Aging phenomena in high-Si steels studied by internal friction

Si-steels with various Si-contents (1.9–5.6 wt.%) have been analyzed by internal friction and compared with an ultra-low carbon steel. Measurements have been carried out immediately after different thermomechanical treatments to study a believed aging phenomenon. Adding Si lowers the Snoek peak of carbon and produces a new peak associated to the formation of Si–C pairs. For Si contents higher than 4.6 wt.%, another peak appears at very low frequencies, which can be attributed to a Zener relaxation of Si-atom pairs. A room-temperature aging effect has been detected in the Si-steels, but not in the ultra-low carbon steel. This aging is caused by the migration of C atoms to the structural defects and by formation of short-range order in the Fe–Si solution.