A complex carbonitride of niobium and vanadium in 9% Cr ferritic steels

It has been considered that small additions of Nb and V have striking effects on the creep strength of high Cr ferritic steels which are used for elevated temperature services such as boilers, steam generators etc. Although Nb and V are thought to form complex precipitates which may act as obstacles for the dislocation glide, the distribution and morphology of the precipitates have not been clarified yet. Several examples of simple precipitates of V in low alloy steels were only reported. In this paper, the morphology of the complex carbonitride of Nb and V in 9% Cr ferritic steels was investigated and the role of the carbonitride on the creep strength was discussed.