First-Principles Study of B Segregation at Austenite Grain Boundary and Its Effect on the Hardenability of Low-Alloy Steels

Addition of B is beneficial for the hardenability of low-alloy steels and the effect is further improved when combined with the addition of Mo. While experiments demonstrated that Mo reduces the M-23(C,B)(6) precipitation and indicated an interaction between the alloying elements at the grain boundary, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In the present study, the segregation behavior of B and its interaction with C and Mo at an austenite grain boundary were investigated using first-principles calculations. It was demonstrated that B has a strong tendency to segregate to the grain boundary and leads to a remarkable reduction in grain boundary energy, which is considered to be responsible for the improvement in hardenability. A strong attractive interaction between B and Mo was revealed, consistent with the experimentally observed co-segregation. The partitioning energies of Mo and B from grain boundary into borocarbide were calculated, and it was found that Mo can suppress the precipitation by increasing the partitioning energy of B and destabilizing the M-23(C,B)(6) phase.