Carbide precipitation behavior and mechanical properties of micro-alloyed medium Mn steel

The carbide precipitation behavior and mechanical properties of advanced high strength steel deformed at different temperatures are investigated by X-ray diffractometer(XRD),scanning electron microscope(SEM),transmission electron microscope(TEM) equipped with an energy dispersing spectroscopy(EDS),and tensile tests.The medium Mn steel was subjected to controlled deformation up to 70% at 750℃,850℃,950℃,and 1050℃,and then quenched with water to room temperature,followed by intercritical annealing at 630℃ for 10 min.In comparison with the undeformed and quenched specimen,it can be concluded that acicular cementite precipitates during the quenching and cooling process,while granular NbC is the deformation induced precipitate and grows during the following annealing process.As the deformation temperature increases from 750℃ to 1050℃,the product of strength and elongation increases at first and then decreases.The smallest average size of second phase particles(20 nm) and the best mechanical properties(32.5 GPa%) can be obtained at the deformation temperature of 950℃.

Characterizations of Dynamic Strain-induced Transformation in Low Carbon Steel

Dynamic strain-induced transformation of the low carbon steel Q（235） at 770℃ and 850℃ leads to fine ferrite grains. The microstructure characterization and mechanism of the fine ferrite grain were studied by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM） and electron backscattered diffraction （EBSD） technique. The results show that strain-induced microstructure is the mixed microstructure of ferrite and pearlite, with cementite randomly distributed on ferrite grain boundaries and the grains interiors. EBSD images of grain boundaries demonstrate that high angle grain boundaries （HAGBs） are dominant in both of the deformation induced microstructures occurring below and above A（e3） , with only a few low angle grain boundaries （LAGBs） existing in the grain interiors. It implies that the dynamic strain-induced transformation （DSIT） happens above and below A（e3） temperature and has the same phase transition mechanisms. The refinement of ferrite is the cooperative effect of DSIT and continuous dynamic recrystallization （CDRX） of ferrite. Besides, DSIT is deemed as an incomplete carbon diffusion phase transition through the analysis of microstructure and the previous simulated results. The strengths of the Q（235） steel with refined ferrite and pearlite structure get doubled than the initial state without treated by DSIT and the residual stress in the refined structure is partly responsible for the ductility loss.