Reheat response and accelerated cooling of a microalloyed steel with an air/water atomizer: Effect on microstructure and mechanical properties

The use of an atomizer for accelerated cooling is discussed. An atomizer is an effective tool for controlling the microstructure and properties of a microalloyed steel because of its flexibility of operation and control of cooling rate over a broad range of temperatures. Some basic issues regarding heat transfer in pool boiling and in spray cooling also are presented. Reheating response studies were conducted in addition to studies of the effect of accelerated cooling on the microstructure and properties of a low- carbon steel microalloyed with niobium and vanadium. This steel produces a tempered martensitic microstructure on quenching and a predominantly bainitic microstructure at slower cooling rates. The yield, tensile, and fracture strengths can be tailored by controlling the cooling rate, which in turn can be controlled by the air/water ratio and flow rates in the atomizer. Impact toughness is a function of cooling rate and reaches a maximum followed by a decrease,probably due to the formation of upper bainite at lower cooling rates. Fractographic studies indicated that tensile fracture occurred by microvoid coalescence, with the dimple size decreasing as the cooling rate decreased. Charpy impact fracture studies indicated that the primary mode of failure was by quasi- cleavage, with the number of secondary cracks also decreasing as the cooling rate decreased.