Development of Low-Alloyed Low-Carbon Multiphase Steels under Conditions Similar to Those Used in Continuous Annealing and Galvanizing Lines

Abstract

In the present work, a Cr+Mo+Si low-alloyed low-carbon steel was fabricated at laboratory scale and processed to produce multiphase advanced high-strength steels (AHSS), under thermal cycles similar to those used in a continuous annealing and galvanizing process. Cold-rolled steel samples with a microstructure constituted of pearlite, bainite, and martensite in a matrix ferrite, were subjected to an intercritical annealing (817.5 °C, 15 s) and further isothermal bainitic treatment (IBT) to investigate the effects of time (30 s, 60 s, and 120 s) and temperature (425 °C, 450 °C, and 475 °C) on the resulting microstructure and mechanical properties. Results of an in situ phase transformation analysis show that annealing in the two-phase region leads to a microstructure of ferrite + austenite; the latter transforms, on cooling to IBT, to pro-eutectoid ferrite and bainite, and the austenite-to-bainite transformation advanced during IBT holding. On final cooling to room temperature, austenite transforms to martensite, but a small amount is also retained in the microstructure. Samples with the lowest temperature and largest IBT time resulted in the highest ultimate tensile strength/ductility ratio (1230.6 MPa-16.0%), which allows to classify the steel within the third generation of AHSS. The results were related to the presence of retained austenite with appropriate stability against mechanically induced martensitic transformation.

Embrittlement Fracture Behavior and Mechanical Properties in Heat-Affected Zone of Welded Maraging Steel

“…Steel materials can be categorized based on room temperature (RT) tensile strength, σ B , into two types: (1) high-strength steel (HSS) [1] and advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) [2,3], used for plates and pipes in civil, building, ship, vessel, and vehicle construction [4][5][6] within general industrial structure sectors, and (2) ultra-high strength steel (UHSS) [1], employed in the manufacture of aircraft, space-rockets, dies, deep-sea submersibles, and centrifugal separators for uranium enrichment [7][8][9][10][11], pertinent to advanced technology sectors. The development of HSSs aims to enhance economic efficiency by minimizing material and construction costs.…”