Internal oxidation of hot-rolled ultra-high strength steel and its effect on the surface quality of cold-rolled sheets

In this study,the scale and internal oxidation of hot-rolled ultra-high strength steel sheets were characterized.It was found that both the formation of the scale and the internal oxidation of Si and Mn depended on the coiling temperature and position of the steel sample on the strip coil.At a relatively high coiling temperature,a large amount of internal oxidation was observed on the samples cut from the middle of the coil.The depth of the internal oxidation zone exceeded 10 μm and a thin iron layer covering the scale was observed in some cases.Pickling and cold-rolling experiments were conducted on selected samples.Scale pickling was found to be greatly delayed by the formation of an iron layer,which frequently resulted in under-pickled defects.In addition,pickling of the entire internal oxidation zone was difficult,except at the grain boundaries,where the degree of internal Si and Mn oxidation was enriched.The surface of the cold-rolled steel sheet was ruined by the remaining oxidation zone in the subsurface of the pickled steel.The internal oxidation of hot-rolled ultra-high strength steel must be precisely controlled to improve the subsequent surface quality of cold-rolled steel.

Investigation of Surface Damage in Forming of High Strength and Galvanized Steel Sheets

Powdering/exfoliating of coatings and scratching galvanized steels and high strength steels （HSS）, are the main forms of surface damage in the forming of which result in increased die maintenance cost and scrap rate. In this study, a special rectangular box was developed to investigate the behavior and characteristics of surface damage in sheet metal forming （SMF） processes. U-channel forming tests were conducted to study the effect of tool hardness on surface damage in the forming of high strength steels and galvanized steels （hot-dip galvanized and galvannealed steels）. Experimental results indicate that sheet deformation mode influences the severity of surface damage in SMF and surface damage occurs easily at the regions where sheet specimen deforms under the action of compressive stress. Die corner is the position where surface damage initiates. For HSS sheet, surface damage is of major interest due to high forming pressure. The HSS and hot-dip galvanized steels show improved ability of damage-resistance with increased hardness of the forming tool. However, for galvannealed steel it is not the forming tool with the highest hardness value that performs best.

Ultra-high cycle fatigue behavior of high strength steel with carbide-free bainite/martensite complex microstructure

The ultra-high cycle fatigue behavior of a novel high strength steel with carbide-free bainite/martensite （CFB/M） complex microstructure was studied. The ultra-high cycle fatigue properties were measured by ultrasonic fatigue testing equipment at a frequency of 20 kHz. It is found that there is no horizontal part in the S-N curve and fatigue fracture occurs when the life of specimens exceeds 10^7 cycles. In addition, the origination of fatigue cracks tends to transfer from the surface to interior of specimens as the fatigue cycle exceeds 10^7, and the fatigue crack originations of many specimens are not induced by inclusions, but by some kind of ＂soft structure＂. It is shown that the studied high strength steel performs good ultra-high cycle fatigue properties. The ultra-high fatigue mechanism was discussed and it is suggested that specific CFB/M complex microstructure of the studied steel contributes to its superior properties.

Manifestations in Corrosion Prophase of Ultra-high Strength Steel 30CrMnSiNi2 A in Sodium Chloride Solutions

The corrosion behaviors of ultra-high strength steel 30CrMnSiNi2A in sodium chloride solution were studied by weight loss and electrochemical methods. The morphology of corrosion products was observed using scanning electron microscopy（SEM） and the composition was analyzed using an energy dispersive spectroscopy（EDS） and X-Ray diffraction （XRD）. The experimental results showed that the corrosion came from pitting corrosion and the rust layer was composed of outer rust layer γ-FeOOH and inner rust layer Fe_2O_3 with a little β-FeOOH. The correlation between corrosion rate and test time accorded with exponential rule. The corrosion current measured by polarization methods was higher than that calculated by weight loss method after a long-time immersion, the main reason was that,β-FeOOH and γ-Fe_2O_3 transformed by γ-FeOOH led to overestimating corrosion rate. The processes of corrosion prophase were obtained from XRD and EIS results. The corrosion product, Fe（OH）_2 formed at the initial stage stayed at a non-steady state and then consequently transferred to γ-FeOOH, γ-Fe_2O_3 or β-FeOOH.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Aer Met 100 Ultra-high Strength Steel Joints by Laser Welding

AerMet100 ultra-high strength steel plates with a thickness of 2 mm were welded using a COz laser welding system. The influences of the welding process parameters on the morphology and microstructure of the welding joints were investigated, and the mechanical property of the welding joints was analyzed. The experimental results showed that the fusion zone of welding joint mainly consisted of columnar grains and a fine dendrite substructure grew epitaxially from the matrix. With the other conditions remaining unchanged, a finer weld microstructure was along with the scanning speed increase. The solidification microstructure gradually transformed from cellular crystal into dendrite crystal and the spaces of dendrite secondary arms rose from the fusion line to the center of the fusion zone. In the fusion zone of the weld, the rapid cooling caused the formation of martensite, which led the microhardness of the fusion zone higher than that of the matrix and the heat affected zone. The tensile strength of the welding joints was tested as 1 700 MPa, which was about 87% of the matrix. However, the tensile strength of the welding joints without defects existed was tested as 1832 MPa, which was about 94% of the matrix.

Analysis of the effect of geometrical parameters on fatigue performance of spot-weld joint for ultra-high strength steel

This paper studied the spot welding structure of ultra-high strength steel 22MnB5.ANSYS software was adopted to simulate its static strength;BS5400 algorithm was used to calculate the fatigue life;and the grouping method was used to test the fatigue performance of tensile shear spot weld specimens.The simulation results were in good agreement with the experimental values.Based on the validation of the simulation method,influences of different structural parameters on static strength and fatigue life were explored by adopting single factor.The results showed that within the selected structure parameter range,increase of the sheet thickness,nugget diameter,sheet width and overlapping length can lead to longer fatigue life.Besides,the fatigue life of spot weld took on a linear relationship with the overlapping length,a DoseResp relationship with the sheet thickness,and a single exponential decay relationship with the sheet width and the nugget diameter.Moreover,in order to estimate the impact from various parameters on the fatigue life of the specimens,the Taguchi orthogonal design method was applied in the simulation design.The simulating result indicated that influence of the sheet thickness on fatigue life was the most significant.In addition,the effects of nugget diameter,sheet width and overlapping length on fatigue life were reduced in turn.

Research and development of hot-rolled ultra-high strength steel at Baosteel

The effects of the composition and cooling process on the microstructures and properties of hot-rolled ultra-high strength low alloy （HSLA） steel, complex phase steel and martensite steel were studied in the laboratory. And S700MC and MP1200 ultra-high strength steels were trial produced at the 1 880 mm hot-rolling line of Baosteel. Compared with conventional hot-rolled high strength products,the idea that water is alloy was applied in the newly developed hot-rolled ultra-high strength steel. By the use of the economical composition design and controlled cooling after hot-rolling effectively,ultra-high strength steel of different steel grades can be obtained.

Corrosion Behavior of Ultra-high Strength Steel 300M in Different Simulated Marine Environments

Corrosion behavior of 300M in neutralcorrosion environments containing Na Clsimulated by totalimmersion（TI）,salt spraying（SS）and periodic immersion（PI）,was investigated by surface analysis techniques,corrosion weight-loss method,and electrochemicalmeasurements.In totalimmersion environment,rust on the steelconsisted of a porous outer rust layer with main constituent of γ-Fe OOH,and an inner rust layer of dense Fe_3O_4 film with network broad cracks.In salt spraying environment,outer rust with main composition of γ-Fe OOH/α-Fe OOH/Fe_3O_4 was compact,and inner rust showed dense Fe_3O_4 film.Rust formed by periodic immersion exhibited a compact outer rust layer with constituent of α-Fe OOH/γ-Fe OOH/Fe_3O_4 and an inner rust layer with composition of α-Fe OOH/α-Fe_2O_3;inner rust showed a ultra-dense film adherent to the steel.The corrosion rate showed a rule of vss（salt spraying）〉vti（totalimmersion）〉〉vpi（periodic immersion）in 0-240 h,and vss≈vti？vpiin 240-720 h.The rust formed by periodic immersion was dense and compact,with stable electrochemicalproperties,and had excellent protection on the steel.Humidity and oxygen concentration in allthe environments played major roles in rust formation.

Research on the design of cold rolled ultra high strength sheet steel

This study researches cold rolled ultra high strength martensitic steel processed by water quenching. It is found that both the quenching and overageing temperatures greatly influence the mechanical properties of martensitic steel. A tensile strength of 1500 MPa can be obtained from 0.2% C-1.8% Mn steel by soaking at 840℃,quenching at 700℃ and overageing at 200℃ for several minutes. The continuous cooling transformation （CCT） diagram reveals that full martensite can be obtained at a cooling rate of 100℃/s or higher; and at a cooling rate of 3 - 10℃/s,austenite barely decomposes at 700℃. For steel with 0.2% carbon and less manganese, austenite decomposition occurs before it is cooled to 700℃ at a cooling rate of 3 - 10℃/s, which leads to lower tensile strength. It is possible to reduce the manganese content of the 1500 MPa martensitic steel by increasing the quenching temperature. To increase the quenching temperature,the control of flatness during water quenching becomes a major concern.

TENSILE-SHEAR STRENGTH AND BREAKING MORPHOLOGY FOR VIBRATION DAMPING LAMINATED STEEL SHEET

The phenolic resin-chloroprene nthher was used for sandwich in manufueturing the vibra-tion damping laminated steel sheet (also calied laminated sheet), Il is a metal matrix com-posite. The tensie-shear tests have been conducted over a range of temperatures from 20C to 150C and at the strain rates from 1.67× 10 ^(5) to 1.67× 10^(-2)s^(-1). The results show that test temperature will significaiilly affect the tensile shear strength of laminated sheet. and a minimal strength and a minimal activation energy occur near 80C . The tensile-shear breaking morphology of laminated sheet varies with strain rate and test temjteralurc.

Effect of short-time low-temperature austenitizing on microstructure and mechanical properties of DT300 ultra-high strength steel fabricated by laser powder bed fusion

To address the inhomogeneous microstructure and improve the mechanical properties of DT300 ultra-high strength steel specimens fabricated by laser powder bed fusion,different post-heat treatment schedules are performed.With the increase in austenitizing temperature and time,the migration rate of austenite grain boundaries continuously increases with the dissolution of nano-carbides,and the formation of nano-oxides and twin martensite is also inhibited accordingly.The rapid growth in the size of prior austenite grains and martensite laths,as well as the decrease in the content of nano-oxides and twin martensite,led to a rapid decrease in the strength(yield strength and ultimate tensile strength)from HT2 to HTF specimens.The HT1 specimens(austenitizing at 830℃for 30 min,then oil quenching and tempering at 300℃for 120 min and finally air cooling)display excellent mechanical properties of yield strength of 1572 MPa,ultimate tensile strength of 1847 MPa,elongation of 9.84%,and fracture toughness of 106 MPa m^(1/2),which are counterparts to those of conventional DT300 steel forgings after heat treatment.

Study on welding process performance of HG70D high strength steel plate

In this paper, the performance of HG70D welded joint of ultra-high strength steel plates is presented, and the performance of HG70D and Q345B welded joints is studied. The high strength steel plate HG70D showed excellent weldability. Through the X-ray inspection of welded joints, tensile strength, impact test and bending performance test, the comprehensive performance of the joint was excellent. The macroscopic and microscopic metallographic analysises of the welded joints show that the welding seams included pearlite, sorbite, ferrite, etc. The influence of stress annealing temperature on HG70D of high strength steel plate was analyzed by heat treatment.

Experimental Investigation of the Effect of the Material Damage Induced in Sheet Metal Forming Process on the Service Performance of 22MnB5 Steel

The use of ultra-high strength steels through sheet metal forming process offers a practical solution to the lightweight design of vehicles.However,sheet metal forming process not only produces desirable changes in material properties but also causes material damage that may adversely influence the service performance of the material formed.Thus,an investigation is conducted to experimentally quantify such influence for a commonly used steel（the 22MnB5 steel） based on the hot and cold forming processes.For each process,a number of samples are used to conduct a uniaxial tensile test to simulate the forming process.After that,some of the samples are trimmed into a standard shape and then uniaxially extended until fracture to simulate the service stage.Finally,a microstructure test is conducted to analyze the microdefects of the remaining samples.Based on the results of the first two tests,the effect of material damage on the service performance of 22MnB5 steel is analyzed.It is found that the material damages of both the hot and cold forming processes cause reductions in the service performance,such as the failure strain,the ultimate stress,the capacity of energy absorption and the ratio of residual strain.The reductions are generally lower and non-linear in the former process but higher and linear in the latter process.Additionally,it is found from the microstructure analysis that the difference in the reductions of the service performance of 22MnB5 by the two forming processes is driven by the difference in the micro damage mechanisms of the two processes.The findings of this research provide a useful reference in terms of the selection of sheet metal forming processes and the determination of forming parameters for 22MnB5.

The production and practice of cold-rolled steel sheets for automobile

Shougang Group has carried out a strategic structure adjustment in order to realize the promise of Chinese people to the Olympic Games.Automotive sheets are chosen as a type of strategic product and an engine to upgrade enterprise management,technology and operation to reach the top international level during the transition from long products to steel sheets in Shougang Group.Since 2006,Shougang Group has made an elaborate preparation on steel sheet culture,production line construction,technology import,pilot plant and talent reserve.It lays the foundation for the development of automotive sheets.The developing history of cold rolled automotive sheets is reviewed and the research and development of cold rolled automotive sheets, tackling key problem of defect on surface and the latest progress of automotive sheets construction are described in this paper.The main contents were given as follows:①The products of automotive sheets realize zero breakthrough in Shougang Group.Monthly output was 300 ton in January,2009 and it increased to 48 000 ton in June,2010.The ratio of IF steel sheets increases to 70%from 40%.The proportion of outside panel in automotive sheets occupys more than 15%.②A high emulational pilot plant is used as a product developing platform to develop successfully automotive sheets with 1 000 MPa and below.It guarantees that the industrial development of DP and TRIP sheets gets success at a time.It covers continuous annealing sheets with tensile strength≤780 MPa and galvanizing sheets with tensile strength≤590 MPa.③Individual design is used to meet special requirement of customer.Shougang owns 23 inner brands of LCAK and IF steels.It insures that the grades of yield strength cover whole range from 120 to 270 MPa.It keeps the stabilization of steel performance by means of chemical composition control and high accuracy rolling technology.For example,the strength of soft steel fluctuates within±15 MPa.④The steel sheets with surface grade O5 are produced steadily by solving forming striation of IF steel,grain coarse on surface,edge curling skin and mountains - and - waters painting defects.⑤The safeguard mechanism on quality of products is improved steadily and the output of automotive sheets and outside panel increases greatly by building consistency quality management system、information - system and customer service system.

IMPROVEMENT ON SUSCEPTIBILITY OF ULTAR-HIGH STRENGTH STEEL TO STRESS CORROSION CRACKING BY HIGH TEMPERATURE QUENCHING

The effect of quenching temperature on the stress corrosion cracking of 30Cr3SiNiMoV ultra-high strength steel in 3.5% NaCl aqueous solution has been studied.The threshold K_(ISCC) may continuously increase with the quenching temperature raised from 870 to 1200℃ . All of the fractures are intergranular.The analyses of the segregation along prior austenitic grain boundaries,grain size and other microstructural factors reveal that the inerease of K_(ISCC) is mainly due to the coarsening of prior austenitic grains.

Investigation on microstructure and properties of a combined precipitation hardening ultrahigh strength steel

The microstructure and properties of a combined precipitation hardening ultrahigh strength steel with nano-sized carbides and intermetallics were studied systematically.The results show that after tempering at 300℃lots ofε-carbides are precipitated in the martensite,the strength rises and the toughness falls slightly.After tempering at 430℃,much coarser cementite lamina are precipitated in martensitic laths,which causes the impact toughness falls to the minimum value.With temperature further increasing the cementites are dissolved and M_2C carbides,β-NiAl intermetallics and reverse austenite begin to precipitate.The tensile strength and yield strength achieve the peak value at 470℃,490℃respectively.The tested steel achieve a tensile strength of 2 120 MPa,a yield strength of 1 950 MPa and impact energy of 54 J/cm^2 after optimum tempering at 510℃.When tempering temperature is above 530℃the M_2C carbides and reverse austenite is coarsening.After tempering at 560℃the reverse austenite reaches the maximum volume fraction in present work.

Development of ultra high strength special steels and wrought nickel base superalloys

Ultra-high strength special steels and wrought Ni-base superalloys are been ever increasingly applied in aircraft and aerospace,power generation,oil-gas and other industries.The development of those materials is driven by tougher working conditions,higher efficiency,environment consideration,resource limitation and cost reduction. This presentation will focus on the development of ultra high strength special steels and wrought Ni-base superalloys in aircraft industry. The examples of ultra-high strength steels include: (1) Ultra-high strength stainless steels for landing gear and other structures; (2)High speed and high temperature main shaft bearing steels; (3) Ultra-high strength steels for jet engine main shaft. New and modified Ni-base superalloys will be discussed by examples of (1 )Low cost,process-friendly superalloys with higher performance; (2)Modification of hard-to-processed superalloys. Future development of those materials will be addressed.

Delayed fracture of tensile strength 980 MPa grade steels for automotive applications

Three different types of tensile strength （TS） 980 MPa grade advanced high-strength steels used in automotive applications, namely, 980MS （ martensite steel ）, 980DP （ dual phase ） and 980QP （ quenching and partitioning） steels were examined. The delayed fracture resistance of the steels was evaluated using a U-bend test, slow strain rate test（SSRT） and a constant load tensile test. The results indicated that all the steels could pass the 300 h HC1 solution immersion test and none of the U-bend specimens was fractured in the test. However,the steels exhibited different susceptibilities to delayed fracture under SSRT and the constant load tensile tests. 980DP exhibited the highest resistance to delayed fracture among all the samples, while 980MS was found to be the most susceptible to delayed fracture.

Recent development of UHSS and its hot-dip galvanizing processes in Baosteel

Baosteel has excelled in automotive steel sheets in the past three decades.It has made a significant contribution to the development of China’s automotive industry by producing a wide range of high-quality steel products.Some milestones achieved by Baosteel automotive steel sheet were briefly reviewed.The current challenges in producing ultra-high strength steel(UHSS),especially hot-dip galvanized UHSS,were summarized.The most current advancements in UHSS and the corresponding hot-dip galvanizing processes were discussed.The galvanizability of Si-Mn-added QP steel and DP steel, Mn-added TWIP steel, and Al-added low-density steel has been improved by different techniques in Baosteel.

Effect of low-temperature tempering on the mechanical properties of cold-rolled martensitic steel

Cold-rolled martensitic steel is an important type of advanced high-strength steel for automobile production.With martensite as its primary microstructure constituent, martensitic steel possesses exceptional high strength despite its low alloy content.As the strength of cold-rolled martensitic steel increases, the martensite and carbon content also increases, leading to a decrease in bending properties and toughness.In this paper, the effect of various tempering parameters on the bending property and impact toughness of a quenched cold-rolled martensitic steel sheet was studied.It is found that after quenching, the ductility and impact toughness of the experimental steel are improved using low-temperature heat treatment.The optimal tempering conditions for ductility and toughness are analyzed.