Development and evaluation of a hot-rolled 780 MPa steel sheet with an ultra-high expansion ratio

This paper explores the development of a 780 MPa hot-rolled high-strength steel with an ultra-high hole expansion ratio(HER) by using a nanoprecipitation-controlled technology.Systematic analysis and evaluation of an industrially produced steel sheet have been performed to investigate the microstructure, nanoprecipitates, tensile properties, HER,bendability, and forming limit diagram.The newly developed 780 MPa hot-rolled high-strength steel sheet is composed of a fully ferritic microstructure of approximately 5 μm with precipitates of approximately 4-5 nm in ferrite grain interiors.The yield strength and tensile strength can reach above 700 and 780 MPa, respectively.Moreover, the fractured elongation is higher than 19% in the transversal direction, and the average HER exceeds 70%.Furthermore, the newly developed 780 MPa high-strength steel has good bendability reaching R/t=0.2 at 90°.Compared with the conventional 780 MPa high-strength steel, the newly developed 780 MPa high-strength steel exhibits superior forming ability, which is suitable for the production of complex components.High-cycle fatigue indicates that the fatigue limit of the newly developed high-strength steel is 430 MPa under a stress ratio of r=-1,indicating good fatigue properties.The excellent combined mechanical properties of the newly developed 780 MPa high-strength steel are attributed to the grain-refined ferritic microstructure with nanoprecipitates in ferrite grain interiors.

Evaluation of factors affecting the edge formability of two hot rolled multiphase steels

In this study, the effect of various factors on the hole expansion ratio and hence on the edge formability of two hot rolled multiphase steels, one with a ferrite–martensite microstructure and the other with a ferrite-bainite microstructure, was investigated through systematic microstructural and mechanical characterization. The study revealed that the microstructure of the steels, which determines their strain hardening capacity and fracture resistance, is the principal factor controlling edge formability. The influence of other factors such as tensile strength, ductility, anisotropy, and thickness, though present, are secondary. A critical evaluation of the available empirical models for hole expansion ratio prediction is also presented.

Development of a hot-rolled 980 MPa advanced high-strength steel with excellent flangeability and bendability

A new 980 MPa advanced high-strength steel(AHSS) with excellent bendability and flangeability has been studied and industrially produced, typical of tensile strength, fractured elongation, and hole expansion ratio(HER) exceeding 980 MPa, 10%,and 30%,respectively.The 90° V-type bending perpendicular to the rolling direction can satisfy the R/t=1.0 requirement, indicating excellent bendability.Systematic evaluations of industrial trial-produced 980 MPa hot-rolled AHSS have been conducted, including microstructure, tensile properties in three directions, HER,bendability, fatigue limit strength, and forming limit.The microstructure of the newly developed 980 MPa AHSS primarily consists of fine bainite and a small amount of martensite-austenite constituent.The practical yield and tensile strength are higher than 800 and 980 MPa, respectively, with typical elongation of 13% and HER of around 40%.The good combination of the newly developed 980 MPa AHSS is primarily attributed to the fine bainitic microstructure, resulting in excellent flangeability and bendability.In addition, the newly developed 980 MPa AHSS has good fatigue and forming properties, making it suitable for the production of chassis and suspension components.

Microstructure, property and deformation and fracture behavior of 800 MPa complex phase steel with different coiling temperatures

The microstructure characteristics and properties(especially hole expansion property)of 800 MPa hot-rolled complex phase steel with different coiling temperatures were studied.The microstructure consisted of polygonal ferrite and precipitates when the steel was coiled at 550℃,and when the steel was coiled between 460–520℃,the microstructure was composed of granular bainite and martensite and austenite(M/A)islands.The morphology of the crack was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy,and the in situ scanning electron microscope tensile test was used to find out the fracture mechanism and deformation behavior of the steel with different coiling temperatures.When the steel was coiled at 550℃,the cracks initiated at the ferrite grain boundary and propagated through the grains or along the grain boundaries.When the steel was coiled at 520℃,the cracks first initiated at the junction of ferrite and M/A island and then propagated through the grains.The steel coiled at 520℃ has quite good mechanical properties and relatively high hole expansion ratio.

Effect of Isothermal Annealing on Nano Ti-Carbides Precipitation

Transmission electron microscopy was used to investigate the effect of isothermal holding temperature and time on the nano Ti-precipitates.A holding temperature was varied systematically from 400℃ to 1200℃.The isothermal holding was continued for 30s,300s and 900s,respectively.Nano carbides of (Ti,Nb)C were precipitated significantly at 900℃.The size of carbides was approximately 10nm at 30s holding and increased to 20～30nm at 900s holding.Isothermal holding at 1000℃ showed the increased amount of carbides larger than 100nm.At 800℃,nano (Ti,Nb)C was not observed at 30s and it was examined at 300s.The size of nano (Ti,Nb)C was smaller than that of 900℃.As the isothermal temperature decreased to 700 ℃,the nano (Ti,Nb)C was only seen at 900s holding and the size of carbides was smaller than 10nm.Nano (Ti,Nb)C was disappeared at isothermal holding below 600℃.The kinetics of nano (Ti,Nb)C precipitation were studied as a function of isothermal holding temperature and time,respectively,using the precipitate growth equations.