Time-evolution of microstructure and mechanical behaviour of double annealed medium Mn steel

Cold rolled 0.1C-4.7Mn (wt-%) steel was submitted to double annealing. The holding time of second intercritical annealing at 650°C was varied between 3 min and 30?h. Tensile behavior after each treatment was measured and analysed. Microstructure characterisation was performed using field emission gun scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope and saturation magnetisation method. Moreover, interrupted tensile tests were done to obtain the kinetics of austenite destabilisation during straining. An important effect of soaking time on the microstructure and associate mechanical properties was revealed and analysed. Considering thermal and mechanical stability of retained austenite, the optimum combination of phases, providing the best strength-ductility balance, was found after 2?h holding.

This paper is part of a Thematic Issue on Medium Manganese Steels.     

Effect of intercritical annealing on retained austenite characterization in textured TRIP-assisted steel sheet

Optimization of high strength and high formability of multiphase cold rolled sheet TRIP-aided steels is based on the composition and the austempering conditions. The effect of intercritical annealing temperature on the volume fraction and carbon concentration of the retained austenite was investigated in two different TRIP-aided steels. Experimental results show that the optimum annealing temperatures are 860 °C for Al-containing and 810 °C for Si-containing TRIP steels. It was demonstrated that the measurement of retained austenite can be successfully performed for textured TRIP steels by XRD.     

Relative effect of C and Mn on strength-toughness of medium Mn steels

In order to find an alternative choice for structural load-bearing components, an effort was made to improve the impact toughness of medium Mn steel through inter-critical annealing treatment without significant reduction in strength. Besides, the relative effect of C and Mn contents on microstructure and mechanical properties of medium Mn steels was also studied. Fibrous microstructures with fine, alternate films of ferrite and martensite with retained austenite were obtained. The low-C, high-Mn steel showed a superior combination of yield strength, ductility and impact toughness due to finer microstructure and higher retained austenite fraction, as compared to high-C, low-Mn steel. Thus, the beneficial effect of Mn enrichment in stabilising retained austenite and improving mechanical properties by transformation induced plasticity effect becomes evident.     

High-strength medium Mn quenching and partitioning steel with low yield ratio

ABSTRACT

A new microstructural design is proposed to develop a strong and ductile quenching and partitioning (Q&P) steel with low yield ratio. This steel has a heterogeneous dual phase microstructure which is developed by varying austenite thermal stability through Mn segregation. The heterogeneous microstructure contains large austenite grains which contribute to the low yield strength. The ultra-high tensile strength and good ductility are ascribed to the enhanced strain hardening behaviour resulted from the continuous transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) effect. The present microstructural design enables a conventional medium Mn steel with high tensile strength, good ductility and low yield ratio, which promises easy forming and potential applications in automotive industries.

This paper is part of a Thematic Issue on Medium Manganese Steels.     

Analysis of medium manganese steel through cold-rolling and intercritical annealing or warm-rolling

ABSTRACT

Medium manganese steel is typically fabricated from hot-rolling followed by cold-rolling and intercritical annealing processes. However, a singular process, warm-rolling, is an appealing prospect. The microstructure, mechanical properties and texture of a 8?wt-% Mn–0.08?wt-% C steel was investigated by cold-rolling followed by intercritical annealing or warm-rolling. The product from both processes exhibited a highly refined microstructure as well as a large volume fraction of austenite. However, a slightly larger volume fraction as well as a more heterogeneous austenite morphology resulted from the warm-rolling process, associated with a higher work-hardening rate. Microstructural analysis revealed intense α-fibre components due to a higher strain following the warm-rolling process as well as a considerably high-angle grain boundary number which was associated with dislocation accumulation.

This paper is part of a Thematic Issue on Medium Manganese Steels.     

1.0 GPa low carbon medium Mn heavy steel plate with excellent ductility

ABSTRACT

A vanadium-bearing medium Mn heavy steel plate was designed, and the yield strength reaches around 1.0?GPa and the total elongation reaches around 18% after the annealing treatments. Meanwhile, the steel also possesses relatively good cryogenic impact toughness. Although the dislocation density of ～2.65?×?10¹⁴?m^?2 in the hot-rolled steel decreases to ～1.13?×?10¹⁴?m^?2 in both annealed steels and the volume fractions of retained austenite reach ～7.9% and ～13.5% for the steels annealed at 620°C for 1 and 2?h, there is no or small decrease in yield strength owing to numerous nanometer-sized carbides precipitated in martensite matrix.

This paper is part of a Thematic Issue on Medium Manganese Steels.     

Enhanced strength-ductility of medium Mn steel by quenching,partitioning and tempering

ABSTRACT

A quench and partition (Q&P) process was combined with tempering in a medium Mn steel. The partitioning treatment enriched the austenite in carbon, and stabilised the austenite against transformation during cooling. The ductility of Q&P steel is significantly improved by tempering, with negligible loss in strength. The ductility was found to be determined by the martensite in the structure, rather than the austenite in the present case. The reason for the significant improvement in the ductility with tempering was suggested to be the reduction in the dislocation density after extended tempering treatment. The energy absorption of this alloy was increased to 28.5?GPa·% together with an ultrahigh tensile strength ～1400?MPa, which is one of the largest observations in this system.     

Current opinion in medium manganese steel

Abstract

Medium Mn steels have been actively investigated due to their excellent balance between material cost and mechanical properties. The steels possess a single α′ martensite phase in hot and cold rolled states and multiphases after intercritical annealing. Many studies have focused on investigating the influences of chemical composition and annealing conditions on the microstructure, particularly the grain size and retained γ (γ_R), and on the tensile properties. The steels exhibit high strength and good ductility due to transformation induced plasticity occurring in γ_R, whose volume fraction is approximately 0·2–0·4. The present review summarises the important results of previous studies about the effects of both intercritical annealing conditions and alloying elements on the microstructure and tensile properties of medium Mn steels.     

Ferrite recrystallisation and intercritical annealing of cold-rolled low alloy medium carbon steel

Static recrystallisation of cold-rolled AISI 4130 medium carbon steel in the ferritic regime and its response to intercritical annealing treatment are studied. A fine and recrystallised microstructure with improved mechanical properties is obtained via subcritical annealing of cold-rolled sheet, where the subsequent intercritical annealing results in the enhancement of tensile strength via the formation of dual-phase microstructure. Intercritical annealing of the cold-rolled sheet is characterised by an initial drop in hardness due to recrystallisation and subsequent rise in hardness as a result of austenitisation. It is revealed that continuous martensite phase can result in a higher deformation resistance. Finally, the effects of intercritical annealing at temperatures below pearlite dissolution finish temperature (Ac_1f) are discussed.     

Revealing heterogeneous C partitioning in a medium Mn steel by nanoindentation

The present work employs nano-indentation technique to investigate the C partitioning in a medium Mn steel subjected to quenching and tempering process. It is found that the C partitioning between martensite and austenite is inhomogeneous. Particularly, the large lenticular martensite has negligible C partitioning into the austenitic matrix as it maintains an ultra-high nanohardness comparable to the one without tempering. Strategies to suppress the formation of large martensite are discussed.     

Influence of austenitising temperature on kinetics of phase transformations in medium carbon TRIP steel

Abstract

Comprehensive, dilatometric studies of the kinetic transformations of undercooled austenite in medium carbon TRansformation Induced Plasticity (TRIP) steel during cooling from the temperature range of 750–1030°C were carried out. Selection of austenitising temperatures was based on the knowledge of the critical temperatures. The influence of the austenitising temperature on the formation ranges of new phases and microstructural constituents during continuous cooling was determined. It was also shown that the annealing of the investigated steel at the lowest temperature resulted in the strongest lowering of Ms temperature as well as in the lowering hardenability. Based on the analysis of the stated relationships, modifications of the annealing, adapted to the investigated steel chemical composition, were proposed.     

Mn-Cr齿轮钢动态再结晶行为及组织演变

采用Gleeble 1500热模拟试验机研究了一Mn-Cr齿轮钢在变形速率为0.1～1 s-1、变形温度为900～1150℃、原始奥氏体晶粒尺寸为70～150 μm条件下的动态再结晶行为及再结晶奥氏体晶粒尺寸的变化规律.实验结果表明,Mn-Cr齿轮钢在温度较高,应变速率较低及原始奥氏体晶粒较细的情况下变形时,表现出典型的动态再结晶行为.再结晶发生的条件为Zener-Hollomon参数小于某一临界值(Zc).再结晶晶粒按晶界突出机制形核.通过回归分析,确定该齿轮钢的再结晶激活能为378.6 kJ/mol,应力指数为5.8.Z参数控制形变储存能,因而唯一地决定动态再结晶晶粒尺寸Ds,二者符合关系式Ds=1.3×105Z-0.25.     

Tuning austenite stability in a medium Mn steel and relationship to structure and mechanical properties

We study here the underlying factors that govern the stability of austenite in a medium Mn (Fe–0.18C–11Mn–3.8Al) (wt-%) steel. In this regard, a novel heat treatment involving intercritical quenching and tempering was designed to obtain high total elongation (TEL) and high ultimate tensile strength (UTS) in the cold-rolled steel. And the UTS and TEL approached 920–1150?MPa and 35–65%, respectively. The product of TEL and UTS (PSE) exceeded 40?GPa%, with a maximum value of 60?GPa%. A detailed analysis of microstructure before and after tensile deformation revealed that the TRIP effect occurred and the stability of austenite was predominantly governed by the grain sizes of austenite rather than the orientation of austenite grains. The theoretical analysis of work hardening data suggested that the superior elongation of medium Mn TRIP steel is related to the high stability of austenite and the cooperative deformation of ferrite.     

Promising effect of copper on the mechanical properties of transformation-induced plasticity steels

To put in a nut shell ‘Alloying with copper was found to results in promising benefits on mechanical properties of transformation-induced plasticity steels’. In this research, the CMnSiAlCu transformation-induced plasticity steels were annealed at two different temperatures. The unique combination of mechanical properties was obtained in new developed copper containing transformation-induced plasticity steels. It was also showed that by adding 2.4%Cu in transformation-induced plasticity steels and in both 770°C and 800°C annealing treated condition, the yield and tensile strengths were increased by more than 35% and 26%. Moreover, a detailed examination of deformation and strain hardening behaviour of the steels studied revealed that the lower annealing temperature leads to the more uniform strain distribution within the copper-added transformation-induced plasticity steel.     

连续退火对5% Mn超细晶TRIP钢组织性能的影响

为开发强度和塑性良好配合的第三代汽车钢,采用CCT-AY-Ⅱ型钢板连续退火机模拟分析了不同退火温度和时间对0.1C-5Mn中锰TRIP钢组织性能的影响规律.采用SEM和EBSD等微观分析方法观察不同工艺下制备的中锰TRIP的微观组织,利用XRD方法测量残余奥氏体体积分数,通过实验测量其力学性能.结果表明:实验的中锰TRIP钢在650℃保温3 min退火后获得最佳的综合力学性能,其抗拉强度为1 022 MPa,总延伸率为19.3%,强塑积为20 GPa·%;应变前期试验钢中大量残余奥氏体发生转变,超细晶间的协调机制对试验钢的塑性起主导作用.     

Enhancement of tensile properties by room-temperature quenching and partitioning of 0.2C–10Mn–2Al steel

ABSTRACT

Processing conditions better than those of conventional quenching and partitioning process are suggested for 0.2C–10Mn–2Al steel. The steel can retain 24% of austenite on quenching to room temperature and effectively partition carbon from martensite to austenite at 200°C. The resulting tensile properties were comparable to those produced by conventional quenching and partitioning. Moreover, the suggested processing condition resolves an issue of intercritically annealed medium Mn steels by improving the yield strength and eliminating yield point phenomenon as well as serrated flow.

This paper is part of a Thematic Issue on Medium Manganese Steels.     

Austenite stabilisation by two step partitioning of manganese and carbon in a Mn-TRIP steel

ABSTRACT

In addition to manganese, carbon partitioning has been proposed in a new medium Mn-TRIP steel by two-step partitioning during the first batching annealing and the final continuous annealing. In the second-step partitioning, the cementite dissolves and blocky austenite forms with carbon enrichment, while the partition of manganese is negligible from prior lath austenite back into ferrite due to short duration. The combined partition of carbon and manganese improves both fraction and stability of retained austenite. The alloy has exhibited the product of strength and elongation of approximately 50?GPa%. It is highlighted that there is no Lüder strain in tensile curves. The microstructure evolution and relationship of microstructure and properties have been investigated and characterised carefully in this research.

This paper is part of a Thematic Issue on Medium Manganese Steels.     

Carbide precipitates and mechanical properties of medium Mn steel joint with metal inert gas welding

Medium Mn steel was metal inert gas(MIG)welded with NiCrMo-3 and 307Si filler wires.The effect of filler wires on the microstructure and mechanical properties of joint was investigated,and the carbide precipitates were contrastively discussed.The results revealed that the microstructure of weld metal,heat-affected zone and base metal are austenite.Obvious grain coarsening occurred in the heat-affected zone(HAZ),and the maximum grain size grew up to 160 pm.In HAZ,C and Cr segregated at grain boundaries,the carbides was identified as Cr7C3.The dispersive(Nb,Mo)C phase was also found in weld metal with NiCrMo-3 filler wire.All the welded joints failed in HAZ during tensile tests.The tensile strength of welded joint with NiCrMo-3 filler wire was 675 MPa,which is much higher than that with 307Si filler wire.In comparison to base metal,higher microhardness and lower impact toughness were obtained in HAZ for these two welded joints,which was attributed to the precipitation of Cr7C3 phase and grain coarsening.The impact toughness around the fusion line is the worst for these two welded joints.     

Characterization of transformed and deformed microstructures in transformation induced plasticity steels using electron backscattering diffraction

The microstructure of transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) steels was characterized by means of electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD) technique to identify and quantify their different microstructures such as ferrite, bainite, and retained austenite. Further, the strain distribution in ferrite and retained austenite was analyzed during deformation. The TRIP steels were annealed by austempering for different durations to investigate the effect of the austempering time on the volume fraction change of the microstructural constituents. The quantitative analysis by EBSD coupled with an image contrast analysis revealed that the amount of retained austenite decreased and the amount of bainite increased with increasing austempering time. The mechanical properties of the TRIP steels were also affected by the austempering time. The maximum elongation was obtained in the sample austempered for 5 min, probably because of the good stability of retained austenite. The strain distribution in bcc and fcc phases during tensile deformation was characterized by evaluating the changes in the average local misorientation of the phases.     

TRIP钢中奥氏体的力学稳定性研究

采用分阶段拉伸、XRD、EBSD、SEM、TEM等实验手段,研究了TRIP钢奥氏体的力学稳定性.结果表明:拉伸变形初期奥氏体转变较快,拉伸变形后期奥氏体转变较慢;奥氏体的含碳量不同,在相同的拉伸变形阶段奥氏体转化率的增加速率不同;处于铁素体、贝氏体晶界或者相界面1um以上大颗粒奥氏体几乎在变形初期就全部发生相变,而晶粒...