Optimization of mechanical properties of high-carbon pearlitic steels with Si and V additions

Systematic research has been undertaken on the effects of single and combined additions of vanadium and silicon on the mechanical properties of pearlitic steels being developed for wire rod production. Mechanical test results demonstrate that the alloy additions are beneficial to the mechanical properties of the steels, especially the tensile strength. Silicon strengthens pearlite mainly by solid-solution strengthening of the ferrite phase. Vanadium increases the strength of pearlite mainly by precipitation strengthening of the pearlitic ferrite. When added separately, these elements produce relatively greater strengthening at higher transformation temperatures. When added in combination the behavior is different, and substantial strength increments are produced at all transformation temperatures studied (550 °C to 650 °C). The addition of silicon and vanadium to very-high-carbon steels (>0.8 wt pct C) also suppresses the formation of a network of continuous grain-boundary cementite, so that these hypereutectoid materials have high strength coupled with adequate ductility for cold drawing. A wire-drawing trial showed that total drawing reductions in area of 90 pct could be obtained, leading to final tensile strengths of up to 2540 MPa in 3.3-mm-diameter wires.     

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.     

Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of as-Drawn and Laboratory Annealed Pearlitic Steel Wires

Near eutectoid fully pearlitic wire rod (5.5 mm diameter) was taken through six stages of wire drawing (drawing strains of 0 to 2.47). The as-drawn (AD) wires were further laboratory annealed (LA) to re-austenitize and reform the pearlite. AD and LA grades, for respective wire diameters, had similar pearlite microstructure: interlamellar spacing (λ) and pearlite alignment with the wire axis. However, LA grade had lower hardness (for both phases) and slightly lower fiber texture and residual stresses in ferrite. Surprisingly, essentially identical tensile yield strengths in AD and LA wires, measured at equivalent spacing, were found. The work hardened AD had, as expected, higher torsional yield strengths and lower tensile and torsional ductilities than LA. In both wires, stronger pearlite alignment gave significantly increased torsional ductility.     

Effect of cementite morphology on pearlitic wire drawing deformation

A comparative study was conducted on the effects of lamellar cementites and globular cementites on the cold drawing process and the mechanical properties of pearlitic wire steel, with the help of metallographic microscope, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, tensile tester and hardness tester. The lamellar cementites showed the deformation capacity to some extent during the cold drawing process. As the drawing strain increased, the pearlitic wire with globular cementites evolved into the fibrous form gradually and no obvious defects were found in the microstructure. The globular cementites turned to the drawing direction without any deformation of itself during the deformation process. And micro- cracks occurred in the cementite/ferrite interface due to stress concentration caused by pinning dislocations in spherical cementites. The strength and hardness of both pearlitic wires gradually increased as the drawing strain rose. And the pearlitic wire with lamellar cementites had a higher drawing hardening rate. The ferrite <110> texture formed in both pearlitic wires during the cold drawing process. Compared with the globular pearlite, the pearlitic wire with lamellar cementites had higher ferrite <110> texture intensity. And the difference of their ferrite <110> texture intensity became bigger and bigger as the drawing strain increased.     

Deformation of pearlite

Pearlite with its lamellae oriented mainly parallel to the longitudinal direction was prepared by Bolling's method of transformation in a steep temperature gradient. The Fe-0.7 pct Mn-0.9 pct C pearlite was drawn into wire and also into strip in dies designed to minimize macroscopically nonuniform deformation. Cross sections of the drawn wires and strip were examined by conventional and high-voltage transmission electron microscopy and were analyzed by quantitative metallography for a) average interlamellar spacing, b) distribution of interlamellar spacings, and c) orientation relationship between the cementite lamellae and the slip systems in the ferrite. The strength of pearlite is proportional to the reciprocal square root of the average interlamellar spacing, and the proportionality constant analogous to the Hall-Petch constant (k) is related to the strength of the cementite lamellae. If the stress for the propagation of slip through the cementite is assumed constant, a Hall-Petch type of equation can be derived for the strengthening of the pearlite against slip in the ferrite by piled-up groups of dislocations. Evidence for the plastic deformability of cementite is presented; sufficiently thin cementite plates were fully plastic. The exponential strain hardening of drawn pearlitic wires and of rolled pearlite is explained in terms of locally inhomogenous deformation revealed by the lack of fragmentation of the lamellae. This paper is based on a presentation made at a symposium on “Mechanical-Thermal Processing and Dislocation Substructure Strengthening,” held at the Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, on February 23, 1976, under the sponsorship of the TMS/IMD Heat Treating Committee.     

Investigation of Orientation Gradients in Pearlite in Hypoeutectoid Steel by use of Orientation Imaging Microscopy

The microstructure of pearlite in hypoeutectoid steel was investigated using high resolution orientation imaging microscopy. Systematic orientation gradients were observed along the longitudinal direction within the pearlitic ferrite lamellae. Corresponding orientation gradients seemed to occur also in the cementite within the same pearlite colony. The orientation gradients in the ferrite strongly correlated with the local topographical curvature of the pearlitic colony. The orientation relationship between the ferrite and the cementite lamellae was constant even in areas with strong orientation gradients.     

Defects in Carbon-Rich Ferrite of Cold-Drawn Pearlitic Steel Wires

By means of X-ray line profile analysis and positron lifetime spectroscopy, densities of deformation-induced defects in carbon-rich ferrite of a series of cold-drawn pearlitic steel wires with true strains (ε) up to 5 are characterized. It is shown that both the dislocation densities and the vacancy cluster concentrations increase continuously with increasing ε. On the basis of the measured defect densities, values of defect hardening are estimated. The result shows that contributions of the defect hardening to the total tensile strength of the wires reach nearly 40 pct, which is mainly ascribed to the dislocation hardening. Chemical surroundings of the defects in the carbon-rich ferrite are investigated by coincidence Doppler broadening spectroscopy. The association of carbon with the defects in ferrite is demonstrated.     

Precipitation of VC in ferrite and pearlite during direct transformation of a medium carbon microalloyed steel

Transmission electron microscopy of an air-cooled medium carbon (0.5 wt pct) steel containing 0.1 wt pct vanadium has shown that VC precipitates by the interphase mecha-nism during transformation to both proeutectoid and pearlitic ferrite. Depending upon the rate of transformation, a considerable proportion of the available vanadium may remain in supersaturated solid solution and can be precipitated as VC upon subsequent aging at 700°C. It was found that the proportion of proeutectoid ferrite, the interlamellae pearlite spac-ings and the VC precipitate dispersion parameters all decreased with increasing cooling rate in as-transformed material. G. FRIMODIG were formerly undergraduate students     

High temperature plastic-flow behavior of mixtures of austenite,cementite, ferrite,and pearlite in plain-carbon steels

The plastic-flow behavior of ferrite + pearlite, pearlite + cementite, and austenite + cementite mixtures in plain carbon steels has been examined over the temperature range 500 to 1050 °C, strain-rate range 6 x l0⁻⁶ to 2 x l0⁻² s⁻¹, and carbon range 0.005C to 1.89C. Up to the eutectoid temperature the strength of the ferrite + pearlite mixture more than doubles as the carbon content increases from 0.005C to 0.7C, so that whereas in low-carbon steels the ferrite is weaker than the higher temperature austenite phase, in eutectoid steels the fully pearlitic structure is stronger than the fully austenitic structure. Manganese and silicon strengthen ferrite more effectively than they do austenite. A 0.17 pct phosphorus addition strengthens the ferrite + pearlite mixture across the range of microstructures from fully ferritic to fully pearlitic. Beyond the eutectoid composition, the amount of proeutectoid cementite does not significantly affect the strength of the pearlite, but above the eutectoid temperature it appreciably strengthens the austenite and cementite mixture at the strain rate of 2 X 10^-2 s^-1.     

Degradation of mechanical properties after 100° to 250 °c storage of 25 μm Al-1 pct Si microelectronic interconnect wire

Degradation of mechanical properties of 25 μm Al-1 pct Si wire stored at 100° to 250 °C in an air atmosphere has been investigated utilizing mechanical, structural, and kinetic approaches. Forty pct of the strength of wires stored at 100 °C and 90 pct of the strength of wires stored at 250 °C disappeared within the first twenty-four (24) hours. Elongation measurements showed that the wire can be embrittled at temperatures as low as 200 °C within twenty-four (24) hours, and elongation can decrease to less than 1 pct within this time at 200 °C. Scanning electron micrographs of electro-polished wire revealed particles distributed throughout the wire which increase in size as a function of annealing time and temperature. A kinetic analysis showed that the particle coarsening was controlled by a 97 ±34 kJ/mole activation energy process. These observations are consistent with earlier findings^1,2,3 that silicon coarsens in aluminum with an activation energy of 118 ±8 kJ/mole. We therefore attribute the degradation of mechanical properties to the coarsening of silicon in aluminum wire. It has not been previously shown that this process proceeds during air storage and in the 100° to 250 °C temperature ranee.     

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.     

A Mechanical,Microstructural, and Damage Study of Various Tailor Hot Stamped Material Conditions Consisting of Martensite,Bainite, Ferrite,and Pearlite

This paper examines the mechanical, microstructural, and damage characteristics of five different material conditions that were created using the tailored hot stamping process with in-die heating. The tailored material conditions, TMC1 to TMC5 (softest-hardest), were created using die temperatures ranging from 700 °C to 400 °C, respectively. The tensile strength (and total elongation) ranged from 615 MPa (0.24) for TMC1 to 1122 MPa (0.11) for TMC5. TMC3 and TMC4 exhibited intermediate strength levels, with almost no increase in total elongation relative to TMC5. FE-SEM microscopy was used to quantify the mixed-phase microstructures, which ranged in volume fractions of ferrite, pearlite, bainite, and martensite. High-resolution optical microscopy was used to quantify void accumulation and showed that the total void area fraction at ~ 0.60 thickness strain was low for TMC1 and TMC5 (~ 0.09 pct) and highest for TMC3 (0.31 pct). Damage modes were characterized and revealed that the poor damage behavior of TMC3 (martensite/bainite/ferrite composition) was a result of small martensitic grains forming at grain boundaries and grain boundary junctions, which facilitated void nucleation as shown by the highest measured void density for this particular material condition. The excellent ductility of TMC1 was a result of a large grained ferritic/pearlitic microstructure that was less susceptible to void nucleation and growth. Large titanium nitride (TiN) inclusions were observed in all of the tailored material conditions and it was shown that they noticeably contributed to the total void accumulation, specifically for the TMC3 and TMC4 material conditions.     

A Novel Ni-Containing Powder Metallurgy Steel with Ultrahigh Impact,Fatigue, and Tensile Properties

The impact toughness of powder metallurgy (PM) steel is typically inferior, and it is further impaired when the microstructure is strengthened. To formulate a versatile PM steel with superior impact, fatigue, and tensile properties, the influences of various microstructures, including ferrite, pearlite, bainite, and Ni-rich areas, were identified. The correlations between impact toughness with other mechanical properties were also studied. The results demonstrated that ferrite provides more resistance to impact loading than Ni-rich martensite, followed by bainite and pearlite. However, Ni-rich martensite presents the highest transverse rupture strength (TRS), fatigue strength, tensile strength, and hardness, followed by bainite, pearlite, and ferrite. With 74 pct Ni-rich martensite and 14 pct bainite, Fe-3Cr-0.5Mo-4Ni-0.5C steel achieves the optimal combination of impact energy (39 J), TRS (2170 MPa), bending fatigue strength at 2 × 10⁶ cycles (770 MPa), tensile strength (1323 MPa), and apparent hardness (38 HRC). The impact energy of Fe-3Cr-0.5Mo-4Ni-0.5C steel is twice as high as those of the ordinary high-strength PM steels. These findings demonstrate that a high-strength PM steel with high-toughness can be produced by optimized alloy design and microstructure.     

Chromium partitioning during isothermal transformation of a eutectoid steel

Partitioning of chromium between ferrite and cementite during the isothermal decomposition of austenite to pearlitic or pearlitic/bainitic decomposition products has been studied in a 1.4 wt pct Cr eutectoid steel using analytical electron microscopy on two-stage extraction replicas. Chromium was observed to segregate preferentially to cementite at the pearlite reaction front for temperatures in the range 730 to 550 °C. Although the extent of partitioning decreased with decreasing reaction temperature, a no-partition temperature could not be identified for the steel. It is clear that previous studies on thin foils have underestimated the temperature range over which partitioning of chromium can occur. At high reaction temperatures measured values of pearlite growth rates were found to be in excellent agreement with those calculated, using the assumption that phase boundary diffusion of chromium was rate controlling. At lower reaction temperatures models based on volume diffusion of carbon and on phase boundary diffusion of chromium both gave reasonable predictions of measured growth rates. However, it seems likely that solute drag effects influence pearlite growth at temperatures in the austenite bay region which the chromium addition produces in the T.T.T. diagram. Measurements made on upper bainite which co-existed with pearlite following transformation at 500 and 550 °C showed that preferential partitioning of chromium to cementite did not occur during this reaction. Formerly Graduate Student, University of Manchester     

Precipitation and fine structure in medium-carbon vanadium and vanadium/niobium microalloyed steels

Hot-rolled and continuously cooled, medium-carbon microalloyed steels containing 0.2 or 0.4 pct C with vanadium (0.15 pct) or vanadium (0.15 pct) plus niobium (0.04 pct) additions were investigated with light and transmission electron microscopy. Energy dispersive spectroscopy in a scanning transmission electron microscope was conducted on precipitates of the 0.4 pct C steel with vanadium and niobium additions. The vanadium steels contained fine interphase precipitates within ferrite, pearlite nodules devoid of interphase precipitates, and fine ferritic transformation twins. The vanadium plus niobium steels contained large Nb-rich precipitates, precipitates which formed in cellular arrays on deformed austenite substructure and contained about equal amounts of niobium and vanadium, and V-rich interphase precipitates. Transformation twins in the ferrite and interphase precipitates in the pearlitic ferrite were not observed in either of the steels containing both microalloying elements. Consistent with the effect of higher C concentrations on driving the microalloying precipitation reactions, substructure precipitation was much more frequently observed in the 0.4C-V-Nb steel than in the 0.2C-V-Nb steel, both in the ferritic and pearlitic regions of the microstructure. Also, superposition of interphase and substructure precipitation was more frequently observed in the high-C-V-Nb steel than in the similar low-C steel.     

Development of microstructural banding in low-alloy steel with simulated Mn segregation

The development of microstructural banding in low-alloy steel with Mn segregation has been investigated through the use of artificially segregated steel, interrupted cooling techniques, and optical microscopy. Mn segregation was simulated by hot roll bonding thin sheets of 5140 steel with 0.82 wt pct Mn and modified 5140M with 1.83 wt pct Mn into a plate with 20- and 160-μm-thick segregated layers. Samples were austenitized at 850 °C, continuously cooled at 1 °C/s and 0.1 °C/s, and quenched from progressively lower temperatures to observe the evolution of the microstructure. The segregated band thickness had a striking effect on microstructural development. Samples with 160 μm bands cooled at 1 °C/s had martensite and bainite in high-Mn bands. In contrast, samples with 20 μm bands cooled at the same rate had pearlite in high-Mn bands. The dramatic effect of band thickness on microstructural development was due to growth of a fully pearlitic band at the interface between segregated layers. The formation of interfacial pearlite is discussed relative to redistribution of carbon between adjacent high- and low-Mn bands during cooling.     

Influence of Microstructural Length Scale on the Strength and Annealing Behavior of Pearlite, Bainite, and Martensite

A medium carbon steel containing 0.4 pct C, 2.9 pct Mn, and 1.9 pct Si (wt. pct) was heat treated to produce pearlitic, bainitic, and martensitic microstructures. The three microstructures were cold rolled to large strains in order to investigate the change in strength/hardness as a result of the refinement of the microstructural length scale due to plastic deformation. The results show that the hardness does not saturate in any of the above microstructures, implying that geometric strengthening plays an important role not only in lamellar microstructures such as pearlite, but also in lath-type microstructures such as bainite and martensite. Low temperature annealing of the deformed microstructures revealed that they are very resistant to recrystallization.     

Effects of thermomechanical treatments on the mechanical behavior of eutectoid steel

High strength, good ductility, and superior fatigue behavior were produced in fully pearlitic steel by thermomechanical treatments (TMT) in which heavy amounts of cold rolling were followed by rapid annealing above theA ₁ temperature. Alignment of the cementite fibers in a soft ferrite matrix by TMT gives a number of beneficial effects on mechanical behavior without the brittleness inherent to cold rolling alone. A linear regression equation was developed to quantitatively relate prior austenite grain size and interlamellar spacing with the yield strength. TMT involving lower annealing temperatures for short times resulted in optimal fatigue behavior relative to both random coarse pearlite and 75 pct cold rolled pearlite. This superiority was manifested by higher fatigue ratios (stress at 10⁷ cycles/UTS) and higherS/N curves normalized with respect to either UTS or hardness. Transverse samples showed better fatigue strength than longitudinal ones because of anisotropy in both mechanical fibering of the microstructure and in the crystallographic texture of the ferrite matrix.     

Cold-Drawn Bioabsorbable Ferrous and Ferrous Composite Wires: An Evaluation of Mechanical Strength and Fatigue Durability

Yield strengths exceeding 1 GPa with elastic strains exceeding 1 pct were measured in novel bioabsorbable wire materials comprising high-purity iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), magnesium (Mn), and zinc (Zn), which may enable the development of self-expandable, bioabsorbable, wire-based endovascular stents. The high strength of these materials is attributed to the fine microstructure and fiber textures achieved through cold drawing techniques. Bioabsorbable vascular stents comprising nutrient metal compositions may provide a means to overcome the limitations of polymer-based bioabsorbable stents such as excessive strut thickness and poor degradation rate control. Thin, 125-μm wires comprising combinations of ferrous alloys surrounding a relatively anodic nonferrous core were manufactured and tested using monotonic and cyclic techniques. The strength and durability properties are tested in air and in body temperature phosphate-buffered saline, and then they were compared with cold-drawn 316L stainless steel wire. The antiferromagnetic Fe35Mn-Mg composite wire exhibited more than 7 pct greater elasticity (1.12 pct vs 1.04 pct engineering strain), similar fatigue strength in air, an ultimate strength of more than 1.4 GPa, and a toughness exceeding 35 mJ/mm³ compared with 30 mJ/mm³ for 316L.     

Microstructural Engineering in Eutectoid Steel: A Technological Possibility?

Eutectoid wire rods were subjected to controlled thermo-mechanical processing (TMP). Both increased cooling rate and applied stress during the austenite-to-pearlite decomposition produced significant changes in the microstructure: major increases in the pearlite’s axial alignment and minor decreases in the interlamellar spacing. The pearlite alignment was correlated with changes in the ferrite crystallographic texture and the state of residual stress. Microstructural engineering, improved axial alignment of pearlite, through controlled TMP gave a fourfold increase in torsional ductility. TMP of eutectoid steel thus appears to have interesting technological possibilities.