Correlation of isothermal bainite transformation and austenite stability in quenching and partitioning steels

The possible decomposition of metastable austenite during the partitioning process in the high end quenching and partitioning （Q＆P） steels is somewhat neglected by most researchers. The effects of primary martensite and alloying elements including manganese, cobalt and aluminum on the isothermal decomposition of austenite during typical Q＆P process were studied by dilatometry. The transformation kinetics was studied systematically and resulting microstruc tures were discussed in details. The results suggested that the primary martensite decreased the incubation period of isothermal decomposition by accelerating the nucleation process owing to dislocations especially on phase and grain boundaries. This effect can be eliminated by a flash heating which recovered dislocations. Co addition significantly promoted the bainite transformation during partitioning while A1 and Mn suppressed the isothermal bainite transformation. The bainite transformation played an important role in carbon distribution during partitioning, and hence the amount and stability of austenite upon final quenching. The bainite transformation during partitioning is an important factor in optimizing the microstructure in Q＆P steels.

Competitive role of film-like austenite and transition carbides on hydrogen embrittlement resistance and impact toughness in bainite-containing quenched and partitioned steel

A microstructure composed of martensite matrix,lower bainite,and stable film-like austenite was designed by a quenching and isothermal bainitic holding process in a 0.30C–2.69Mn–1.71Si(wt.%)steel.The yield strength,tensile strength,and ductile-to-brittle transition temperature(DBTT)of the high-strength steel thus obtained were 1263 MPa,1521 MPa,and-33℃,respectively,and at-20℃,it showed superior low-temperature toughness,which reached 77.5 J/cm^(2).Meanwhile,it showed excellent hydrogen embrittlement(HE)resistance,and the total elongation loss is only 3.1%after 15 min of hydrogen charging.The excellent comprehensive performance is attributed to the fact that fine stable austenite with film-like morphology hindered the crack nucleation and propagation,and hindered hydrogen diffusion as a hydrogen trap.However,with a decrease in the isothermal temperature,transition carbide precipitation was accompanied by a further decrease in austenite grain size.For this condition,although transition carbides can act as effective hydrogen traps,excessive precipitation decreased the carbon content of retained austenite and increased the deformation heterogeneity between austenite and martensite matrix,leading to weakened austenite stability and HE resistance,a total elongation loss of approximately 39%(15 min hydrogen charging),a sharp decrease in impact toughness,and an increase in DBTT.The competitive role of film-like austenite and transition carbides on the comprehensive mechanical performance of steel is revealed,especially the suppression of crack nucleation and propagation that will provide a guide for the design of high strength steels with excellent impact toughness and HE resistance.

Mechanical Property and Microstructural Characterization of C-Mn-Al-Si Hot Dip Galvanizing TRIP Steel

Mechanical properties and microstructure in high strength hot dip galvanizing TRIP steel were investigated by optical microscope (OM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), dilatometry and mechanical testing. On the heat treatment process of different intercritical annealing (IA) temperatures, isothermal bainitic transformation (IBT) temperatures and IBT time, this steel shows excellent mechanical properties with tensile strength over 780 MPa and elongation more than 22%. IBT time is a crucial factor in determining the mechanical properties as it confirms the bainite transformation process, as well as the microstructure of the steel. The microstructure of the hot dip galvanizing TRIP steel consisted of ferrite, bainite, retained austenite and martensite during the short IBT time. The contents of ferrite, bainite, retained austenite and martensite with different IBT time were calculated. The results showed that when IBT time increased from 20 to 60 s, the volume of bainite increased from 14.31% to 16.95% and the volume of retained austenite increased from 13.64% to 16.28%; meanwhile, the volume of martensite decreased from 7.18% to 1.89%. Both the transformation induced plasticity of retained austenite and the hardening of martensite are effective, especially, the latter plays a dominant role in the steel containing 7.18% martensite which shows similar strength characteristics as dual-phase steel, but a better elongation. When martensite volume decreases to 1.89%, the steel shows typical mechanical properties of TRIP, as so small amount of martensite has no obvious effect on the mechanical properties.