Microstructure and mechanical properties of a cast TRIP-assisted multiphase stainless steel

Stainless steels are used in a wide range of complex environments due to their excellent corrosion resistance.Multiphase stainless steels can offer an excellent combination of strength,toughness and corrosion resistance due to the coexistence of different microstructures.The microstructure and mechanical properties of a novel cast multiphase stainless steel,composed of martensite,ferrite,and austenite,were investigated following appropriate heat treatment processes:solution treatment at 1,050℃ for 0.5 h followed by water quenching to room temperature,and aging treatment at 500℃ for 4 h followed by water quenching to room temperature.Results show reversed austenite is formed by diffusion of Ni element during aging process,and the enrichment of Ni atoms directly determines the mechanical stability of austenite.The austenite with a lower Ni content undergoes a martensitic transformation during plastic deformation.The tensile strength of the specimen exceeds 1,100 MPa and the elongation exceeds 24%after solid solution,and further increases to 1,247 MPa and 25%after aging treatment.This enhancement is due to the TRIP effect of austenite and the precipitation of the nanoscale G-phase pinning dislocations in ferrite and martensite.

Roles of Al in enhancing the thermal stability of reverted austenite and mechanical properties of a medium-Mn TRIP steel containing 2.7 Mn

Often,the addition of more than 4 wt.%Mn to medium-Mn steels is necessary to enhance the thermal stability of intercritical austenite for achieving sufficient amounts of retained austenite(RA)at room tem-perature.In this paper,a medium-Mn steel with Mn content as low as 2.7 wt.%was designed via alloying with a small amount of Al,and the microstructure and mechanical properties of the steel,subjected to intercritical annealing(IA)at 745°C for different times followed by oil quenching,were investigated.Results show that the volume fraction of RA increases first and then decreases with IA time,with the maximum of 0.36 obtained at IA time of 50 min.It is demonstrated that Al addition slows down the in-terface migration and growth kinetics of reverted austenite via retarding C diffusion in ferrite during IA,which,hence,decreases the amount and size of the reverted austenite and partitions more C and Mn into it.This suggests that Al plays a favorable role in enhancing the thermal stability of reverted austenite and increasing the amount of austenite retained at room temperature.Due to the presence of large amounts of RA and the strong transformation-induced plasticity effect generated during plastic deformation,the steel exhibits persistent high strain hardening and superior mechanical properties,comparable to those of reported medium-Mn steels containing higher Mn content.The present result offers a new insight into the role of Al in adjusting microstructure-property relationships and opens a promising way for designing low-cost,high performance medium-Mn steels with low Mn content for industrial applications.

TRIP980钢的组织性能调控与动态本构模型

设计了一种相变诱导塑性(TRIP)钢,研究了贝氏体等温温度对力学性能和微观组织的影响。针对最优工艺,研究了10^(-4)~10^(3) s^(-1)应变速率范围内的动态力学性能,构建并修正了动态本构数学模型。结果表明:当贝氏体等温温度为380℃时,实验钢具有最优的静态力学性能(应变速率10^(-3)s^(-1)),屈服强度达到705 MPa,抗拉强度达到1005 MPa,伸长率为16%,强塑积达到了1.6 GPa·%。应变速率的变化对实验钢的硬化行为和TRIP效应的发生有明显的影响。当应变速率达到10^(3) s^(-1)时,屈服强度和抗拉强度分别达到了815和1145 MPa,分别提高了12.4%和13.9%。经A4系数修正后的动态本构数学模型表明,R值和eAARE的平均值分别达到0.9895和27.5%,具有较精确的预测精度。

Improvement of Mechanical Properties of a Medium-Mn TRIP Steel by Precursor Microstructure Control

An approach of optimizing the intercritical annealing path in a 0.2C-5Mn medium-Mn steel is presented by introducing precursor microstructure prior to normal austenite reverted transformation(ART)annealing.The steel is fi rstly pre-annealed at diff erent intercritical temperatures to form designed precursor microstructures.Then,they are employed for subsequent conventional ART annealing processing.It is found that pre-annealing at relative high intercritical temperatures can promote precipitation and dissolution of the carbide in the steel and re-distribute the C and Mn in the microstructures.The produced microstructural precursors show excellent merits in accelerating the austenite reversions in subsequent normal ART processing and assisting the RA formation.Tensile testing reveals that the excellent strength-elongation balance can be achieved in the heat-treated samples using diff erent microstructural precursors,which suggests the potential applicability in producing the medium-Mn steels with shortened processing period.

基于TRIP效应的复相钢的组织特征及强塑性机制

采用扫描电镜(SEM)、电子背散射衍射(EBSD)技术和透射电镜(TEM)对复相钢的微观形貌进行表征,并研究了其基于相变诱导塑性(TRIP)效应的强塑性机制。结果表明,将退火温度设定在单相奥氏体区和(γ+α)两相临界区,由于微观形貌特征的不同致使试验钢的力学性能有着显著的区别。退火温度(915℃)在单相奥氏体区时,微观组织由27%先共析铁素体、56%块状贝氏体以及分布于晶界处的17%残留奥氏体组成;组织中的先共析铁素体,其塑性优于再结晶铁素体,更有利于发挥协调变形作用,通过缓解应力对残留奥氏体的作用而有效发挥其TRIP效应;同时均匀分布于晶界处纵横比>2.0的块状残留奥氏体,在变形过程中由于受到相界面及块状硬质相贝氏体的阻碍,TRIP效应的贡献较大且可在整个应变阶段持续地发生。在晶粒尺寸、组织形貌、晶体学结构、V(C,N)析出和位错塞积,以及TRIP效应的共同作用下,915℃退火后复相钢的综合力学性能最优,屈服强度和抗拉强度分别为756和1135 MPa,强塑积可达到26.446 GPa·%,同时具有优良的伸长率和扩孔性能,分别为23.3%和56%。

Design of TRIP Steel With High Welding and Galvanizing Performance in Light of Thermodynamics and Kinetics

A new type of transformation induced plasticity （TRIP） steel with not only high strength and high ductility but also superior welding and galvanizing properties was designed and developed recently. Low carbon and low silicon content were preliminarily selected with the aim of meeting the requirements of superior quality in both welding and galvanizing. Phosphorus was chosen as one of the alloying elements, because it could reduce carbon activity in cementite and increase the stability of austenite. In addition, the possibility of phosphorus segregating at grain boundary was also discussed by thermodynamics as well as kinetics. Phase diagram was estimated at high temperature and the composition of the steel was then selected in the hyperperitectic range to avoid problems, which might occur in sheet steel continuous casting. Phase diagram in the inter.critical temperature was estimated for the steel to obtain the starting temperature of fast cooling. For understanding the minimum rate of fast cooling, pearlite growth kinetics was calculated with self-developed diffusion coefficients of elements in grain boundary. Overaging temperature was determined through the calculation of To temperature by both equilibrium and para-equilibrium assumptions, which was different from the current determination, which is only based on an equilibrium estimation.

EFFECT OF CHEMICAL COMPOSITION ON RETAINED AUSTENITE IN TRIP STEEL

The systematic chemical compositions including common C, Si, Mn, Al, and micro-alloying elements of Ti and Nb were designed for high volume fraction of retained austenite as much as possible. The thermo-cycle experiments were conducted by using Gleeble 2000 thermo-dynamic test machine for finding the appropriate composition. The experimental results showed that chemical composition had a significant effect on retained austenite, and the appropriate compositions were determined for commercial production of TRIP steels.

REVIEW AND PROSPECT OF HIGH STRENGTH LOW ALLOY TRIP STEEL

Research status of high strength low alloy TRIP (transformation induced plasticity) steels for automobile structural parts is briefly described. Composition and microstruc-ture factors especially the morphology, size and volume fraction of retained austenite, which largely influence the strength and ductility of the steel, are reviewed and discussed one after another. Modelling of the inter-critical annealing and martempering processes as well as the designing of the TRIP steel aided by commercial software are introduced. Some special aspects of the dynamic mechanical properties of TRIP steel are firstly reported.

EFFECTS OF CARBON CONTENT AND ROLLING PROCESSING ON RETAINED AUSTENITE FOR HOT-ROLLED TRIP STEELS

The effects of finishing rolling temperature and coiling temperature on retained austen-ite were studied for hot-rolled transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) steels with different carbon content. The experimental results showed that an appropriate volume fraction of retained austenite from 6% to 11% could be obtained according to the different carbon content less than 0.20% by controlled finishing rolling and coiling for the hot-rolled TRIP steels. It can be concluded that carbon content has a significant effect on the fraction of retained austenite and coiling processing plays stronger role on retaining austenite than fishing rolling processing.

Research and development of 780 MPa cold rolling TRIP-aided steel

As an industry-university cooperative project, an experimental research was conducted to develop a new cold-rolled transformation-induced plasticity （TRIP） steel with a tensile strength of 780 MPa and an elongation of 25% under the conditions that some processing parameters were preestablished according to the actual conditions of factory production lines. The optimal heat treatment conditions for obtaining excellent strength-ductility balance, specifically in intercritical annealing temperature and isothermal treatment temperature, were investigated by means of thermal simulation tests. Ultimately the desirable mechanical properties were attained successfully, and the microstructure and retained austenite stability were studied by optical microscopy （OM） and electron back-scattered diffraction （EBSD）. It has been discovered that the sizes of retained austenite grains are generally proportional to the sizes of carbon-clear space （ferrite and bainite） around them, and there is marked selectivity in their transition sequences under stress-strain.

ON THE TENSILE MECHANICAL PROPERTY OF Si-Mn TRIP STEELS AT HIGH STRAIN RATE

Tensile mechanical properties of 1.6Si-1.58Mn-0.195C TRIP (transformation-induced plasticity) steels under high strain rate and effects of DP (dual-phase) treatments were studied and compared to the quasi-static tensile behavior. The results show that the increasing of strain rate leads to increasing in their strengths and decreasing in the uniform elongation remarkably. Because the stable retained austenite in TRIP steel can transform to martensite during tensile testing and the material exhibits excellent characteristic of transformation induced plasticity, the plastic deformation behavior is evidently improved and the combination of strength and elongation is superior to that of dual-phase steel, although its strength is smaller than that of DP steel. However, DP treated steel shown lower elongation under dynamic tension in spite of higher strength. A model was proposed to explain the excellent elongation rate of TRIP steel compared with DP steel on the basis of SEM analysis and the strength of the components in microstructure.

Effect of Silicon Content on Thermodynamics of Austenite Decomposition in C-Si-Mn TRIP Steels

Some numerical models such as central atoms model （CAM） and superelement model were used to simulate the thermodynamics of austenite decomposition in the Fe-C-Mn-Si TRIP （transformation induced plasticity） steels. Thermodynamic calculations were carried out under a para-equilibrium （PE） condition. The results show that certain silicon content can accelerate the polygonal ferritic transformation and increase the volume fraction and stability of retained austenite by retarding the precipitation of carbides during the bainitic transformation.

Medium-Mn steels for hot forming application in the automotive industry

Advanced high-strength steels have been widely used to improve the crashworthiness and lightweight of vehicles.Different from the popular cold stamping,hot forming of boron-alloyed manganese steels,such as 22MnB5,could produce ultra-high-strength steel parts without springback and with accurate control of dimensions.Moreover,hot-formed medium-Mn steels could have many advantages,including better mechanical properties and lower production cost,over hot-formed 22MnB5.This paper reviews the hot forming process in the automotive industry,hot-formed steel grades,and medium-Mn steel grades and their application in hot forming in depth.In particular,the adaptabilities of medium-Mn steels and the presently popular 22MnB5 into hot forming were compared thoroughly.Future research should focus on the technological issues encountered in hot forming of medium-Mn steels to promote their commercialization.

Bake hardening behavior of TRIP and DP steels

The bake hardening （BH） behavior of transformation-induced plasticity （TRIP） and dual-phase （DP） steels after different prestrains was studied. The experimental results indicate that TRIP steel exhibits good BH ability while DP steel does not, and prestrain displays a strong effect on the BH values of both steels. The comparison of microstructures of the two steels showed that the hard second phase in the matrix might be harmful to the BH ability. For deformed specimens, baking resulted in a loss of uniform elongation, but there was no obvious decrease in uniform elongation for unprestrained specimens.

Mechanical properties and microstructure of TRIP steels produced using TSCR process

C-Si-Mn TRIP steels were produced using the thin slab casting and rolling （TSCR） process under simulation in laboratory. The results of tensile tests show that the yield strength, tensile strength, and the total elongation of the experimental TRIP steels are 430 MPa, 610 MPa, and 28.4%, respectively. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and transmission electron microscopy （TEM） were employed to identify the microstructures of the TRIP steels. The final microstructures consist of ferrite, bainite, and retained austenite. The results of quantitative color metallography show that the fraction of the retained austenite is about 5.8%.

Influence of post-weld heat treatment on the microstructure and hardness of laser weld seams on hot-rolled TRIP 800 steel

The transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) steels effect occurs because of the martensitic transformation of retained austenite during plastic deformation,and it provides the steel with excellent strength and ductility.While welding remains a vital part of auto body manufacturing,the weldability of TRIP steels is problematic,and this prevents its adoption for many applications in the automotive industry.This present work studies the effects of welding and post-weld heat treatment on the microstructure of TRIP steels.It is found that the microstructures of the fusion zone and the heat affected zone (HAZ) are changed after high-temperature heat treatment.Hardness tests revealed that fusion zone hardness decreased with increasing of temperatures in the post-weld heat treatment on the laser weld seam.The rolling performance of the welding seam and the seam of post-weld heat treatment were also studied.

Microstructure and Performance of 2Y-PSZ/TRIP Steel Composites

2Y-PSZ/TRIP steel composites have been sintered by hot-pressing method. Their microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated by means of SEM, TEM, XRD and static tension, split Hopkinson pressure bar method. The results showed that the strength and elastic modulus of 2Y-PSZ/TRIP steel composites at room temperature decreased with the increase of 2Y-PSZ content. The main reason was that the combining strength was quite weak between the grains of ZrO2. Distortion induced martensite transformation and plasticity during the dynamic loading increased the strength and distortion capability of the composites. The transformation was carried out mainly through twins formation. The shape of martensite induced by distortion was lamellate with substructures of twins. The habit plane was near {259}T with no mid-ridge and no explosion phenomena. The interface was straight between the austenite and martensite induced by distortion. The increase of 2Y-PSZ content, on the one hand, made the composite dynamic flow stress improved. Thereby, the fracture strength was improved. On the other hand, it depressed both the distortion capability and the martensite transformation induced by distortion. This resulted in the decrease of dynamic fracture strength.

EFFECT OF SILICON ADDITION ON RECRYSTALLIZATION AND PHASE TRANSFORMATION BEHAVIOR OF HIGH-STRENGTH HOT-ROLLED TRIP STEEL

Because Si is a noncarbide forming element, a multiphase microstructure consisting of ferrite, bainite, and retained austenite, at room temperature, can be formed by controlling the thermomechanical process strictly. The cooling schedules must be restricted by the formation of pearlite and cementite. In the present article, a new integrated mathematical model for prediction of microstructure evolution during controlled rolling and controlled cooling is developed for a typical kind of low carbon Si-Mn TRIP steel, which consists of temperature simulation, recrystallization, and transformation models. The influence of Si contents has been thoroughly investigated. The calculated results indicate that Si retards recrystallization, restrains austenite grain growth as well as accelerates polygonal ferrite transformation.

Multiphase-field simulation of austenite reversion in medium-Mn steels

Medium-Mn steels have attracted immense attention for automotive applications owing to their outstanding combination of high strength and superior ductility.This steel class is generally characterized by an ultrafine-grained duplex microstructure consisting of ferrite and a large amount of austenite.Such a unique microstructure is processed by intercritical annealing,where austenite reversion occurs in a fine martensitic matrix.In the present study,austenite reversion in a medium-Mn alloy was simulated by the multiphase-field approach using the commercial software MICRESS®coupled with the thermodynamic database TCFE8 and the kinetic database MOBFE2.In particular,a faceted anisotropy model was incorporated to replicate the lamellar morphology of reversed austenite.The simulated microstructural morphology and phase transformation kinetics(indicated by the amount of phase)concurred well with experimental observations by scanning electron microscopy and in situ synchrotron high-energy X-ray diffraction,respectively.

Characteristics of Retained Austenite in TRIP Steels with Bainitic Ferrite Matrix

Heat treatment process for producing cold rolled transformation induced plasticity-aided （TRIP-aided） steels with bainitic ferrite matrix was adopted. Characteristics of retained austenite （RA） in such TRIP steels were investigated. SEM and OM determination results showed that the stable austenite retained at room temperature were mainly located between laths and some of them inside the coarse ferrite. The grains were uniformly distributed in heat treated steel matrix and the regularly dispersed RA represented to be triangular morphology. XRD analysis indicated that RA content in matrix was not less than 10%, and TEM testified that RA inside the matrix were formed at the prior austenite boundaries and represented to be single or twin crystals. The ductile fracture originated from the boundaries of martensite islands from RA and ferrite. The cracks propagated along grain boundaries and some passed through the large ferrite grains and induced transgranular fracture.