This study aims to investigate in situ the three-dimensional (3D) morphology and distribution of primary carbides (PCs) in electro-slag remelting (ESR) forged 30Cr3Ni3Mo2V steel. A facile non-aqueous electrolytic etching method was applied to prepare 3D PCs on the matrix. The morphology, composition, and element concentrations of PCs were characterized using a combination of optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and electron back-scattered diffusion (EBSD). The precipitation, type, and composition of PCs in the same steel were also simulated using Thermo-Calc software Version 2015a. The results indicate that PC is rich in Nb, which is a potential heterogeneous nucleating agent. Both the size and number of PCs increase from the edge to the center of the ingot. The large-sized PCs present three dominant types of morphology, which vary in different regions, i.e., a bulky type dominates in the edge region, a lamellar type dominates in the middle region, and a stripy type dominates in the core region. The results of EBSD analysis show that the orientation of PCs with different morphologies is different and that more nanosized V-rich type carbides are precipitated on the matrix. The thermodynamic calculations show that MC precipitates from the liquid phase when the solid phase fraction is greater than 0.985 and that the MC-type carbides are rich in Nb, which agrees well with the experimental results.
Keywords: distribution characteristics; electrolytic; non-aqueous solution; primary carbide; three-dimensional morphology.