Fatigue properties of high strength-low alloy steels

High strength-low alloy (HSLA) steels are a relatively new group of alloys similar to hot rolled low carbon steel (HRLC) but having higher strengths as a result of composition and processing variations. Because these steels are of potential use in a variety of structural applications involving cyclic loading a knowledge of their fatigue behavior is important. Fatigue experiments were performed on several 80 ksi yield strength HSLA steels and on conventional HRLC steel for comparison. The HSLA steels were all found to exhibit similar fatigue resistance, and were superior to HRLC steel at longer lives. The effects on fatigue behavior of two types of plastic prestrain were determined.While prestrains caused large increases in monotonic strength properties, such improvements were largely lost in fatigue due to cyclic softening. Tensile prestrains are more detrimental to fatigue resistance than compressive prestrains. Finally, it was found that HSLA steel has a higher fatigue notch sensitivity than HRLC steel, however its notch fatigue resistance is still superior to that of HRLC steel.     

Fatigue of a dual- phase steel

A study has been made of the fatigue of a V containing dual-phase steel, whose tensile strength is equivalent to that of SAE 980X high strength, low-alloy (HSLA) steels, as a function of prestrain. It is found that the cyclic stress-strain curve, strain-life response and notch sensitivity are little affected by pre-strains of up to 8 pct: This is in contrast to monotonie flow strength which increases substantially with prestrain. The fatigue performance of the dual-phase steel, while different in detail from that of other HSLA steels, is intermediate between that for SAE 950X and 980X steels. However, the notch fatigue behavior is equivalent to that of 980X steels. The fatigue response of dual-phase steel can be understood in terms of its high rate of work hardening which is a consequence of its ferrite plus martensite microstructure.     

Steel variability effects on low cycle fatigue behavior of a single grade of high strength low alloy steel

High strength low alloy (HSLA) steels are a relatively new group of alloys having higher strength as a result of composition and processing variations. Because these HSLA steels are being widely used in applications susceptible to a few cycles of stress or strain in the plastic region, the low cycle fatigue (LCF) properties of these steels are very important to design engineers; and as a result, a knowledge of the extent of the effects of several steel variables (viz, thickness, composition, processing variables, and so forth) and cold-work on the LCF properties of a single steel grade is very desirable from design safety considerations. Specimens obtained from a commercial grade of hot-rolled, pickled and oiled Nb-bearing, fine grained HSLA steel covering three thicknesses, two heats and four coil-positions were characterized as regards to their monotonie and cyclic properties. The present study indicates that the LCF behavior of this commerical grade steel is very insensitive to “steel variables” such as composition, thickness and coil-position. The large increase in monotonie strength obtained by cold-work is not retained under cyclic loading and the LCF behavior of cold-worked samples approached that of undeformed material.     

A Study of Spot Welding of Advanced High Strength Steels for Automotive Applications

The application of advanced high strength steels in automotive industry has highlighted the need for research into spot weldability of these steels.Using weld lobe diagrams,the spot weldability of DP600 steel was found to be poor with conventional weld schedules.An enhanced weld schedule consisting of two pulses with reduced current on the second pulse gave a substantial increase in the lobe width;the first pulse removed the zinc coating and the second pulse controlled the nugget growth.A data acquisition system was designed to monitor weld expulsion during the weld operation.Of the three possible control strategies proposed,especially with AC welding equipment,the dynamic resistance signal is easily obtained and the least expensive.Expulsion phenomena,microstructural characterization and mechanical properties of spot-welded hot dipped galvanized DP600 steel and interstitial free steel were investigated.Further work on dissimilar welds in DP 600 and HSLA 350 was also conducted with emphasis on tensile and fatigue properties and fracture characteristics.The performance of dissimilar spot welds was different from that of the similar spot welds in each of the HSLA350 and DP600 steels.The DP600 weld properties played a dominating role in the hardness and tensile properties of the dissimilar spot welds.However,the fatigue performance of the dissimilar welds was similar to that of the HSLA welds.Details will be presented at the conference.     

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.     

High Strength Low Alloy (HSLA) Steels in Building Construction

Majority of the buildings,including industrial buildings,are constructed using either structural steel (plates and structural shapes) or deformed bar steel reinforced concrete.Such buildings,however,must be designed to be safe and serviceable during construction and during use and occupancy.These objectives can be easily achieved by the use of steels having superior mechanical properties,ductility,weldability,fire resistance,etc.Over the years,the steel industry has made improvements in steel making technologies resulting in high strength low alloy (HSLA) steels with superior steel properties well suited for building construction.First part of this paper presents the structural design considerations,and the constructional considerations associated with the building structures in general,and steel structures in particular.This second part of the paper looks at the acceptance criteria for HSLA steels for North American building codes and construction.The third part of the paper presents the structural properties of currently available HSLA steels for building construction.The discussion focuses on hot-rolled structural steel shapes as well as deformed steel bars for concrete reinforcement.The paper argues that Niobium microalloying is the key to achieving superior properties in such steels.     

Strain-aging of vanadium, niobium or titanium-strengthened high-strength low-alloy steels

Four commercially available high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steels were evaluated in this study. It was determined that all four steels were susceptible to strain-aging by interstitial solutes. The increase in strength due to strain-aging was similar to that observed in a low carbon steel studied for comparison. At high levels of prestrain, the percent loss in ductility in the HSLA steels was comparable to that observed in the low-carbon steel in specimens prestrained to the same fraction of the total elongation of the as-received metal. However, when considered on an absolute basis, the residual ductility in the HSLA steels was 25 to 50 pct of that observed in the low-carbon steel. The kinetics of strain-aging were briefly examined. Indications are that the kinetics are slower in the HSLA steels than they are in the low-carbon steel.     

Strain-aging of vanadium,niobium or titanium-strengthened high-strength low-alloy steels

Four commercially available high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steels were evaluated in this study. It was determined that all four steels were susceptible to strain-aging by interstitial solutes. The increase in strength due to strain-aging was similar to that observed in a low carbon steel studied for comparison. At high levels of prestrain, the percent loss in ductility in the HSLA steels was comparable to that observed in the low-carbon steel in specimens prestrained to the same fraction of the total elongation of the as-received metal. However, when considered on an absolute basis, the residual ductility in the HSLA steels was 25 to 50 pct of that observed in the low-carbon steel. The kinetics of strain-aging were briefly examined. Indications are that the kinetics are slower in the HSLA steels than they are in the low-carbon steel.     

Effect of strain and strain rate on the bauschinger effect response of three different steels

The Bauschinger behavior after a strain reversal was evaluated for samples with microstructures representative of production sheets for a low-carbon (LC) steel, a high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steel, and a dual-phase (DP) steel. The microstructures were produced in the samples by laboratory hot rolling and heat treatment. Bauschinger tests were run at strain rates of 0.0001, 0.001, and 0.01 s⁻¹, with tensile prestrains between 1 and 7 pct. After the reversal, the samples were strained 2 pct in compression. The Bauschinger effect is described by a Bauschinger effect parameter (BE), which is the difference between the steel strength at reversal and the 0.05 pct offset yield strength on the reversal, normalized by the steel strength at reversal. It is found that the Bauschinger effect is a continuous increasing function of the strength of the steel, provided the steel is prestrained at least 2.5 pct or beyond the yield point elongation. A single trend line describes the Bauschinger effect variation with steel strength, for all three steels in the present study and for an aluminum-killed drawing quality (AKDQ) steel from a previous investigation. No strain rate influence on the BE was found, due to the limited strain rate range and data uncertainty.     

The hydrogen attack of HSLA steels

Three high strength low alloy steels with low carbon contents and varying alloy contents were exposed to 21 MPa (3000 psi) hydrogen pressure in the temperature range 350 to 510°C. The resulting sample expansion rate was measured using a highly sensitive capacitance dilatometer. In all three HSLA steels, the early expansion rate was found to be independent of exposure time, but a function of exposure temperature and pressure. The temperature dependence of the sample expansion rate was similar for all three HSLA and the reference carbon steels, and corresponded roughly to an activation energy (Q) of 190 KJ/mole. The later accelerating expansion rate fitted aQ of 160 KJ/mole. Though the sample expansion rates exhibited the same temperature dependence, they varied by as much as two orders of magnitude among the three HSLA and the carbon steels. This marked variation in rate was proportional to the estimated carbon activity in each steel. Comparison between the Nelson curves published by the Americal Petro-leum Institute (API) for 1/2 pct Mo steel and the experimental curves constructed for HSLA steels indicated that these steels should provide comparable or better resistance to hydrogen attack than the 1/2 pct Mo steel.     

Calculability of the Bake Hardening Effect of Hot Rolled Multiphase Steels

In recent years high strength hot rolled multiphase steels with a thickness of less than 2 mm have become available. These multiphase steels show a good Bake Hardening effect, which makes them important for automotive constructions, because an increase of yield strength may lead to a weight optimised body structure and/or a better crash resistance. In this investigation five different hot rolled multiphase steels were examined. The steels were exposed to different prestrains, temperatures and holding times. Design of Experiments and statistical methods were used to reduce the quantity of experiments. After evaluation of the results it was possible to develop a formula to predict the yield strength for a given prestrain, temperature and time for each steel. Furthermore, a method was found to decide easily if a steel is qualified for further investigation of the Bake Hardening effect, or more exactly, of its response to different annealing temperatures and times.     

Hydrogen-involved tensile and cyclic deformation behavior of low-alloy pressure vessel steel

The temperature- and strain-rate-dependent tensile behavior of hydrogen-charged low-alloy pressure vessel steel ASTM A508 C1.3 has been investigated. The fatigue crack initiation and propagation behavior of the steel in high-temperature water environments has also been evaluated. It was found that hydrogen played significant roles in both tensile and cyclic deformation processes, especially in the temperature and strain-rate region of dynamic strain aging (DSA). The presence of hydrogen resulted in a distinct softening in tensile strength and a certain loss in tensile ductility in the DSA region. Remarkable degradation in fatigue crack initiation and propagation resistance in high-temperature water environments was observed in the DSA strain-rate region. Typical hydrogen-induced cracking features also appeared on the corresponding fatigue fracture surfaces. The interactions between hydrogen and DSA in tensile and cyclic deformation processes are discussed as well as their combined effects on the environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) mechanism of pressure vessel steels in high-temperature water environments.     

Effect of aluminum on the stress rupture properties of Cr-Mo-V steels

A comparative evaluation of the stress rupture properties of two commercial Cr-Mo-V steels of similar chemistry and processing history has revealed marked differences in behavior between the two steels. In notch bar tests at 1100°F (593°C), one of the steels was found to be severely notch brittle, whereas the other did not show any tendency to notch failure, even in long time tests. In smooth bar tests, the notch brittle steel was characterized by extremely low values of rupture ductility and slightly enhanced creep and rupture strength compared to the notch ductile steel. In view of the fact that the only appreciable differences between the two steels were in terms of the aluminum content and the amount of the vanadium carbide precipitate, it is suggested that the presence of aluminum in solid solution in Cr-Mo-V type steels markedly reduces the rupture ductility by causing increased precipitation of vanadium carbide.     

Investigating and Understanding the Cyclic Fatigue,Deformation, and Fracture Behavior of a Novel High Strength Alloy Steel: Influence of Orientation

In this paper, the results of a recent study aimed at understanding the influence of orientation on high cycle fatigue properties and final fracture behavior of alloy steel Pyrowear 53 is presented and discussed. This alloy steel has noticeably improved strength, ductility, and toughness properties compared to other competing high strength alloy steels having a near similar chemical composition and processing history. Test specimens of this alloy steel were precision machined and conformed to the specifications detailed in the ASTM standards for tension testing and stress‐controlled cyclic fatigue tests. Test specimens were prepared from both the longitudinal and transverse orientations of the as‐provided alloy steel bar stock. The machined test specimens were deformed in cyclic fatigue over a range of maximum stress and under conditions of fully reversed loading, i.e., at a load ratio of ?1, and the number of cycles‐to‐failure recorded. The specific influence of orientation on cyclic fatigue life of this alloy steel is presented. The fatigue fracture surfaces were examined in a scanning electron microscope to establish the macroscopic fracture mode and to characterize the intrinsic features on the fatigue fracture surfaces. The conjoint influence of microstructure, orientation, nature of loading, and maximum stress on cyclic fatigue life is discussed.     

Inclusion behaviour in aluminium-killed steel during continuous casting

The inclusion behaviour during continuous casting were investigated in ultra low carbon (ULC) and high strength low alloy (HSLA) steels. From tundish to cast slabs, the total oxygen (T.O) content decreased from 19 to 12?ppm, 12 to 11?ppm in ULC steel and HSLA steel, respectively. The number density of inclusions in ULC decreased by about 40%, while it kept almost constant in HSLA steel during casting. A simple calculation on the T.O removal agreed well with the measured value, which showed that T.O removal was much larger through mould flux absorption than nozzle attachment. The T.O removal in ULC steel is substantially higher than that of HSLA steel due to the fact that alumina particles in ULC steel tend to agglomerate easier than calcium aluminates in HSLA steel, which facilitates inclusion removal to the mould powder.     

Fatigue crack initiation and propagation in a quenched and tempered niobium bearing HSLA steel

The fatigue crack initiation and propagation behavior of a niobium bearing HSLA steel heat treated to give two tempered martensitic microstructures presumably with and without fine niobium carbides has been studied by light microscopy, electron microscopy, and strain gage measurements of plastic zone deformation. The high cycle, stress controlled fatigue life of the steel in both heat treated conditions was quite similar with the steel presumably containing the fine niobium carbides having slightly better resistance at low stress amplitudes. This slightly better high cycle resistance is associated with better resistance to fatigue crack initiation for this heat treatment. The fatigue crack propagation behavior of the steel was the opposite. The steel presumably containing the fine niobium carbides exhibited a much faster fatigue crack growth rate than that without them. The difference in growth rates is explained in terms of the plastic work expended during the propagation of the fatigue crack.     

Effect of prestrain on stretch-zone formation during ductile fracture of Cu-strengthened high-strength low-alloy steels

The effects of prestrain on the ductile fracture behavior of two varieties of Cu-strengthened high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steels have been investigated through stretch-zone geometry measurements. It is noted that the ductile fracture-initiation toughness of both the steels remained unaltered up to prestrains of ∼2 pct, beyond which the toughness decreased sharply. A methodology for estimating the stretch-zone dimensions is proposed. Fracture-toughness estimations through stretch-zone width (SZW) and stretch-zone depth (SZD) measurements revealed that the nature of the variation of ductile fracture toughness with prestrain can be better predicted through SZD rather than the SZW measurements. However, for the specimen geometries and prestrain levels that were investigated, none of these methods were found suitable for quantifying the initiation fracture toughness.     

Dynamic Strain Aging of Various Steels

The dynamic strain aging characteristics of two dual phase steels, a high strength low alloy (HSLA) steel, a 1008 steel and an interstitial free (IF) steel were determined from tensile properties at temperatures in the range 295 to 460 K (22 to 187 °C) and strain rates between 6 × 10^-6 to 10^-2s^-1. All except the IF steel were found to be susceptible to dynamic strain aging, as evidenced by increases in tensile strength. The largest positive change was observed in the 1008 steel while the dual phase and HSLA steels showed much smaller increases. Also, large decreases (up to 75 pct) in uniform elongation were noted for the 1008 steel while the decreases were minimal for the dual phase and HSLA steels. The IF steel did not strain age and showed a slight increase in uniform elongation with increasing temperature. Based upon uniform elongation as an indicator of formability, formability might be improved in dual phase or HSLA steels by reducing the concentration of free interstitials in the ferrites through chemistry control.     

Effects of Niobium on the Mechanical Properties and Corrosion Behavior of Simulated Weld HAZ of HSLA Steel

Simulated microstructures of the TZ, ICHAZ, FGHAZ, and CGHAZ of weld joints made from two kinds of HSLA steels with 0 or 0.079 wt pct Nb were prepared by means of heat treatment. Optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to observe microstructures and the distribution of nanosized precipitates in the simulated weld heat-affected zone (HAZ). Mechanical properties of the simulated HAZ were measured by tensile tests, and the corrosion behavior in simulated seawater was studied using electrochemical and immersion tests. It was shown that the ICHAZ and CGHAZ possess the worst overall mechanical properties in both kinds of HSLA steels, and the corrosion resistance in the descending order was the BM, TZ, FGHAZ, ICHAZ, and CGHAZ. Contrasting Nb-bearing and Nb-free steel demonstrated that the strength and corrosion resistance of the simulated HAZ were enhanced by Nb microalloying, which resulted in precipitation, homogeneous microstructures, and other relative sequences. Moreover, the surface of the Nb-bearing steel formed compact corrosion product films with higher resistance to ion migration; thus, the initiation and propagation of pitting holes were effectively inhibited.