Effect of manganese sulfide on the precipitation behavior of tin in steel

Tramp elements such as tin are considered harmful to steel because of hot brittleness they induce at high temperatures. Because tramp elements retained in steel scrap will be enriched in new steel due to the difficultly of their removal, studies on the precipitation behavior of tin are essential. In this study, the effects of different inclusions on the precipitation behavior of tin in steel were studied. The results show that the tin-rich phase precipitates at austenite grain boundaries in an Fe-5%Sn alloy without MnS precipitates, whereas Sn precipitates at the boundaries of MnS inclusions in steel that contains MnS precipitates. MnS is more effective than silicon dioxide or aluminum oxide as a nucleation site for the precipitation of the tin phase, which is consistent with the disregistry between the lattice parameters of the tin phase and those of the inclusions.