Strain-aging of vanadium,niobium or titanium-strengthened high-strength low-alloy steels

Four commercially available high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steels were evaluated in this study. It was determined that all four steels were susceptible to strain-aging by interstitial solutes. The increase in strength due to strain-aging was similar to that observed in a low carbon steel studied for comparison. At high levels of prestrain, the percent loss in ductility in the HSLA steels was comparable to that observed in the low-carbon steel in specimens prestrained to the same fraction of the total elongation of the as-received metal. However, when considered on an absolute basis, the residual ductility in the HSLA steels was 25 to 50 pct of that observed in the low-carbon steel. The kinetics of strain-aging were briefly examined. Indications are that the kinetics are slower in the HSLA steels than they are in the low-carbon steel.