In this research, the effects of Mn and Si concentration and that of the isothermal intercritical holding temperature on the austenite-to-ferrite (c fi a) and the martensite-to-austenite (a¢ fi c) phase transformations are studied for a series of Fe-C-Mn-Si steels with up to 7 wt pct Mn. The model is based on the local equilibrium (LE) concept. The model predictions are compared to experimental observations. It is found that the austenite volume fraction at the end of intercritical annealing depends significantly on the initial microstructure. For Mn concentrations between 3 and 7 wt pct, the LE model is qualitatively correct. However, at higher Mn levels the discrepancy between the predicted austenite fractions and the experimental values increases, in particular for the a¢ fi c transformation. Intragrain nucleation is held responsible for the higher austenite fractions observed experimentally. Silicon is found have a much smaller effect on the kinetics of the intercritical annealing than Mn.

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In this research, in situ high-temperature electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) mapping is applied to record and analyze the migration of the α/γ interfaces during cyclic austenite–ferrite phase transformations in a medium manganese steel. The experimental study is supplemented with related 3D phase field (PF) simulations to better understand the 2D EBSD observations in the context of the 3D transformation events taking place below the surface. The in situ EBSD observations and PF simulations show an overall transformation behavior qualitatively similar to that measured in dilatometry. The behavior and kinetics of individual austenite–ferrite interfaces during the transformation is found to have a wide scatter around the average interface behavior deduced on the basis of the dilatometric measurements. The trajectories of selected characteristic interfaces are analyzed in detail and yield insight into the effect of local conditions in the vicinity of interfaces on their motion, as well as the misguiding effects of 2D observations of processes taking place in 3D.

Formation of the microstructural ferrite/pearlite bands in medium Mn steels is an undesirable phenomenon commonly addressed through fast cooling treatments. In this study, a novel approach using the cyclic partial phase transformation concept is applied successfully to prevent microstructural band formation in a micro-chemically banded Fe-C-Mn-Si steel. The effectiveness of the new approach is assessed using the ASTM E1268-01 standard. The cyclic intercritical treatments lead to formation of isotropic microstructures even for cooling rates far below the critical one determined in conventional continuous cooling. In contrast, isothermal intercritical experiments have no effect on the critical cooling rate to suppress microstructural band formation. The origin of the suppression of band formation either by means of fast cooling or a cyclic partial phase transformation is investigated in detail. Theoretical modeling and microstructural observations confirm that band formation is suppressed only if the intercritical annealing treatment leads to partial reversion of the austenite-ferrite interfaces. The resulting interfacial Mn enrichment is responsible for suppression of the band formation upon final cooling at low cooling rates.