Effects of High Strain Rate on Properties and Microstructure Evolution of TWIP Steel Subjected to Impact Loading

 The mechanical properties of the TWIP steel subjected to impact loading at various strain rates were analyzed by the Split Pressure Hopkinson Bar. Meanwhile the microstructure of the TWIP steel fore-and-after the dynamic deformation were characterized and analyzed by optical microscopy (OM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The result shows that when the TWIP steel was deformed under dynamic station, the stress, microshardness and work hardening rate increase with the increment of strain and strain rate; there exist stress fluctuation and decline of work hardening rate for adiabatic temperature rising softening. There exist many pin-like deformation twins in the microstructure of the TWIP steel subjected to impact loading, the grain size after deformation is bigger than that before; the interaction of twins with dislocation and twins with twins, especial emergence of high order deformation twins are the main strengthening mechanisms of the TWIP steel. The nucleation mechanism of deformation twins will be “rebound mechanism”; the incomplete deformation twins can be observed when the strain rate is low; when strain rate raises, deformation twins unite together; furthermore, deformation twins become denser because the nucleation rating enhancing with strain rate increasing.     

Investigation on the Mechanical Properties at Room Temperature of Q and P Steel Sheet With Ultrahigh Strength

Quenching and Partitioning (Q&P) steel is a new type ultrahigh strength steel with transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) effect. Uniaxial tensile experiments of the Q&P steel at room temperature were carried out to investigate the effects of sampling angle and strain rate on its mechanical properties. Experimental results show that the flow stress-strain curve, the hardening component n, the anisotropy coefficient through thickness r and the elongation of the Q&P steel are not sensitive to the sampling angle. However, the hardening component n and the elongation of the Q&P steel decrease with increasing the strain rate. Due to the Q&P steel with TRIP effect, when the strain rate greater, the deformation work will transform to the internal energy of specimen, and the TRIP effect of the Q&P steel will be inhibited, which results in less transformed retained austenite. X ray diffraction experiments were performed to verify it.     

Effects of Twin-Dislocation and Twin-Twin Interactions on the Strain Hardening Behavior of TWIP Steels

 In the present paper, tensile tests of Fe-30Mn-5Si -2Al steel were carried out for different strains of 0.05, 0.14, 0.26, and up to the strain-to-failure in order to observe the evolution of microstructure during deformation and investigate the strain hardening behavior. Three-stage strain hardening behavior was observed in this steel during tensile test. In stage I, planar dislocation structure was observed by TEM to be the main deformation mechanism, and low strain hardening rate exponent was exhibited. Primary deformation twinning occurred in stage II, and the strain hardening rate exponent increased due to the blockage of dislocations’ motion by twin boundaries. In stage III, the strain hardening rate exponent had increased to be higher than 0.5. The obstacle effect of twin boundaries and twin-twin interaction had been observed by TEM, and the interactions between primary and secondary twins were found to cause the additional hardening in addition to the obstacle effect on dislocations’ motion, which led to the twinning induced plasticity effect in the later stage of deformation.     

Influence of Deformation on Transformation of Low Carbon and High Nb-containing Steel during Continuous Cooling

 The effect of deformation in the nonrecrystallized region on the phase transformation for a low carbon and high Nb-containing steel with coarse austenite grain size was investigated by means of dilatometry measurement and microstructure observation. The results show that with the cooling rate increased, both the transformation start and finish temperatures measured by dilatometer are decreased, and the corresponding microstructure is changed from ferrite and pearlite to full granular bainite gradually. The dynamic CCT diagram is plotted according to the dilatometry measurements and microstructure observations. Dilatometry measurements also show that the transformation start and finish temperatures of the tested steel are raised with increasing strain, strain rate and deformation temperature, and the reasons for this are discussed.     

Bainite Transformation Under Continuous Cooling of Nb-Microalloyed Low Carbon Steel

Utilizing Gleeble-1500 thermomechanical simulator, the influences of hot deformation parameters on continuous cooling bainite transformation in Nb-microalloyed low carbon steel were investigated. The results indicate that bainite starting temperature decreases with raising cooling rate and increases with increasing deformation temperature. Deformation has an accelerative effect on the bainite transformation when the specimens are deformed at 950 ℃. When the deformation temperature increases, the effect of deformation on bainite starting temperature is weakened. The amount of bainite is influenced by strain, cooling rate, and deformation temperature. When the specimens are deformed below 900 ℃, equiaxed ferrites are promoted and the bainite transformation is suppressed.     

Hot workability of high manganese transformation induced plasticity steel

The hot deformation behavior and microstructure evolution of high manganese transformation induced plasticity steel(Fe - 20Mn - 3Si - 3Al) were investigated by using hot compression test in a temperature range from 800℃to 1 050℃and strain rate ranging from 0.01 s~(-1) to 5.0 s~(-1).The effects of temperature,strain rate,and true strain on the flow behavior and microstructures of high manganese transformation induced plasticity steel were discussed.The results show that the dynamic recrystallization occur...     

Evaluation of Strain Hardening Parameters

The plane-strain compression test for three kinds of materials was carried out in atemperature range between room temperature and 400 ~C. The a- e curves and strain-hardeningrate at different temperatures were simulated and a reasonable fit to the experimental data wasobtained. A modified model created by data inference and computer simulation was developed todescribe the strain hardening at a large deformation, and the predicted strain hardening are in agood agreement with that observed in a large range of stress. The influences of different param-eters on strain hardening behaviour under large deformation were analysed. The temperatureincrease within the test temperatures for stainless steel 18/8 Ti results in dropping of flowstress and strain-hardening rate. For favourable r-fibre texture to obtain high r, the cold roll-ing was applied at large reduction. In the experimental procedure, the X-ray diffraction test wascarried out to compare the strain hardening and microstructure under large deformation for abcc steel (low carbon steel SS-1142). The results indicate that the high strain-hardening ratepossibly occurs when the primary slip plane {110} is parallel to the rolling plane and the strain-hardening rate decreases when lots of {110} plane rotate out from the orientation {110}//RP.     

Influence of Initial Microstructure on Warm Deformation Processability and Microstructure of an Ultrahigh Carbon Steel

Various isothermal compression tests are carried out on an ultrahigh carbon steel(1.2% C in mass percent), initially quenched or spheroidized,using a Gleeble-3500system.The true stress is observed to decrease with increasing temperature and decreasing strain rate.The true stress of the initially quenched steel is lower than that of the initially spheroidized steel at high deformation temperature(700℃)and low deformation strain rate(0.001s-1).The value of the deformation activation energy(Q)of the initially quenched steel(331.56kJ/mol)is higher than that of the initially spheroidized steel(297.94kJ/mol).The initially quenched steel has lower efficiency of power dissipation and better processability than the initially spheroidized steel.The warm compression promotes the fragmentation and the spheroidization of lamellar cementites in the initially quenched steel.The fragmentation of lamellar cementites is the spheroidizing mechanism of the cementites in the initially quenched steel.Results of transmission electron microscope investigation showed that fine grains with high angle boundaries are obtained by deformation of the initially quenched steel.     

Static Tensile Deformation Behaviors of an Fe-30Mn-3Al-3Si TWIP Steel Studied by In-Situ Neutron Diffraction

TWIP (TWinning Induced Plasticity) steel is one of the advanced steels with attractive mechanical properties.The typical composition of TWIP steel includes a large amount of manganese with some aluminum and silicon.Previous study has shown that TWIP steel exhibits high strength with adequate elongation at high strain rates,so that TWIP steel is desired to be applied for automotive use.However,there are few studies concerning the deformation behaviors aimed to make clear the TWIP effect in TWIP steel.In this study,static tensile deformation behaviors of an Fe-30Mn-3Al-3Si TWIP steel and a SUS310S one were studied by in situ neutron diffraction during tensile deformation.In terms of mechanical properties obtained by the static tensile tests,the TWIP steel showed better balance of tensile strength and uniform elongation than the 310S steel.The angular dispersion neutron diffraction with a wavelength of 0.16 nm was performed during stepwise tensile testing by using a neutron diffractometer for residual stress analysis (RESA) at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency.A specimen was extended in a step by step manner and neutron diffraction profiles of (111),(200) and (311) for austenite were obtained at each step.The diffraction peak,lattice plane spacing,lattice plane strain and so on were determined by the profile analysis as a function of applied stress.The changes of lattice plane strain for austenite in the TWIP and 310S steels indicated several deformation stages in the tensile deformation and can be discussed the difference of intergranular stress between the two samples.     

Low Cycle Fatigue Behavior and Deformation Mecha-nism of TWIP Steel

Low cycle fatigue behavior of TWIP （twinning induced plasticity） steel was investigated in axial symmetric tension-compression cyclic loading pattern. Fracture surfaces and microstructures were examined by optical, scanning electron and transmission electron microscopes. It was found that the fatigue life at the strain amplitude of 0.4 % is up to 15 000 cycles, which is much longer than TRIP780 and HSLAS00 steels. The strain hardening and softening features are significant until the strain amplitude comes to 1.25 ~. Persistent slip bands and tiny mechanical twinning layers were observed after fatigue deformation. Deformation mechanism of TWIP steel at low cycle fatigue process is not only twinning, but a complex of both twinning and persistent slip bands.     

Application of a Dislocation Density-Based Constitutive Model to Al-Alloyed TWIP Steel

High Mn steels exhibit an exceptional combination of high strength and large ductility owing to their high strain-hardening rate during deformation. The addition of Al is needed to improve the mechanical performance of TWIP steel by means of the control of the stacking fault energy. In this study, a constitutive modeling approach, which can describe the strain-hardening behavior and the effect of Al on the mechanical properties, was used. In order to understand the deformation behavior of Fe18Mn0.6C and Fe18Mn0.6C1.5Al TWIP steels, a comparative study of the microstructural evolution was conducted by means of transmission electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction. The microstructure analysis focused on dislocations, stacking faults, and mechanical twins as these are the defects controlling the strain-hardening behavior of TWIP steels. A comparison of the strain-hardening behavior of Fe18Mn0.6C and Fe18Mn0.6C1.5Al TWIP steels was made in terms of a dislocation density-based constitutive model that goes back to the Kubin–Estrin model. The densities of mobile and forest dislocations are coupled in order to account for the interaction between the two dislocation populations during straining. The model was used to estimate the contribution of dynamic strain aging to the flow stress. As deformation twinning occurred only in a subset of the grains, the grain population was subdivided into twinned grains and twin-free grains. Different constitutive equations were used for the two families of grains. The analysis revealed that (i) the grain size and dynamic recovery effects determine the strain-hardening behavior of the twin-free grains, (ii) the deformation twins, which act as effective barriers to dislocation motion, are the predominant elements of the microstructure that governs the strain hardening of the twinned grains, and (iii) the DSA contribution to strain hardening of TWIP steel is only minor.     

On the Tensile Behavior of High-Manganese Twinning-Induced Plasticity Steel

High-manganese FeMnC and FeMnAlC austenitic twinning-induced plasticity (TWIP) steel exhibits excellent strain-hardening properties due to the gradual reduction of the mean free path for dislocations glide resulting from deformation twinning. Serrated stress-strain curves are often obtained when this type of steel is tested in a uniaxial tensile test. This phenomenon is due to dynamic strain aging (DSA). It is related to the occurrence of localized Portevin–LeChatelier (PLC) deformation bands. The properties of the PLC bands were accurately determined for a FeMnAlC TWIP steel using a combination of high-sensitivity infrared (IR) thermographic imaging and optical strain analysis carried out in situ during tensile deformation. Strain rate jump tests were conducted at room temperature to measure the instantaneous and steady-state strain rate sensitivity as a function of true stress and true strain. Negative values of the steady-state strain rate sensitivity were measured in both upward and downward jump tests. These measurements explain why FeMnC and FeMnAlC TWIP steels have a limited postuniform elongation. A model for the room-temperature DSA of high-Mn austenitic TWIP steel containing C in solid solution is proposed.     

Fe16Mn0.6C TWIP钢流变应力和临界动态再结晶行为

 利用Thermecmastor-Z热模拟实验机，得到了Fe16Mn0.6C TWIP钢在变形温度850~1150℃，应变速率0.03~30s-1条件下热压缩变形的真应力应变曲线。进而研究了变形温度、应变速率对Fe16Mn0.6C流变应力和临界动态再结晶行为的影响规律。结果表明，850~1150℃范围内Fe16Mn0.6C热变形的峰值应力随温度的升高而降低，随着应变速率的增大而升高；且在应变速率为0.03 s-1和30 s-1出现明显的应力峰值，材料发生了动态再结晶。最后采用线性回归方法计算出Fe16Mn0.6C的高温变形流变应力本构方程，得出热变形激活能为469kJ/mol；并通过应变硬化速率与流变应力曲线求出了该钢种动态再结晶临界条件与Z参数之间的关系。     

Strain Rate Dependent Flow Stress and Energy Absorption Behaviour of Cast CrMnNi TRIP/TWIP Steels

Modern steel developments often use additional deformation mechanisms like the deformation induced martensitic transformation (TRIP‐effect) and mechanical twinning (TWIP‐effect) to enhance elongation and strength. Three high‐alloyed cast CrMnNi‐steels with different austenite stabilities were examined. Dependent on the austenite stability, TRIP‐effect and TWIP‐effect were found. A low austenite stability causes a distinctive formation of deformation induced α'‐martensite and therefore a strong strain hardening. The increase of strain rate leads to an increase in yield strength and flow stress, but also to a counteractive adiabatic heating of the specimen. Dependent on the degree of deformation, low austenite stabilities and high strain rates lead to excellent values in specific energy absorption.     

Effect of strain rate on stress-strain behavior of alloy 309 and 304L austenitic stainless steel

The effect of strain rate on stress-strain behavior of austenitic stainless steel 309 and 304L was investigated. Tensile tests were conducted at room temperature at strain rates ranging from 1.25×10⁻⁴s⁻¹ to 400 s⁻¹. The evolution of volume fraction martensite that formed during plastic deformation was measured with X-ray diffraction and characterized with light microscopy. Alloy 304L was found to transform readily with strain, with martensite nucleating on slip bands and at slip band intersections. Alloy 309 did not exhibit strain-induced transformation. Variations in ductility and strength with strain rate are explained in terms of the competition between hardening, from the martensitic transformation and a positive strain rate sensitivity, and softening due to deformational heating. Existing models used to predict the increase in volume fraction martensite with strain were examined and modified to fit the experimental data of this study as well as recent data for alloys 304 and 301LN obtained from the literature.     

Constitutive Modeling of the Tensile Behavior of Al-TWIP Steel

High Mn steels demonstrate an exceptional combination of high strength and large ductility as a result of their high strain-hardening rate during deformation. The microstructure evolution and strain-hardening behavior of Fe18Mn0.6C1.5Al TWIP steel in uniaxial tension were examined. The purpose of this study was to determine the contribution of all the relevant deformation mechanisms—slip, twinning, and dynamic strain aging. Constitutive modeling was carried out based on the Kubin–Estrin model, in which the densities of mobile and forest dislocations are coupled to account for the interaction between the two dislocation populations during straining. These coupled dislocation densities were used to simulate the contribution of dynamic strain aging to the flow stress. The model was modified to include the effect of twinning. To ascertain the validity of the model, the microstructural evolution was characterized in detail by means of transmission electron microscopy and electron back-scatter diffraction.     

Study on the Strain Hardening Behaviors of TWIP/TRIP Steels

Due to the complex coupling of twinning-induced plasticity (TWIP), transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP), and dislocation glide in TWIP/TRIP steels, it is difficult as well as essential to build a comprehensive strain hardening model to describe the interactions between different deformation mechanisms (i.e., deformation twinning, martensitic transformation, and dislocation glide) and the resulted strain hardening behaviors. To address this issue, a micromechanical model is established in this paper to predict the deformation process of TWIP/TRIP steels considering both TWIP and TRIP effects. In the proposed model, the generation of deformation twinning and martensitic transformation is controlled by the stacking fault energy (SFE) of the material. In the thermodynamic calculation of SFE, deformation temperature, chemical compositions, microstrain, and temperature rise during deformation are taken into account. Varied by experimental results, the developed model can predict the stress–strain response and strain hardening behaviors of TWIP/TRIP steels precisely. In addition, the improved strength and enhanced strain hardening in Fe-Mn-C TWIP/TRIP steels due to the increased carbon content is also analyzed, which consists with literature.     

汽车用TWIP钢的基础研究现状

 概述了汽车用孪晶诱导塑性钢(TWIP)的基础研究现状及进展，介绍了TWIP钢不同成分配比与力学性能的关系，不同合金元素对TWIP钢组织及性能的影响，TWIP效应产生机理，以及不同温度、应变速率和加工工艺对TWIP钢组织和性能的影响。     

Development and characterization of high strength impact resistant Fe-Mn-(Al-, Si) TRIP/TWIP steels

Iron manganese steels with Mn mass contents of 15 to 30 % exhibit microstructural related superior ductility and extraordinary strengthening behaviour during plastic deformation, which strongly depends on the Mn content. This influences the austenite stability and stacking fault energy γ_fcc and shows a great impact on the microstructure to be developed under certain stress state or during severe plastic deformation. At medium Mn mass contents (15 to 20 %) the martensitic γ-ε-ά phase transformation plays an important role in the deformation mechanisms of the TRIP effect in addition to dislocation glide. With Increasing Mn mass content large elongation is favoured by intensive twinning formation. The mechanical properties of plain iron manganese alloys are strongly influenced by the alloying elements, Al and Si. Alloying with Al Increases the stacking fault energy and therefore strongly suppresses the martensitic γ-ε transformation, while Si sustains the γ-ε transformation by decreasing the stacking fault energy γ_fcc. The γ-ε phase transformation takes place in Fe-Mn-X alloys with γ_fcc ≤ 20 mJm⁻². The developed light weight high manganese TRIP and TWIP (twinning induced plasticity) steels exhibit high ultimate tensile strength (600 to 1100 MPa) and extremely large elongation of 60 to 95 % even at high strain rates of έ = 10³ s⁻¹. Particularly due to the advanced specific energy absorption of TRIP and TWIP steels compared to conventional deep drawing steels high dynamic tensile and compression tests were carried out in order to investigate the change in the microstructure under near crash conditions. Tensile and compression tests of iron manganese alloys with varying Mn content were performed at different temperatures and strain rates. The resulting formation of γ twins, ά- and ε martensite by plastic deformation was analysed by optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The deep drawing and stretch forming behaviour at varying deformation rates were determined by performing cupping tests and digitalised stress-strain-analysis.     

Development in fundamental research on TWIP steel used in automobile industry

Abstract

This paper tracks the progress in research regarding the use of twinning induced plasticity (TWIP) steel in the automobile industry. The chemical composition of TWIP steel ensures that it has stable austenite and proper stacking fault energy at room temperature, allowing the main deformation mechanism (twinning) to work. The effects of alloying elements on the microstructure and deformation mechanism of TWIP steel are explained in detail, and their properties deformed under static and dynamic conditions are examined. The TWIP steel deformed at a low strain rate shows higher total elongation and strength. When the TWIP steel deforms under dynamic strain conditions, the stress, microhardness and the work hardening rate, all increase along with the increase in strain and the strain rate. The twin characteristics of TWIP steels deformed at various strain rates vary also and the twins generated under a high strain rate exhibit thinner widths and smaller interspaces compared with those formed under a low strain rate. It has also been observed that multisystem twins are able to generate and develop together. The mechanisms of toughening and strengthening in TWIP steels are noted. Finally, some potential application fields have been found for the promising material.