Formation of Austenite During Intercritical Annealing of Dual-Phase Steels

The formation of austenite during intercritical annealing at temperatures between 740 and 900 °C was studied in a series of 1.5 pct manganese steels containing 0.06 to 0.20 pct carbon and with a ferrite-pearlite starting microstructure, typical of most dual-phase steels. Austenite formation was separated into three stages: (1) very rapid growth of austenite into pearlite until pearlite dissolution is complete; (2) slower growth of austenite into ferrite at a rate that is controlled by carbon diffusion in austenite at high temperatures (~85O °C), and by manganese diffusion in ferrite (or along grain boundaries) at low temperatures (~750 °C); and (3) very slow final equilibration of ferrite and austenite at a rate that is controlled by manganese diffusion in austenite. Diffusion models for the various steps were analyzed and compared with experimental results.     

Effects of Initial Structure and Reversion Temperature on Austenite Nucleation Site in Pearlite and Ferrite–Pearlite

Austenite nucleation sites were investigated in near-eutectoid 0.8 mass pct C steel and hypoeutectoid 0.4 mass pct C steel samples with full pearlite and ferrite–pearlite initial structures, respectively. In particular, the prior austenite grain size had been coarsened to compare grain boundaries in the hierarchical pearlite structure, i.e., the low-angle pearlite colony and high-angle block boundaries with ferrite/pearlite interfaces in the austenite nucleation ability. When the full pearlite in 0.8 mass pct C steel underwent reversion at a relatively low temperature, austenite grains preferentially formed at pearlite block boundaries. Consequently, when the full pearlite with the coarse block structure underwent reversion just above the eutectoid temperature, the reversion took a long time due to the low nucleation density. However, austenite grains densely formed at the pearlite colony boundaries as well, as the reversion temperature became sufficiently high. On the other hand, when ferrite–pearlite in the 0.4 mass pct C steel underwent reversion to austenite, the ferrite/pearlite interface acted as a more preferential austenite nucleation site than the pearlite block boundary even in the case of low-temperature reversion. From these results, it can be concluded that the preferential austenite nucleation site in carbon steels is in the following order: ferrite/pearlite interface?>?pearlite block?>?colony boundaries. In addition, orientation analysis results revealed that ferrite restricts the austenite nucleation more strongly than pearlitic ferrite does, which contributes to the preferential nucleation at ferrite/pearlite interfaces. This suggests that austenite grains formed at a ferrite/pearlite interface tend to have an identical orientation even under high-temperature reversion. Therefore, it is thought that the activation of austenite nucleation within pearlite by increasing the reversion temperature may be effective for rapid austenitization and the grain refinement of austenite structure after the completion of reversion in carbon steels.     

Reverse transformation of ferrite and pearlite to austenite in an ultrafine-grained low-carbon steel fabricated by severe plastic deformation

Reverse transformation characteristics of a low-carbon steel consisting of ultrafine-grained (UFG) ferrite and severely deformed pearlite by severe plastic deformation were investigated and compared to those of the steel having coarse-grained (CG) ferrite and undeformed pearlite by austenitization and subsequent air cooling. Coarse-grained steel exhibited two serial transformation stages, i.e., pear-lite → austenite followed by ferrite → austenite. Contrarily, UFG steel transformed with the three serial stages, i.e., probably carbon-supersaturated ferrite → austenite, not-fully-dissolved pearlite → austenite, and ferrite → austenite transformations.     

Austenitization during intercritical annealing of an Fe-C-Si-Mn dual-phase steel

Partial austenitization during the intercritical annealing of an Fe-2.2 pct Si-1.8 pct Mn-0.04 pct C steel has been investigated on four kinds of starting microstructures. It has been found that austenite formation during the annealing can be interpreted in terms of a carbon diffusion-limited growth process. The preferential growth of austenite along the ferrite grain boundaries was explained by the rapid carbon supply from the dissolving carbide particles to the growing fronts of austenite particles along the newly formed austenite grain boundaries on the prior ferrite grain boundaries. The preferential austenitization along the grain boundaries proceeded rapidly, but the austenite growth became slowed down after the ferrite grain boundaries were site-saturated with austenite particles. When the ferrite grain boundaries were site-saturated with austenite particles in a coarse-grained structure, the austenite particles grew by the mode of Widmanstätten side plate rather than by the normal growth mode of planar interface displacement.     

The effect of intercritical annealing temperature on the structure of niobium microalloyed dualphase steel

The structures produced in a Nb-microalloyed steel by oil quenching after intercritical anneals at 760 and 810 °C have been examined by light and transmission electron microscopy. After both anneals, the periphery of the austenite pool transforms on cooling to ferrite in the same orientation as the ferrite retained during intercritical annealing. Thus the ferrite forms by an epitaxial growth mechanism without the formation of a new interface or grain boundary. The new ferrite is precipitate-free in contrast to the retained ferrite which develops a very dense precipitate dispersion during intercritical annealing. In the carbonenriched interior of the austenite pool beyond the epitaxial ferrite only martensite forms in specimens annealed at 760 °C but various mixtures of ferrite and cementite form in specimens annealed at 810 °C. The latter structures include lamellar pearlite, a degenerate pearlite, and cementite interphase precipitation. All Nb is in solution in the austenite formed at 810 °C, and therefore the low hardenability of the specimens annealed at that temperature is best explained by the effect of low austenite carbon content.     

Volume Fractions of Proeutectoid Ferrite/Pearlite and Their Dependence on Prior Austenite Grain Size in Hypoeutectoid Fe-Mn-C Alloys

It has been generally believed that pearlite transformation in hypoeutectoid steels starts when the average carbon concentration in untransformed austenite reaches the A_cm line after the formation of proeutectoid ferrite. To test this concept experimentally, volume fractions of proeutectoid ferrite/pearlite and carbon contents in the austenite being transformed into pearlite were measured for the Fe-2Mn-0.3C alloy isothermally transformed in the temperature range 848 K to 898 K (575 °C to 625 °C). It was found that lamellar pearlite can form even when the average carbon content in untransformed austenite is much lower than the A_cm line. This peculiar observation is probably due to the two-dimensional diffusion of carbon, i.e., parallel to and normal to the austenite/pearlite interface, which enables lamellar cementite to grow continuously by supplying carbon atoms to its growth front. This results in proeutectoid ferrite fractions with respect to pearlite being much lower than those predicted by the lever rule. With decreasing prior austenite grain size, proeutectoid ferrite fractions with respect to pearlite were found to increase, but the thickness of proeutectoid ferrite was constant within the range of grain size investigated. This is due to the existence of the critical α/γ interface velocity only below which pearlite (actually cementite) can be nucleated at the migrating α/γ interface. Furthermore, the upper limit temperatures for pearlite formation in the Fe-1Mn-0.33C and Fe-2Mn-0.3C alloys were found to be well between the PLE/NPLE and PE A_e1 temperatures.     

The Effect of the Initial Microstructure on Recrystallization and Austenite Formation in a DP600 Steel

The effects of initial microstructure and thermal cycle on recrystallization, austenite formation, and their interaction were studied for intercritical annealing of a low-carbon steel that is suitable for industrial production of DP600 grade. The initial microstructures included 50 pct cold-rolled ferrite–pearlite, ferrite–bainite–pearlite and martensite. The latter two materials recrystallized at similar rates, while slower recrystallization was observed for ferrite–pearlite. If heating to an intercritical temperature was sufficiently slow, then recrystallization was completed before austenite formation, otherwise austenite formed in a partially recrystallized microstructure. The same trends as for recrystallization were found for the effect of initial microstructure on kinetics of austenite formation. The recrystallization–austenite formation interaction accelerated austenization in all the three starting microstructures by providing additional nucleation sites and enhancing growth rates, and drastically altered morphology and distribution of austenite. In particular, for ferrite–bainite–pearlite and martensite, the recrystallization–austenite formation interaction resulted in substantial microstructural refinement. Recrystallization and austenite formation from a fully recrystallized state were successfully modeled using the Johnson–Mehl–Avrami–Kolmogorov approach.     

Austenite formation during intercritical annealing

A systematic experimental study has been conducted on ferrite recrystallization and intercritical austenite formation for two low-carbon steels with chemical compositions typically used for dual-phase and transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) steels. Different initial heating rates, holding temperatures, and times were applied to the materials to examine the ferrite recrystallization and austenite formation kinetics. An Avrami model was developed to describe the isothermal ferrite recrystallization behavior and was applied successfully to the nonisothermal conditions. It was found that the initial heating rate affects the isothermal austenite formation kinetics for both the hot-rolled and cold-rolled materials albeit the effect is more pronounced for the cold-rolled material. This can be attributed to the interaction between the ferrite recrystallization and austenite formation processes. Furthermore, it was found that the distribution of austenite phase is also affected by the ferrite recrystallization process. When ferrite recrystallization is completed before the austenite formation (i.e., under sufficiently slow heating rate conditions), austenite is to a large extent randomly distributed in the ferrite matrix. On the other hand, incomplete recrystallization of ferrite due to higher heating rates leads to the formation of banded austenite grains. It is proposed that this observation is characteristic of simultaneous recrystallization and austenite formation where moving ferrite grain boundaries do not provide suitable sites for austenite nucleation.     

中锰钢两相区退火奥氏体逆转变的数值分析

根据中锰钢热轧组织结构确立两相区奥氏体化的几何模型和初始条件,利用DICTRA动力学分析软件对中锰钢马氏体基体奥氏体化过程进行计算分析.在奥氏体化初期的形核过程中,马氏体中过饱和的碳锰元素从铁素体迅速转移到奥氏体并在相界面奥氏体一侧聚集.后续的相变过程中,碳在奥氏体中快速均化,但锰在相界面奥氏体一侧的聚集加剧.相变初期奥氏体界面推移速度比中后期高出若干个数量级,但随时间推移迅速衰减.相变初期相界面推移是碳扩散主导,相变后期界面推移受到锰在奥氏体中扩散速度制约.温度升高可显著提高相界面推移速度.达到相同数量奥氏体的情况下,低温长时退火有利于锰从铁素体向奥氏体转移并提高其在奥氏体中的富集度,从而提高奥氏体的稳定性.     

Austenite Nucleation and Growth Observed on the Level of Individual Grains by Three-Dimensional X-Ray Diffraction Microscopy

Austenite nucleation and growth is studied during continuous heating using three-dimensional X-ray diffraction (3-D XRD) microscopy at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) (Grenoble, France). Unique in-situ observations of austenite nucleation and growth kinetics were made for two commercial medium-carbon low-alloy steels (0.21 and 0.35 wt pct carbon with an initial microstructure of ferrite and pearlite). The measured austenite volume fraction as a function of temperature shows a two-step behavior for both steel grades: it starts with a rather fast pearlite-to-austenite transformation, which is followed by a more gradual ferrite-to-austenite transformation. The austenite nucleus density exhibits similar behavior, with a sharp increase during the first stage of the transformation and a more gradual increase in the nucleus density in the second stage for the 0.21 wt pct carbon alloy. For the 0.35 wt pct carbon alloy, no new nuclei form during the second stage. Three different types of growth of austenite grains in the ferrite/pearlite matrix were observed. The combination of detailed separate observations of both nucleation and growth provides unique quantitative information on the phase transformation kinetics during heating, i.e., austenite formation from ferrite and pearlite.     

Simulation of the Growth of Austenite from As-Quenched Martensite in Medium Mn Steels

As part of an ongoing development of third-generation advanced high-strength steels with acceptable cost, austenite reversion treatment of medium Mn steels becomes attractive because it can give rise to a microstructure of fine mixture of ferrite and austenite, leading to both high strength and large elongation. The growth of austenite during intercritical annealing is crucial for the final properties, primarily because it determines the fraction, composition, and phase stability of austenite. In the present work, the growth of austenite from as-quenched lath martensite in medium Mn steels has been simulated using the DICTRA software package. Cementite is added into the simulations based on experimental observations. Two types of systems (cells) are used, representing, respectively, (1) austenite and cementite forming apart from each other, and (2) austenite forming on the cementite/martensite interface. An interfacial dissipation energy has also been added to take into account a finite interface mobility. The simulations using the first type of setup with an addition of interfacial dissipation energy are able to reproduce the observed austenite growth in medium Mn steels reasonably well.     

Ultrafine Grained Duplex Structure Developed by ART-annealing in Cold Rolled Medium-Mn Steels简

The microstructural evolutions of the cold rolled Fe-0.1C-5Mn steel during intercritical annealing were ex- amined using combined advanced techniques. It was demonstrated that intercritical annealing results in an ultrafine granular ferrite and austenite duplex structure in cold rolled 0.1C-5Mn steel. The strong partitioning of manganese and carbon elements from ferrite to austenite was found during intercritical annealing by scanning transmission elec- tron microscopy （STEM） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）. Strong effects of boundary characters on the austenite for- mation were indicated by austenite fast nucleation and growth in the high angle boundaries but sluggish nucleation and growth in the low angle boundaries. The ultrafine grained duplex structure in 0.1C-5Mn was resulted from the the sluggish Mn-diffusion and the extra high Gibbs free energy of ferrite phase. Based on the analysis of the micro- structure evolution, it was pointed out that the intercritical annealing of the medium Mn steels could be applied to fabricate an ultrafine duplex grained microstructure, which would be a promising approach to develop the 3rd genera- tion austomobile steels with excellent combination of strength and ductility.     

Formation of Banded Microstructures with Rapid Intercritical Annealing of Cold-Rolled Sheet Steel

The effects of heating rate in the range of 0.3 to 693 °C/s on transformations during intercritical annealing of a cold-rolled 0.12C-1.4Mn-0.02Nb steel with either a ferrite-pearlite or ferrite-spheroidized carbide microstructure were evaluated. Heating rates were selected to impart different predicted degrees of ferrite recrystallization present at the onset of austenite formation. Rapid heating minimized ferrite recrystallization with both prior microstructures and minimized pearlite spheroidization in the ferrite-pearlite condition, and austenite formation occurred preferentially in recovered ferrite regions as opposed to along recrystallized ferrite boundaries. Martensite was evenly distributed in slowly heated steels because austenite formed on recrystallized, equiaxed, ferrite boundaries. With rapid heating, austenite formed in directionally oriented recovered ferrite, which increased the degree of banding. The greatest degree of banding was found with intermediate heating rates leading to partial recrystallization, because austenite formed preferentially in the remaining recovered ferrite, which was located in bands along the rolling direction. Ferrite-spheroidized carbide microstructures had somewhat reduced martensite banding when compared to the ferrite-pearlite condition, where elongated pearlite enhanced banded austenite leading to banding in transformed microstructures.     

An On-Heating Dilation Conversional Model for Austenite Formation in Hypoeutectoid Steels

Dilatometry is often used to study solid-state phase transformations. While most steel transformation studies focus on the decomposition of austenite, this article presents an on-heating dilation conversional model to determine phase fraction based on measured volume changes during the formation of austenite in ferrite-pearlite hypoeutectoid steels. The effect of alloying elements on the transformation strain is incorporated into the model. Comparison of the conversional model predictions to measured transformation temperature (A _c3) shows excellent agreement. The pearlite decomposition finish temperature (A _pf ) predicted by the conversional model more closely matches experimental results when compared to standard lever rule calculations. Results show that including the effects of substitutional alloying elements (in addition to carbon) improves phase fraction predictions. The conversional model can be used to quantitatively predict intercritical austenite fraction with application to modeling, induction heating, intercritical annealing, and more complex heat treatments for hypoeutectoid steels.     

Effect of heating rate on microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of cold-rolled quenching and partitioning steel

Quenching and partitioning (Q&;P) processes were performed using initial heating rates ranging from 0.5 to 300?K?s^?1 with either one step or two steps in the intercritical annealing stage. Increasing the heating rate strongly affected the recrystallisation of ferrite and spheroidisation of pearlite. The nucleation and growth mechanisms of austenite under various heating rates were discussed, and the characteristics of retained austenite in each annealed sample were evaluated. Tensile tests demonstrated that the mechanical properties of Q&;P steel increased with increasing heating rate. The poor mechanical properties of the slowly heated samples are suggested to result from the linable distribution of martensite.     

铌微合金化对高铁车轮钢奥氏体形核和长大的影响

 针对碳质量分数为0.47%中碳高铁车轮钢,研究了铌微合金化对前驱体为铁素体-珠光体的组织发生奥氏体逆相变的影响。结果表明,铁素体-珠光体钢的逆相变是一个由碳原子扩散控制的过程,奥氏体优先在珠光体内的铁素体与渗碳体（α/Fe3C）片层界面处形核,并且沿平行于珠光体片层方向的长大速率比垂直于珠光体片层方向更快。含铌车轮钢细化的珠光体组织可以提高奥氏体的形核率,有利于细化奥氏体晶粒。随着再加热温度的提高,含铌车轮钢的奥氏体混晶温度（960 ℃）比不含铌的钢高80 ℃,因此通过铌微合金化可扩大再加热奥氏体化温度窗口。结合Thermal-Calc热力学计算和透射电镜分析,铌在中碳钢中主要以析出物的形式存在,析出钉扎作用是其细化奥氏体晶粒、推迟混晶现象出现的主要机制。     

A transmission electron microscopy study of copper precipitation in the cementite phase of hypereutectoid alloy steels

The precipitation of copper has been detected and studied in three of the main decomposition products of austenite: allotriomorphic grain-boundary cementite, pearlitic cementite, and Widmanstätten cementite plates. The investigation has been carried out on two high-alloy hypereutectoid steels containing copper contents of 1.0 and 2.5 wt pct. The main advantage of these high-alloy steels is that the parent austenite phase remains stable upon cooling to room temperature, thus preserving the parent phase and the parent/product interfaces in the microstructure for subsequent examination. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that the copper precipitation occurs in proeutectoid allotriomorphic grain-boundary cementite in association with the transformation interface. The copper particles were dispersed in the form of rows (or sheets) within the allotriomorphs of cementite. Evidence for copper precipitate particles nucleated at structural features imaged at the growth interface was also obtained. Copper precipitation was found to occur in both the ferrite and cementite lamellae of pearlite, and again, examination of partially decomposed structures revealed copper particles nucleated at the austenite/pearlite transformation interface. In addition, copper particles were also observed at the ferrite/cementite interface of pearlite. Copper precipitation observed in Widmanstätten cementite plates revealed a precipitate-free midrib region in the plates and a higher concentration of copper particles toward the broad faces of the plate. Copper particles were also found located at coarse linear interface defects at the broad faces of the plate.     

Intercritical annealing as a means of improving impact properties of plate steel

The influence of long time intercritical heat-treatments (720 to 750 °C) on the impact and tensile properties of ferrite/pearlite steels has been examined. Intercritical annealing enables Mn to diffuse to the α/ γ boundaries and refine the grain-boundary carbides on cooling to room temperature. When the resulting microstructure formed on cooling to room temperature is ferrite/pearlite, this treatment can result in a significant improvement in impact behavior compared to a normalizing treatment. On heating to the intercritical annealing temperature, Mn enrichment of the γ combined with a fast enough cooling rate results in martensite formation. This may be beneficial to both strength and impact behavior at low volume fractions of martensite, but a marked deterioration in impact behavior occurs at high volume fractions, even though grain-boundary carbides remain fine.     

Influence of Aluminum Alloying and Heating Rate on Austenite Formation in Low Carbon-Manganese Steels

This investigation focuses on the austenite formation process during continuous heating, over a wide range of heating rates (0.05 to 20 K/s), in three low carbon-manganese steels alloyed with different levels of aluminum (0.02, 0.48, and 0.94, wt pct Al). High resolution dilatometry, combined with metallographic observations, was used to determine the starting (Ac ₁) and finishing (Ac ₃) temperatures of this transformation. It is shown that both the aluminum content and the applied heating rate have a strong influence on this process. During fast heating (>1 K/s), the pearlite phase present in the initial microstructure remains almost unaffected up to temperature Ac ₁. On the contrary, during slow heating, cementite lamellas inside pearlite partially dissolve, this dissolution effect being more pronounced for the lower carbon and higher aluminum content steels. The changes in the initial microstructure during slow heating affect the austenite nucleation and growth processes. Furthermore, in the aluminum alloyed steels, slow heating conditions shift the Ac ₃ temperature to higher values. This shift is suggested to be due to aluminum partitioning from austenite to ferrite, which stabilizes ferrite and delays its transformation to higher temperatures. Thermodynamic calculations carried out with MTDATA software seem to support some of the experimental observations carried out under very low heating conditions close to equilibrium (0.05 K/s).     

Effects of silicon content and intercritical annealing on the manganese partitioning in dual phase steels

 Steels of constant manganese and carbon contents with 0.34-2.26 wt. % silicon content were cast. The as-cast steels were then hot rolled at 1100°C in five passes to reduce the cast ingot thickness from 80 to 4 mm, air cooled to room temperature and cold rolled to 2 mm thickness. Dual-phase microstructures with different the volume fraction of martensite were obtained through the intercritical annealing of the steels at different temperatures for 15 min followed by water quenching. In addition of intercritical annealing temperature, silicon content also altered the volume fraction of martensite in dual-phase steels. The partitioning of manganese in dual-phase silicon steels were investigated using energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS). The partitioning coefficient, defined as the ratio of the amounts of alloying element in the austenite to that in the adjacent ferrite, for manganese increased with increasing intercritical annealing temperature and silicon content of steels. It was also shown that the solubility of manganese in ferrite and austenite decreased with increasing intercritical temperature. The results were discussed by the diffusivity and the solubility of manganese in ferrite and austenite present in dual-phase silicon steels.