Austenite decomposition during continuous cooling of an HSLA-80 plate steel

Decomposition of fine-grained austenite (10-μm grain size) during continuous cooling of an HSLA-80 plate steel (containing 0.05C, 0.50Mn, 1.12Cu, 0.88Ni, 0.71Cr, and 0.20Mo) was evaluated by dilatometric measurements, light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and microhardness testing. Between 750 °C and 600 °C, austenite transforms primarily to polygonal ferrite over a wide range of cooling rates, and Widmanst?tten ferrite sideplates frequently evolve from these crystals. Carbon-enriched islands of austenite transform to a complex mixture of granular ferrite, acicular ferrite, and martensite (all with some degree of retained austenite) at cooling rates greater than approximately 5 °C/s. Granular and acicular ferrite form at temperatures slightly below those at which polygonal and Widmanst?tten ferrite form. At cooling rates less than approximately 5 °C/s, regions of carbon-enriched austenite transform to a complex mixture of upper bainite, lower bainite, and martensite (plus retained austenite) at temperatures which are over 100 °C lower than those at which polygonal and Widmanst?tten ferrite form. Interphase precipitates of copper form only in association with polygonal and Widmanst?tten ferrite. Kinetic and microstruc-tural differences between Widmanst?tten ferrite, acicular ferrite, and bainite (both upper and lower) suggest different origins and/or mechanisms of formation for these morphologically similar austenite transformation products. Formerly Graduate Student, Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Colorado School of Mines. This article is based on a presentation made during TMS/ASM Materials Week in the symposium entitled “Atomistic Mechanisms of Nucleation and Growth in Solids,” organized in honor of H.I. Aaronson’s 70th Anniversary and given October 3–5, 1994, in Rosemont, Illinois.     

Effect of composition and austenite deformation on the transformation characteristics of low-carbon and ultralow-carbon microalloyed steels

Deformation dilatometry has been used to simulate controlled hot rolling followed by controlled cooling of a group of low- and ultralow-carbon microalloyed steels containing additions of boron and/or molybdenum to enhance hardenability. Each alloy was subjected to simulated recrystallization and nonrecrystallization rolling schedules, followed by controlled cooling at rates from 0.1 °C/s to about 100 °C/s, and the corresponding continuous-cooling-transformation (CCT) diagrams were constructed. The resultant microstructures ranged from polygonal ferrite (PF) for combinations of slow cooling rates and low alloying element contents, through to bainitic ferrite accompanied by martensite for fast cooling rates and high concentrations of alloying elements. Combined additions of boron and molybdenum were found to be most effective in increasing steel hardenability, while boron was significantly more effective than molybdenum as a single addition, especially at the ultralow carbon content. Severe plastic deformation of the parent austenite (>0.45) markedly enhanced PF formation in those steels in which this microstructural constituent was formed, indicating a significant effective decrease in their hardenability. In contrast, in those steels in which only nonequilibrium ferrite microstructures were formed, the decreases in hardenability were relatively small, reflecting the lack of sensitivity to strain in the austenite of those microstructural constituents forming in the absence of PF.     

Microstructure Evolution During Hot Deformation of a Micro-Alloyed Steel

In the present investigation, hot deformation by uniaxial compression of a microalloyed steel has been carried out, using a deformation dilatometer, after homogenization at 1200 °C for 20 min up to strains of 0.4, 0.8 and 1.2 at different temperatures of 900, 1000 and 1100 °C, at a constant strain rate of 2 s^?1 followed by water quenching. In all the deformation conditions, initiation of dynamic recrystallization (DRX) is observed, however, stress peaks are not observed in the specimens deformed at 900 and 1000 °C. The specimens deformed at 900 °C showed a combination of acicular ferrite (AF) and bainite (B) microstructure. There is an increase in the acicular ferrite fraction with increase in strain at all these deformation temperatures. At high deformation temperature of 1100 °C, coarsening of DRXed grains is observed. This is attributed to the common limitations involved in fast quenching of the DRXed microstructure, which leads to increase in grain size by metadynamic recrystallization (MDRX). The strain free prior austenite grains promote the formation of large fraction of both bainite and martensite in the transformed microstructures during cooling. The length and width of bainitic ferrite laths also increases with increase in deformation temperature from 900 to 1100 °C and decrease in deformation strain.     

Continuous cooling transformation kinetics of thermomechanically worked low-carbon austenite

Continuous cooling transformation diagrams were determined for molybdenum-boron steels containing 0.24, 0.4, and 0.66 pct Mo with 0.1 pct C, and also 0.4 pct Mo with 0.2 pct C, after thermomechanically working by compressive deformation to 12, 25, and 50 pct reduction at 830°C (1525°F), as well as for the steels in the underformed condition. In underformed specimens, higher carbon or molybdenum decreased the limiting cooling rate for the avoidance of polygonal ferrite formation. The same was true for deformed specimens, although increased deformation raised the limiting cooling rates of all compositions. The limiting cooling rate for polygonal ferrite formation increased exponentially with austenite, deformation, as measured by true strain. Thermomechanical working also raised bainite start temperatures at fast cooling rates and caused small increases in martensite start temperatures.     

Simulation of the hot rolling and accelerated cooling of a C-Mn ferrite-bainite strip steel

By means of torsion testing, the microstructures and mechanical properties produced in a 0.14 Pct C-1.18 Pct Mn steel were investigated over a wide range of hot-rolling conditions, cooling rates, and simulated coiling temperatures. The austenite grain size present before accelerated cooling was varied from 10 to 150 μm by applying strains of 0 to 0.8 at temperatures of 850 °C to 1050 °C. Two cooling rates, 55 °C/s and 90 °C/s, were used. Cooling was interrupted at temperatures ranging from 550 °C to 300 °C. Optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were employed to investigate the microstructures. The mechanical properties were studied by means of tensile testing. When a fine austenite grain size was present before cooling and a high cooling rate (90 °C/s) was used, the microstructure was composed of ferrite plus bainite and a mixture of ferrite and cementite, which may have formed by an interphase mechanism. The use of a lower cooling rate (55 °C/s) led to the presence of ferrite and fine pearlite. In both cases, the cooling interruption temperature and the amount of prior strain had little influence on the mechanical properties. Reheating at 1050 °C, which led to the presence of very coarse austenite, resulted in a stronger influence of the interruption temperature. A method developed at Institut de Recherche Sidérurgique (IRSID, St. Germain-en-Laye, France) for deducing the Continuous-Cooling-Transformation (CCT) diagrams from the cooling data was adapted to the present apparatus and used successfully to interpret the observed influence of the process parameters.     

Precipitation of Nb in Ferrite After Austenite Conditioning. Part I: Microstructural Characterization

While the role of Nb during the processing of austenite is quite clear, what happens in subsequent stages to the concentration of this element left in solution is subject to some debate. In particular, some uncertainty still subsists concerning the eventual homogeneous precipitation in Nb supersaturated polygonal ferrite. The present work was aimed at clarifying the precipitation sequence of Nb during coiling, through a systematic work and a careful selection of the processing conditions in order to produce different scenarios concerning the initial state of Nb. A Nb-microalloyed steel was thermomechanically processed in the laboratory followed by simulated coiling at different temperatures in the 873?K to 1023?K (600?°C to 750?°C) range. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed interphase precipitation of NbC at high coiling temperatures, while at 873?K (600?°C), homogeneous general precipitation took place in ferrite and followed a Baker?CNutting orientation relationship.     

Effect of Deformation on Continuous Cooling Phase Transformation Behaviors of 780 MPa Nb‐Ti Ultra‐High Strength Steel

For the purpose of achieving the reasonable rolling technology of 780 MPa hot‐rolled Nb‐Ti combined ultra‐high strength steel, the effect of deformation and microalloy elements Nb and Ti on phase transformation behaviors was investigated by thermal simulation experiment. The results indicated: the deformation promoted ferritic transformation; due to the carbon content of the experimental steel was lower (<0.12% wt), the deformation indirectly impacted perlitic transformation through promoting ferritic transformation; the effect of the deformation on bainitic transformation was subject to condition whether proeutectoid ferrite precipitated before bainitic transformation. At low cooling rate of 0.5 °C/s, Nb and Ti promote transformation process γ → α, but that not good for refining the ferrite grain; at high cooling rate of 25 °C/s, Nb and Ti to a certain extent promote bainitic transformation. The recrystallization stop temperature of experimental steel was greater than 1000 °C, and phase transformation point A_r3 was 764 °C. In order to obtain the fully bainite microstructure in the practical rolling process, the cooling rate should be controlled above 15 °C/s, the start finish rolling temperature between 950–980 °C, the finishing temperature between 830–850 °C, the coiling temperature between 450–550 °C.     

Development of Ultrafine-Grained Dual-Phase Steels: Mechanism of Grain Refinement During Intercritical Deformation

Heavy deformation of metastable austenite (below A_e3) or both austenite and ferrite in the two-phase region (between A_r3 and A_r1) is known to develop an ultrafine ferrite grain structure with an average grain size of less than 3 μm. Different dynamic softening mechanisms, such as dynamic recovery, dynamic recrystallization, and dynamic strain-induced austenite→ferrite transformation (DSIT), are responsible for such grain refinement. However, the sequence of those metallurgical events and the temperature range over which any particular mechanism dominates is not yet well understood. The current study throws some light on this aspect by applying heavy, single-pass compressive deformation (with true strain of 1.0) on the microalloyed steel samples over a temperature range of 1173 K to 873 K (900 °C to 600 °C) using a Gleeble simulator (Dynamic Systems Inc., Poestenkill, NY) and water quenching the samples immediately after deformation. The current study showed the dominating effect of the following mechanisms with respect to the deformation temperature: (1) DSIT followed by conventional dynamic recrystallization (Conv-DRX) of ferrite at higher deformation temperatures (≥1073 K [800 °C]), (2) extended recovery and continuous dynamic recrystallization (Cont-DRX) of ferrite at intermediate deformation temperatures (~1023 K [750 °C]), and (3) simple dynamic recovery of ferrite at lower deformation temperatures (≤923 K [650 °C]).     

Heredity Characteristic From Hot Rolled Microstructure to Annealed Microstructure in High Strength TRIP Steels

 The influence of hot-rolled process on microstructure in TRIP steel and the heredity characteristic from the hot-rolled microstructure to annealed microstructure are investigated. The results show there are two kind of hot-rolled microstructures under different coiling temperatures. One is composed of coarse grains of ferrite, pearlite and bainite, and the other is composed of small grains of ferrite, bainite and austenite. After annealing, the first kind of hot-rolled microstructure is greatly refined, and volume fraction, carbon content of austenite increase significantly. However, it have little changes in grain size, volume fraction and carbon content of austenite after the second kind of hot-rolled sheet is annealed. There are also differences in distribution of retained austenite between the two annealed microstructures observed by EBSD and TEM technology. Retained austenite in the first annealed microstructure distributes mainly inside of the polygonal ferrite in the form of spot, only little retained austenite on bainte ferrite boundary, however retained austenite in the second annealing microstructure allocates several places, such as inside of polygonal ferrite, on polygonal ferrite boundary, on bainte ferrite boundary.     

Effect of Thermomechanical Processing on Microstructures of TRIP Steel

 In order to control retained austenite, the effect of hot deformation in the intercritical region on the microstructure of hot rolled transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) steel was studied on a Gleeble 1500 hot simulator. Compressive strains varying in amounts from 0 to 60% were imposed in the intercritical region, and effects on the formation of polygonal ferrite, carbide free bainite and retained austenite were determined. With increasing the hot deformation amount and the ferrite content and decreasing the carbide free bainite content, the volume fraction of retained austenite decreases. Increased dislocation density, grain refinement of ferrite and carbon enrichment are the main factors which control retained austenite stability.     

Effect of the Charging Temperature on the Hot Ductility of Nb‐Containing Steel in the Simulated Hot Charge Process

In order to develop a comprehensive understanding of the effect of hot charging temperature on the hot ductility of a Nb‐containing steel, direct hot charging process was simulated by using a Gleeble thermo stress/strain machine. Three kinds of thermal histories were introduced to assess the hot ductility of the steel during continuously cast, hot charging, and cold charging process by means of hot tensile test in relation to surface cracking of hot charging processed steel slabs. The ductility of the specimens charged at the temperature within the range of ferrite/austenite two‐phase region and charged at the temperature just below the A_r1 of the steel is largely reduced. These results can be ascribed to the retained ferrite films at the boundaries of austenite encouraging voiding at the boundaries and these voids gradually link up to give failure around 750°C, and the combination of inhogeneous austenite grain size and precipitations aggravating the ductility trough by encouraging grain boundary sliding at 950°C. The steel via the conventional cold charge process experienced a complete phase transformation from austenite to ferrite and pearlite structure during the cooling to the ambient temperature. This steel can be charged into a reheating furnace and rolled without experiencing hot embrittlement due to the recrystallization and the precipitates are trapped inside a newly formed grain of austenite. In comparison with the hot ductility results, the hot tensile strength is only slight influenced by the charging temperature.     

Improving properties of a low-carbon microalloyed steel by means of accelerated cooling of dynamically recrystallized austenite

Ferrite formation from the ultra-fine dynamically recrystallized austenite (d_γ < 5 μm) was investigated on a microalloyed steel with 0.11%C. Hot rolling conditions were simulated by the hot deformation simulator Wumsi. Due to accelerated cooling a corresponding fine homogeneous ferrite grain of d_α < 2 μm was achieved with a pearlite free acicular microstructure after a cooling rate of more than 20 K/s. Excellent mechanical properties (2.0% proof stress of over 700 MPa and impact transition temperature of -180°C) were obtained, superior to those after thermomechanical processing of the same steel without dynamic recrystallization of the low-temperature austenite.     

Microstructural evolution during thermomechanical processing of a Ti-Nb interstitial-free steel just below the Ar 3 temperature

Laboratory thermomechanical processing (TMP) experiments have been carried out to study the austenite transformation characteristics, precipitation behavior, and recrystallization of deformed ferrite for an interstitial-free (IF) steel in the temperature range just below Ar ₃. For cooling rates in the range 0.1 °C s⁻¹ to 130 °C s⁻¹, austenite transforms to either polygonal ferrite (PF) or massive ferrite (MF). The transformation temperatures vary systematically with cooling rate and austenite condition. There is indirect evidence that the transformation rates for both PF and MF are decreased by the presence of substitutional solute atoms and precipitate particles. When unstable austenite is deformed at 850 °C, it transforms to an extremely fine strain-induced MF. Under conditions of high supersaturation of Ti, Nb, and S, (Ti,Nb) _x S _y precipitates form at 850 °C as coprecipitates on pre-existing (Ti,Nb)N particles and as discrete precipitates within PF grains. Pre-existing intragranular (Ti,Nb) _x S _y precipitates retard recrystallization and grain coarsening of PF deformed at 850 °C and result in a stable, recovered subgrain structure. The results are relevant to the design of TMP schedules for warm rolling of IF steels.     

控轧控冷TRIP钢的微观相组成及其与力学性能的关系

采用电子背散射衍射技术等实验方法,研究了控轧控冷工艺制备的铌钒微合金化C-Mn-Si系热轧TRIP钢的显微组织及相组成,并分析了与其对应的力学性能.奥氏体轧制过程中的热变形及随后的冷却工艺对最终各相组织的形貌、大小和分布都有直接影响,并决定TRIP钢最终的力学性能.对TRIP钢卷取温度的模拟结果显示,与450和350℃模拟卷取温度相比,400℃模拟卷取温度能使该钢获得更好的综合力学性能.      

奥氏体状态对 Mn-Cr 齿轮钢连续冷却相变组织的影响

使用Cleeblel500热模拟试验机研究了成分(%)为：0.23C,0.74Mn,0.90Cr 齿轮钢奥氏体晶粒尺 寸和变形(真应变量0.4)对连续冷却相变组织的影响和连续转变冷却(CCT)曲线。实验结果表明,当齿轮钢 未变形时,获得完全多边形铁素体+珠光体混合组织的临界冷速为0.5~1℃/s,冷速较快时,中温相变产物 由贝氏体及针状铁素体组成;奥氏体变形时,多边形铁素体相变开始温度升高,获得完全多边形铁素体+珠光 体混合组织冷速增大,为1~2℃/s,中温相变产物没有出现贝氏体,只有针状铁素体。     

Comparative Study on Austenite Decomposition and Cu Precipitation During Continuous Cooling Transformation

The nature of Cu precipitation during continuous cooling of austenite is an essential issue in thermomechanical processing of Cu-bearing high-strength low-alloyed steel. The Cu precipitation behaviors and microstructural evolution are comparatively studied at two representative cooling rates of 0.1 and 10 K/s using dilatometry, optical microscopy, transmission electron microscope, and atom probe tomography. The microstructure developed at the cooling rate of 0.1 K/s contains a variety of microconstituents of polygonal ferrite, acicular ferrite, bainite, martensite, and retained austenite, which is attributed to the varying concentrations of untransformed austenite and consequently changing austenite decomposition kinetics. The Cu precipitation occurs only in association with polygonal ferrite transformation by interphase precipitation mechanism. No Cu precipitates are detected in acicular ferrite, retained austenite, and martensite. At the cooling rate of 10 K/s, the microstructure is dominated by acicular ferrite dispersed with the C-Ni precipitates that are assumed to be formed on the retained austenite. The Cu precipitation generally occurs from aging because of the high temperature and supersaturated austenite in association with acicular ferrite transformation. The nature of Cu precipitation in different cooling rates greatly depends on the initial composition or the extent of solute enrichment in the prior untransformed austenite and the associated phase transformation mechanisms, resulting in the differences in sizes, morphology, and compositions of Cu precipitation.     

Effects of Widmanstätten ferrite on the mechanical properties of a 0.2 pct C-0.7 pct Mn steel

Laboratory melted and rolled C-Mn steel plates were austenitized at either 925 °C or 1150 °C to produce nominal austenite grain sizes of 60 and 200 μm, resspectively. The plates were then cooled at rates in the range of about 2 °C/min to 400 °C/min to produce mixed polygonal ferrite/Widmanst?tten ferrite/pearlite microstructures. The percentage of Widmanst?tten structure (a Widmanst?tten ferrite/pearlite aggregate) increases with increasing prior austenite grain size and cooling rate. Both yield strength and impact toughness increase with decreasing austenite grain size and increasing cooling rate. This simultaneous improvement in strength and toughness is attributed to overall refinement of both the polygonal ferrite and Widmanst?tten structure. Both yield and tensile strength increase with an increase in the volume fraction of Widmanst?tten ferrite and a reduction in ferrite grain size. In contrast, the toughness level achieved in these polygonal ferrite/Widmanst?tten ferrite/pearlite microstructures depends largely on the ferrite grain size; the finer the grain size, the better the toughness.     

Microstructural evolution during the austenite-to-ferrite transformation from deformed austenite

It is well established that the ferrite grain size of low-carbon steel can be refined by hot rolling of the austenite at temperatures below the nonrecrystallization temperature (T _nr ). The strain retained in the austenite increases the number of ferrite nuclei present in the initial stages of transformation. In this work, a C-Mn-Nb steel has been heavily deformed by torsion at temperatures below the determined T _nr for this steel. After deformation, specimens are cooled at a constant cooling rate of 1 °C/s, and interrupted quenching at different temperatures is used to observe different stages of transformation. The transformation kinetics and the evolution of the ferrite grain size have been analyzed. It has been shown that the stored energy due to the accumulated deformation is able to influence the nucleation for low undercoolings by acting on the driving force for transformation; this influence becomes negligible as the temperature decreases. At the early stages of transformation, it has been observed that the preferential nucleation sites of ferrite are the austenite grain boundaries. At the later stages, when impingement becomes important, ferrite coarsening accompanies the transformation and a significant reduction in the number of the ferrite grains per unit volume is observed. As a result, a wide range of ferrite grain sizes is present in the final microstructure, which can influence the mechanical properties of the steel.     

Ferrite recrystallization and austenite formation in cold-rolled intercritically annealed steel

The recrystallization of ferrite and austenite formation during intercritical annealing were studied in a 0.08C-1.45Mn-0.21Si steel by light and transmission electron microscopy. Normalized specimens were cold rolled 25 and 50 pct and annealed between 650 °C and 760 °C. Recrystallization of the 50 pct deformed ferrite was complete within 30 seconds at 760 °C. Austenite formation initiated concurrently with the ferrite recrystallization and continued beyond complete recrystallization of the ferrite matrix. The recrystallization of the deformed ferrite and the spheroidization of the cementite in the deformed pearlite strongly influence the formation and distribution of austenite produced by intercritical annealing. Austenite forms first at the grain boundaries of unrecrystallized and elongated ferrite grains and the spheroidized cementite colonies associated with ferrite grain boundaries. Spheroidized cementite particles dispersed within recrystallized ferrite grains by deformation and annealing phenomena were the sites for later austenite formation.