On the Role of Ni in Cu Precipitation in Multicomponent Steels

The nature of Cu precipitation in quench-tempered multicomponent high-strength low-alloy steels is characterized by atom probe tomography. The detected nanometer sized Ni-rich clusters act as preferential nucleation sites for Cu-rich clusters, and Ni segregation at the Cu-rich precipitate/matrix heterophase interface contribute to fast growth of Cu precipitates. Molecular dynamics simulation indicates that local Ni clustering at atomic scale significantly quickens the solute diffusion. The initial Ni composition has a profound effect on the nature of Cu precipitation.