Effect of water quenching processing parameters on the mechanical properties of a cold-rolled C-Mn-containing steel sheet

Cold-rolled advanced high-strength steel sheets have become the material of choice for the automotive industry because of their unique attributes of high strength and balanced mechanical properties.High-hydrogen gas jet cooling and water quenching are the most commonly used ultrafast cooling technologies for producing martensite-containing high-strength steel sheets.The water quenching technology ensures the fastest industrial cooling rate of 1 000 K/s;therefore,it has the highest potential with respect to saving alloys.In this study,the water quenching of a C-Mn-containing steel sheet is simulated during continuous annealing to investigate the effect of water quenching and tempering parameters on its mechanical properties.The results reveal that at low quenching temperatures,the strength of the steel sheet decreases as the soaking temperature increases.However,at high quenching temperatures,a high soaking temperature corresponds to increased strength after quenching,regardless of whether the material was austenitized in the single austenite zone or the inter-critical zone.Therefore,a high quenching temperature always results in a high strength and a high yield ratio after quenching.Low-temperature overaging(tempering) considerably influences the yield strength and yield ratio,and the extent of this influence is correlated with the soaking temperature.

Effect of annealing parameters on mechanical properties of cold-rolled martensitic steel sheets

Cold-rolled martensitic steel sheets produced on continuous annealing lines with water quenching facility,have advantages of high strength and low alloying element contents.These are in good accordance with the trend of light-weighting and fuel saving for automotive steel.In this article,a cold-rolled martensitic steel is studied to investigate the effect of annealing parameters on its mechanical properties.It is found that the quenching temperature and the slow cooling speed as well as the overageing temperature have significant influence on the strength of the experimental steel.The temperature zone at which the austenite decomposition is slow or has not started may be chosen as the quenching temperature to ensure the steel’s strength stability.The slow cooling speed also influences the steel’s strength greatly.A high cooling rate will lead to significantly higher strength.Tempering would decrease the steel’s tensile strength but would increase its yield strength.

Development and application of Baosteel's cold-rolled martensitic steel sheets

Cold-rolled martensitic steel sheets are becoming widely applied in the automotive industry because of their ultra-high strength,which may result in satisfactory weight reduction. The grades of martensitic steel sheets are classified based on their tensile strength,which ranges from 980 to 1 700 MPa. The main applications include a series of structural parts of uniform cross-section or simple shape,such as bumper beams,door beams and door sills,etc. The study and development of cold-rolled martensitic steel sheets date back to 2007 in Baosteel,and some grades became commercially available in 2009. By 2015,Baosteel had commercially supplied thousands of tons of these steel sheets with tensile strength up to 1 400 MPa. Currently,1 500 MPa martensitic steel sheet is commercially available and 1 700 MPa martensitic steel sheet has been successfully produced. The process technology and application guides of Basoteel ＇s cold-rolled martensitic steels are summarized and analyzed in order to assist ongoing research and ensure correct applications of these ultra-high strength steel sheets.

Fatigue Response of Cold-Rolled Type-304 Stainless Steel Foil

This study presents the fatigue response of 304 stainless steel foil, cold-rolled to a thickness of 3.2 μm with 87 percent cold work at orientations of 0, 45, and 90 degrees to the direction of rolling. Fatigue specimens were fabricated by laminating a supportive layer of 20-μm polyimide film to one side of the foil and patterning 242 crack initiation features by photolithographic process. Progression of fatigue damage was determined through electrical resistance measurement. The fatigue response was demonstrated to be largely affected by anisotropy existing between the rolling direction and the off-axis orientations. Fatigue cracks that traveled in a direction parallel to the elongated grains (cyclic loads applied at 90-degree orientation to foil rolling direction) had the most fatigue response (undesirable characteristic). The construction of the specimens with thin foil supported by a film backing contributed to high fatigue threshold.

Properties of ultra-low carbon,cold-rolled sheet steels containing titanium or boron for use in enameling

Ultra-low carbon（ULC）,cold-rolled sheet steels for porcelain enameling containing alloys of titanium and boron are studied. The microstructure,mechanical properties,inclusions,and precipitates of the sheet steels are analyzed. The hydrogen permeation time of the sheet steels as-annealed and after skin-passed or cold-rolled at different reductions are measured. It is show n that the sheet steels possess different features of enameling properties in hydrogen permeability,fishscale resistance,and pinhole resistance.

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.

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.

Study on metallurgical properties and pellet proportioning technology of stainless steel cold-rolling sludge

With a complicated composition, large rolling sludge has been a focal point concerning neither at home nor abroad have any technologies suitable for bulk utilization of stainless steel cold- production and serious damage to the environment, stainless steel cold- environmental protection for stainless steel enterprises. Up to now, come into being that are not only proper, safe and economical but also rolling sludge. Based on the characteristics of the stainless steel cold- rolling sludge, orthogonal experiments were carried out on pellet proportioning and high-temperature roasting, and major metallurgical properties of sludge pellets were also tested. As the results show, pellets with 30% addition of cold-rolling sludge are qualified regarding their compressive strength, chemical composition and major metallurgical properties. No adverse impact happens to the blast furnace operation when sludge pellets account for 10% of the blast furnace raw materials. Therefore, the technical route applied in this paper is proved simple, feasible and environmentally friendly for cold-rolling sludge treatment.

Effect of deformation twinning on the evolution of texture in TWIP steels during cold-rolling

Texture evolution of high-manganese twining-induced plasticity (TWIP) steels (Fe-16Mn-0.6C) during cold-rolling is studied by means of quantitative orientation distribution function (ODF)analysis.Thickness reductions of the specimens during cold-rolling are 10%,20%,30%,50% and 65%,respectively.Evolution of texture is of the Brass type,which is typical for low-stacking fault energy (SFE) materials.The contribution of deformation twinning to the development of texture is clearly illustrated by the monotonic increase of the twinned Cu component.In the present study,the deformation twinning was identified as significantly contributing to deformation up to the maximum reduction applied.These results are useful for the prediction and control of the texture in TWIP steels.

Research and application on the automatic measuring device for testing transverse thickness difference of cold-rolling steel sheet

Many advanced technologies have been applied in developing the automatic measuring device for testing transverse thickness difference of cold-rolling steel sheet,such as the technologies of automatic control,sensor measurement,marking identification,photographic location,computer application and information transmission.This measuring device can measure the transverse thickness difference of the steel plate accurately and quickly,with a high detection level of automation.It is an effective detection equipment for transverse thickness control of steel plate.Horizontal width of steel plate measuring 0.8-1.4 m, horizontal measurement point positioning accuracy±0.02 mm,thickness range 0.2-2.0 mm, measurement accuracy within±1μm.

Numerical Simulation of Continuous Tension Leveling Process of Thin Strip Steel and Its Application

Cold-rolled thin strip steel of high flatness quality undergoes multistage deformation during tension leveling. Thus, the parameters of set-up and manipulating are more difficult. With the aid of FE code MSC. MARC, the tension leveling process of thin strip steel was numerically simulated. Concentrating on the influence of the roll intermeshes in 2# anti-cambering on the distribution and magnitude of residual stresses in leveled strip steel, several experiments were clone with the tension leveler based on the results from the simulation. It was found from the simulation that the magnitude of longitudinal residual stresses in the cross-section of the leveled strip steel regularly presents obvious interdependence with the roll intermeshes in 2# anti-cambering. In addition, there is a steady zone as the longitudinal residual stresses of the surface layers in leveled strip steel vary with the roll intermeshes of 2# anticambering, which is of importance in the manipulation of tension levelers. It was also found that the distribution of strains and stresses across the width of strip steel is uneven during leveling or after removing the tension loaded upon the strip, from which it was found that 3D simulation could not be replaced by 2D analysis because 2D analysis in this case cannot represent the physical behavior of strip steel deformation during tension leveling.

Inclusion and its deformation behavior in 304 stainless steel

Non-metallic inclusion is the main reason for the presence of surface defects in cold-rolled steel strip. In this study, the composition, morphology, and size of the non-metallic inclusion in hot-rolled 304 stainless steel strips are analyzed. Cold-rolled 304 stainless steel strips with different cold-rolling reduction have been prepared, and the morphology and size of inclusion in these cold-rolled strips are also analyzed. Furthermore, the deformation behavior of a non-metallic inclusion during the cold-rolling process is studied. The results show that CaO-SiO2- MgO-Al2 O3, a kind of brittle compound oxide,is the main type of inclusion in hot-rolled 304 stainless steel strips. During the cold-rolling process, ductile deformation of this type of inclusion is not obvious, where large inclusions are crushed, and the average size of inclusions in cold-rolled strips decreased while the cold-rolling reduction increased.

TRANSFORMATION INDUCED SUPERPLASTICITY IN 18Ni MARAGING STEEL

After exploring the influence of stress,cold-rolling reduction and cooling rate on transforma- tion induced strain,the transformation induced superplasticity forming technique of the 18Ni maraging steel(2450 MPa)was developed.Through 14 times γα′ cyclic transformation,the limited elongation of 320% can be obtained in 60% cold-rolled specimen.TEM observation revealed that the morphology of stress induced martensite is massive.

Deformation and recrystallization behavior of a Fe-30Mn-4Si-3Al-0.097C steel

It is fundamentally important to understand the influence of strain on the density of deformation twins in TWIP steel because twinning is its dominant deformation mechanism.The deformation behavior of a Fe -30Mn - 4Si-3Al-0.097C steel has been investigated by X -ray diffraction(XRD),electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and transmission electron microscopy(TEM) techniques.Sample with an average grain size of 10μm was deformed in cold - rolling with a reduction of 10%,20%,30%,40%,50%,60%and 70%,respectively. The mechanical properties of the cold - rolled samples were further investigated by tensile tests.The yield strength (σy) and ultimate - tensile - strength(σUTS) of the as - prepared sample is 480 MPa and 850 MPa, respectively.However,under cold rolling deformation,the tensile strength obviously increases with an increase in rolling reduction.The sample with a rolling reduction of 10%exhibitsσy of 610 MPa andσUTS of - 1000 MPa. The yield strength and tensile strength are further enhanced up to 1320 MPa and 1 378 MPa for the specimen with a rolling reduction of 70%,regardless of the poor ductility of 6.7%.The deformation microstructures were studied by EBSD and TEM observations.It is found that,with increasing rolling reduction,the average distance between deformation twins decreases gradually while the density of deformation twins(the length of twin boundary in unit area) exhibit a maximum value at 40%cold-rolling + tension.Carefully statistics analysis reveals grain orientation is closely related to the deformation twins and the underlying mechanism governing the twinning is discussed.

Influence of heat treatment processing on the microstructure and properties in medium manganese steel

For the purpose of developing a 1 500 MPa grade steel sheet with excellent strength and ductility, a 0.15C-10Mn-1.5Al steel was employed to study austenite stability and microstructural evolution based on a novel double annealing processing.After a conventional intercritical annealing process, the sample was heated again to a temperature higher than A_(c3) for a very short time to generate austenite grains with different manganese content;thus, the microstructure of martensite plus austenite can be obtained at room temperature.The experimental results show that with increasing annealing temperature, the tensile strength and yield strength increase.When the annealing temperature was higher than 820 ℃,the microstructure consisted of martensite plus austenite, and the tensile strength almost remained invariant with the annealing temperature.A tensile strength of 1 537 MPa and an elong-ation of 25.1% were achieved for the 820 ℃ condition.The volume fractions of austenite and martensite were identified by X-ray diffraction.It was found that with increasing annealing temperature, the volume fraction of the retained austenite decreased, and the ductility also had a gradual downward trend.The related austenite stability was discussed here as well.

Phase transformation of TRIP-aided multiphase steel during continuous cooling

The phase transformation characteristics of a high-strength TRIP-aided multiphase cold-rolled steel during continuous heating at different cooling rates were studied by means of dilatometry,and the critical temperatures were also determined.The samples were fully austenitized at 1 050 ℃ and then cooled at different cooling rates ranging from 0.5 ℃/s to 100 ℃/s.The continuous cooling transformation （CCT） curves were obtained for the experimental steel.The experimental results showed that a high cooling rate depressed the formation of ferrite and pearlite and promoted the formation of balnite and martensite,leading to a higher hardness.A large amount of martensite in high-strength TRIP-aided multiphase cold-rolled steel can be obtained at cooling rates in excess of 50 ℃/s.The experimental results provide guidelines for cooling control and heat treatment in real steel production.

Researches on the problems in the production of low nickel austenitic stainless steel

Problems encountered in the production of low nickel austenitic stainless steel have been studied. These problems primarily include the changes to the microstructure of the slab during the heating process, the formation and removal of deformation - induced martensite during cold rolling, and the effects of the annealing process on the surface oxide structure. A reasonable manufacturing process has been proposed on the basis of the research results and high-quality cold-rolled strips of low nickel austenitic stainless steel have been produced.

Analysis of formation causes for "oil-burn" defects and control measures during cold rolling of silicon steel

It has been found through analysis of defect components and micrographs that ＂oil-burn＂ defects on non- oriented silicon steel surf＇aces, which of ten occur after cold rolling, are composed of Fe, O, Si and C. This study analyzed the fomation mechanism of ＇toil-burn＂ defects and the strategies to prevent them,and proposed, according to the equipment and process status in the production fields ,some relevant optimized control measures and process adjustment schemes from two perspectives of reducing the residual emulsion trod avoiding the specific temperature range. The results demonstrate that the application of the proposed optimization meastu＇es effectively inhibits the formation of ＂oil-bum＂ defects.

Surface Defects of Cold-Rolled Ti-IF Steel Sheets due to Non-Metallic Inclusions

Surface defects of the cold-rolled sheets of Ti-IF steel were studied and analyzed. After analyzing surface defects of cold-rolled sheets, such as shelling defects, holes and sliver defects by SEM/EDS, a variety of inclusions were found. In addition, the distribution of macro-inclusions in slabs was analyzed by MIDAS method. The results show the macroscopic inclusion bands of head slabs and normal slabs are in 1/8 slab thickness regions of both inner arc side and outer arc side. The formation process of the defects in the cold-rolled sheets was simulated with an experimental cold-rolling machine for comparison. The results show that there were three kinds of inclusions underneath the surface defects: Al2O3, SiO2 and particles from slag entrainment, which were the main reason for defect formation during cold rolling.

Ultra-Fine Heterogeneous Microstructure Enables High Strength-Ductility in a Cold-Rolled Medium Mn Steel

The objective of the present study is to develop heterogeneous microstructure in cold-rolled medium Mn steels(MMSs)annealing strategy.The cold-rolled Fe-4.7Mn-0.15C(wt%)steel is annealed twice at different temperatures to produce an ultra-fine heterogeneous microstructure with lath-shaped and granular-shaped retained austenite.Excellent mechanical behavior of significant strength enhancement with negligible ductility loss can be achieved.The high strength-ductility properties are attributed to the active transformation induced plasticity effect over a broad strain range owing to dispersive mechanical stabilities of the heterogeneous austenite.Furthermore,the typical yield point elongation phenomenon which is commonly observed in cold-rolled MMSs can be effectively reduced by this microstructural strategy.