.
The EBSD orientation maps and grain boundary maps of the SA508Gr.4N steel are shown in Fig. 9 (QT) and
Fig. 10 (QT-S.C). The samples in the QT state consist of ∼2,600 martensitic blocks of 0.2–14.4 μm. Approximately
1400 bainitic blocks (size: 0.2–31.4 μm) were considered. The samples in the QT-S.C state consist of ∼2400 mar-
tensitic blocks of 0.2–12 μm. Approximately 1200 bainitic blocks (size: 0.2–30.4 μm) were considered. The block
width and the fraction of HAGBs, determined via statistical analyses, are shown in Table 5.
After tempering, the average block width increases slightly from 1.306 μm to 1.744 μm when the QCR
decrease from 60 °C/min to 4.4 °C/min. After the step-cooling heat treatment (Fig. 10(a,b)), the block width of
the martensite is still smaller than that of the bainite. Pickering et al.24 have proposed the following relation for
the DBTT:
DBTT = A − K ⋅ ln d −1/2 (1)

where A and K are constants, and d is the effective size. The block width and the DBTT of the SA508Gr.4 N steel
can be refined and significantly reduced, respectively, by increasing the QCR.
Grain boundary maps of the SA508Gr.4N steel are shown in Figs 9(c,d) and 10(c,d). Low angle grain bound-
aries (LAGBs) characterized by misorientations of 5°–15°, and HAGBs characterized by misorientations of >15°
are shown as red lines and black lines, respectively.
According to previous studies25,26, the HAGBs determine the effective grain size, as they play a vital role in
blocking crack propagation. The grain boundary energy of the HAGBs is much higher than that of the LAGBs,
because in the former a higher number of atoms deviates from its equilibrium position. When the cracks prop-
agate towards the HAGBs, their direction changes multiple times due to the irregular arrangement of the atoms,
and the crack propagation energy is consumed. Therefore, HAGBs can effectively hinder the propagation of
cracks, reduce the crack growth rate, improve the fracture toughness of the steel, and improve the impact energy.

Figure 9. Orientation image maps and grain boundary maps of SA508Gr.4N steel after tempering: (a,c)
Martensite; (b,d) Bainite.
This will result in the Charpy energy curves moving towards the low temperature zone (Fig. 4), reducing the
DBTT. HAGBs can disrupt crack propagation, i.e., the propagation direction changes at these boundaries and the
crack propagation path increases. As such, the toughness of the steel increases with increasing fraction of HAGBs.
Furthermore, according to Hwang et al.27. HAGBs serve as effective obstacles to cleavage-crack propagation,
thereby resulting in a decrease in the DBTT.
For both the QC and QC-S.C states, the fraction of HAGBs in the martensitic microstructures is ∼10%
higher than that in the bainitic microstructures. The block width and the fraction of HAGBs can be refined and
increased, respectively, by increasing the QCR. Therefore, the fraction of HAGBs increases with decreasing block
width and the total impact toughness of the SA508Gr.4N steel is thereby maximized.
Effect of the microstructure on the temper embrittlement. Temper embrittlement is usually attrib-
uted to grain boundary segregation of impurity elements28,29. The elemental concentration at the grain boundaries
in samples cooled at 60 °C/min (martensitic) and 4.4 °C/min (bainitic) after the step-cooling heat treatment was
determined via AES of the fracture surface of two specimens. Figure 11 reveals the segregation of O, C, and S.

Figure 10. Orientation image maps and grain boundary maps of SA508Gr.4N steel after step-cooling heat
treatment: (a,c) Martensite; (b,d) Bainite.
State QCR (°C/min) Microstructure Block width (μm) High-angle grain boundaries (>15°) (%)
60 Martensite 1.685 41.56
QT
4.4 Bainitie 2.887 27.04
60 Martensite 1.789 37.21
QT-S.C
4.4 Bainitie 3.034 24.31
Table 5. The block width and high angle grain boundary of SA508Gr.4N Steel under different state.
Despite the high Mn and Si content, these elements remained in inside the grain rather than becoming seg-
regated at the boundaries. The Auger analysis technology has an atomic detection limit of a single atomic layer
(atom percentage of 1/1000). Therefore, if the concentration of elements involved in surface segregation is higher
than the detection limit there will be a signal. On the contrary, if the concentration is below the detection limit,
no information is obtained from the analysis. The average boundary levels of S in martensite and bainite are ∼1.6

Figure 11. Auger electron energy spectra showing grain boundary segregation of elements after QT-S.C: (a,c)
Martensite; (b,d) Bainite.
at% and 1.1 at% respectively. Barrett et al.30 reported that S leads to a significant increase in the temper embrittle-
ment of low alloy steel. Furthermore, Harrelson et al.31 reported that S promotes the formation of non-metallic
inclusions and intergranular fracture in Cr-Mo steel, and is more effective than P in inducing embrittlement. S
segregation occurs preferentially in correspondence of the high-energy boundaries, such as the prior austen-
ite grain boundaries. Therefore, differences between the segregation of S in tempered martensite and tempered
bainite result mainly from the different portions of high-energy random boundaries at the packet boundaries. The
level of S segregation in martensite is significantly higher than that in bainite and, hence, martensite will be more
susceptible to temper embrittlement.
Conclusions
The effect of microstructure on the impact toughness and temper embrittlement of SA508Gr.4N steel was inves-
tigated. The results are summarized as follows:
(1) The strength of the martensitic structure is ∼25 MPa higher than that of bainitic structure. Similarly, the
impact toughness of the martensitic structure is better than that of the bainitic structure, and the DBTT
values differ by 60 °C.
(2) Compared with the bainitic structure, the martensitic structure consists of finer blocks (i.e., block width is
smaller) and more HAGBs. This leads to an improved crack-propagation path at break, and the propaga-
tion direction of the cleavage crack is deflected more frequently (than in the bainitic structure), resulting in
a high impact toughness of the martensitic structure.
(3) The segregation of S is significantly higher in the martensitic structure than in the bainitic structure and,
hence, the martensitic structure will be more susceptible to temper embrittlement.
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Acknowledgements
This work was financially supported by the National Energy Application Technology Research and Engineering
Demonstrative Project of China [NY201501], the National High Technology Research and Development Program
of China [863 program, No. 2012AA03A501] and the National Key Research and Development Program of China
[2016YFB0300203].
Author Contributions
All authors were involved in the study design and contributed to the writing of the manuscript. Z. Yang, Z. Liu, and
X. He designed the research; Z. Yang, S. Qiao, and C. Xie performed the experiments and data analysis; Z. Yang
oversaw the writing of the manuscript.
Additional Information
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OPEN Effect of microstructure on the

Scientific Reports | (2018) 8:207 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-18434-3 1

Table 1. Chemical composition of the SA508 Gr.4N steel (wt%).

Heat treatment Pre-heat-treatment Austenitizing Tempering

Table 2. Heat Treatment process of SA508Gr.4N Steel.

Figure 2. Step-cooling heat treatment.

Scientific Reports | (2018) 8:207 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-18434-3 2

Table 3. Tensile properties of the SA508Gr.4N steel under different states.

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Materials and Methods

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Scientific Reports | (2018) 8:207 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-18434-3 7

DBTT = A − K ⋅ ln d −1/2 (1)

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Scientific Reports | (2018) 8:207 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-18434-3 10

Scientific Reports | (2018) 8:207 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-18434-3 11

© The Author(s) 2017

Scientific Reports | (2018) 8:207 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-18434-3 12

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