Kinetics Simulation of MnS Precipitation in Electrical Steel

In this work, the solid‐state precipitation kinetics of manganese sulfides (MnS) particles in ferrite during continuous deformation of electrical steel is investigated. Thermokinetic simulations are carried out on basis of the software package MatCalc. The results are compared with independent experimental results from literature. The mean radius evolution of second phase MnS precipitates is numerically simulated as a function of the heat treatment parameters time and temperature. The calculated results show good agreement with the experimental measurements using a single set of simulation input parameters.     

Computational and Experimental Analysis of Carbo‐Nitride Precipitation in Tempered Martensite

The present work describes the analysis of carbo‐nitride precipitation kinetics in tempered martensite of Nb–Ti‐microalloyed steel with a carbon content of 0.3 wt%. Based on the information obtained from transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, a computational simulation procedure is developed within the software package MatCalc, which is capable of describing the experimental results in terms of the number density, composition, and type of precipitate phases. No explicit fitting parameters are used in the computer simulation. The input data is entirely based on independent physical or microstructural parameters. To determine the chemical composition and type of precipitates, energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy and selected area electron diffraction are utilized. The simulation results and the experimentally obtained information are in good agreement.     

Analysis of the Strain‐Induced Martensitic Transformation of Retained Austenite in Cold Rolled Micro‐Alloyed TRIP Steel

The stability of retained austenite and the kinetics of the strain‐induced martensitic transformation in micro‐alloyed TRIP‐aided steel were obtained from interrupted tensile tests and saturation magnetization measurements. Tensile tests with single specimens and at variable temperature were carried out to determine the influence of the micro‐alloying on the M_s^σ temperature of the retained austenite. Although model calculations show that the addition of the micro‐alloying elements influences a number of stabilizing factors, the results indicate that the stability of retained austenite in the micro‐alloyed TRIP‐aided steels is not significantly influenced by the micro‐alloying. The kinetics of the strain‐induced martensitic transformation was also not significantly influenced by addition of the micro‐alloying elements. The addition of micro‐alloying elements slows down the autocatalytic propagation of the strain‐induced martensite due to the increase of the yield strength of retained austenite. The lower uniform elongation of micro‐alloyed TRIP‐aided steel is very likely due to the presence of numerous precipitates in the microstructure and the pronounced ferrite grain size refinement.     

Evaluation of the Static Stress‐Strain Behaviour of Phosphorus Alloyed and Titanium Micro‐alloyed TRIP Steels

A considerable research effort has been done in the field of cold rolled TRIP steels submitted to a two‐step annealing cycle. After annealing, these steels contain retained austenite, which offers them superior mechanical properties required for specific applications in automotive industry. In the present work, a physically based microstructural model has been applied to describe the static stress‐strain behaviour of phosphorus alloyed TRIP steel. The impact of the TiC precipitation on the static stress‐strain behaviour for a Ti micro‐alloyed TRIP steel was simulated. The model calculations were compared with experimental stress‐strain curves. An excellent agreement between simulation and experimental data was demonstrated.