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Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Development of a novel deleterious phases analysis and detection method for stainless steel
Materials Characterization, Vol.228, pp.1-22
2025
Abstract
The integrity and performance of stainless steel can be significantly impacted by thermal aging, leading to the formation of deleterious phases such as sigma and chi phase. These deleterious phases, which are often enriched in chromium and molybdenum, affect the steel's mechanical properties by reducing ductility and toughness. Traditional methods for detecting and analysing these phases are either not consistent, costly, or lack the precision necessary for a comprehensive analysis.
This study introduces a novel Python based method for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of deleterious phases. This method is applied to thermally aged 316 L stainless steel, utilizing advanced image processing techniques, including Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization (CLAHE) and automated particle detection algorithms, this method analyses Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images to identify bright particles as an indication of phase changes. The methodology is capable of processing both individual images and batches of micrographs, providing detailed statistics on the number of particles, area percentages, average aspect ratio, circularity, particle density, spatial distribution metrics and additional particle statistics.
Results showed that the area percentage of deleterious phases increased with decreasing aging temperature and increasing time, ranging from 2 % to 13.43 %. The proposed method's reliability was validated against X-ray diffraction and ImageJ software demonstrating its accuracy and sensitivity. By offering precise, scalable, and user-friendly quantitative analyses, this methodology represents a valuable tool for industrial quality control, material optimization, and life prediction of stainless-steel components, particularly in critical energy applications.
Details
- Title
- Development of a novel deleterious phases analysis and detection method for stainless steel
- Authors
- Ibrahim M. Ibrahim (Corresponding Author) - Queensland University of TechnologyGeoffrey Will - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringXiaodong Wang - Queensland University of TechnologyRichard Clegg - Queensland University of TechnologyStuart Bell - Queensland University of Technology
- Publication details
- Materials Characterization, Vol.228, pp.1-22
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc
- Date published
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.matchar.2025.115363
- ISSN
- 1873-4189; 1044-5803
- Copyright note
- © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Data Availability
- The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991144502102621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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