Is microstructural homogeneity the answer to hydrogen embrittlement resistance?

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Advances in Microalloyed Steels

Microalloyed steels are one of the core alloy steels in the development of modern advanced high-strength steels [...

Thermomechanical Processing of Steels

The combination of hot working technologies with a thermal path, under controlled conditions (i [...

Evaluating Strengthening and Impact Toughness Mechanisms for Ferritic and Bainitic Microstructures in Nb, Nb-Mo and Ti-Mo Microalloyed Steels

Low carbon microalloyed steels show interesting commercial possibilities by combining different “micro”-alloying elements when high strength and low temperature toughness properties are required. Depending on the elements chosen for the chemistry design, the mechanisms controlling the strengths and toughness may differ. In this paper, a detailed characterization of the microstructural features of three different microalloyed steels, Nb, Nb-Mo and Ti-Mo, is described using mainly the electron backscattered diffraction technique (EBSD) as well as transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The contribution of different strengthening mechanisms to yield strength and impact toughness is evaluated, and its relative weight is computed for different coiling temperatures. Grain refinement is shown to be the most effective mechanism for controlling both mechanical properties. As yield strength increases, the relative contribution of precipitation strengthening increases, and this factor is especially important in the Ti-Mo microalloyed steel where different combinations of interphase and random precipitation are detected depending on the coiling temperature. In addition to average grain size values, microstructural heterogeneity is considered in order to propose a new equation for predicting ductile–brittle transition temperature (DBTT). This equation considers the wide range of microstructures analyzed as well as the increase in the transition temperature related to precipitation strengthening

Interaction between Microalloying Additions and Phase Transformation during Intercritical Deformation in Low Carbon Steels

Heavy gauge line pipe and structural steel plate materials are often rolled in the two-phase region for strength reasons. However, strength and toughness show opposite trends, and the exact effect of each rolling process parameter remains unclear. Even though intercritical rolling has been widely studied, the specific mechanisms that act when different microalloying elements are added remain unclear. To investigate this further, laboratory thermomechanical simulations reproducing intercritical rolling conditions were performed in plain low carbon and NbV-microalloyed steels. Based on a previously developed procedure using electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD), the discretization between intercritically deformed ferrite and new ferrite grains formed after deformation was extended to microalloyed steels. The austenite conditioning before intercritical deformation in the Nb-bearing steel affects the balance of final precipitates by modifying the size distributions and origin of the Nb (C, N). This fact could modify the substructure in the intercritically deformed grains. A simple transformation model is proposed to predict average grain sizes under intercritical deformation conditions

Analysis of Strain Partitioning in Intercritically Deformed Microstructures via Interrupted Tensile Tests

Intercritically deformed steels present combinations of different types of ferrite, such as deformed ferrite (DF) and non-deformed ferrite (NDF) grains, which are transformed during the final deformation passes and final cooling step. Recently, a grain identification and correlation technique based on EBSD has been employed together with a discretization methodology, enabling a distinction to be drawn between different ferrite populations (NDF and DF grains). This paper presents a combination of interrupted tensile tests with crystallographic characterization performed by means of Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD), by analyzing the evolution of an intercritically deformed micro-alloyed steel. In addition to this, and using the nanoindentation technique, both ferrite families were characterized micromechanically and the nanohardness was quantified for each population. NDF grains are softer than DF ones, which is related to the presence of a lower fraction of low-angle grain boundaries. The interrupted tensile tests show the different behavior of low- and high-angle grain boundary evolution as well as the strain partitioning in each ferrite family. NDF population accommodates most of the deformation at initial strain intervals, since strain reaches 10%. For higher strains, NDF and DF grains behave similarly to the strain applied

Effect of Microstructure on Post-Rolling Induction Treatment in a Low C Ti-Mo Microalloyed Steel

Cost-effective advanced design concepts are becoming more common in the production of thick plates in order to meet demanding market requirements. Accordingly, precipitation strengthening mechanisms are extensively employed in thin strip products, because they enhance the final properties by using a coiling optimization strategy. Nevertheless, and specifically for thick plate production, the formation of effective precipitation during continuous cooling after hot rolling is more challenging. With the aim of gaining further knowledge about this strengthening mechanism, plate hot rolling conditions were reproduced in low carbon Ti-Mo microalloyed steel through laboratory simulation tests to generate different hot-rolled microstructures. Subsequently, a rapid heating process was applied in order to simulate induction heat treatment conditions. The results indicated that the nature of the matrix microstructure (i.e., ferrite, bainite) affects the achieved precipitation hardening, while the balance between strength and toughness depends on the hot-rolled microstructure

Effect of Dynamic Recrystallization on Microstructural Evolution in B Steels Microalloyed with Nb and/or Mo

The dynamic recrystallization behavior of ultra-high strength boron-microalloyed steels optionally alloyed with niobium and molybdenum is analyzed in this paper. Multipass torsion tests were performed to simulate plate rolling conditions followed by direct quenching. The influence of alloy composition on the transformed microstructure was evaluated by means of EBSD, thereby characterizing the morphology of the austenite grain morphology after roughing and finishing passes. The results indicated that for Nb-microalloyed steel, partial dynamic recrystallization occurred and resulted in local clusters of fine-sized equiaxed grains dispersed within the pancaked austenitic structure. A recrystallized austenite fraction appeared and transformed into softer phase constituents after direct quenching. The addition of Mo was shown to be an effective means of suppressing dynamic recrystallization. This effect of molybdenum in addition to its established hardenability effects hence safeguards the formation of fully martensitic microstructures, particularly in direct quenching processes. Additionally, the circumstances initiating dynamic recrystallization were studied in more detail, and the interference of the various alloying elements with the observed phenomena and the potential consequences of dynamic recrystallization before quenching are discussed

EFFECT OF THERMOMECHANICAL STRATEGY AND MO-NB-B ALLOYING ADDITIONS ON HIGH STRENGTH MEDIUM CARBON Q/Q&T STEELS

status: publishe

Toughness Property Control by Nb and Mo Additions in High-Strength Quenched and Tempered Boron Steels

The synergetic effect on hardenability by combining boron with other microalloying elements (such as Nb, Mo and Nb + Mo) is widely known for high-strength medium carbon steels produced by direct quenching and subsequent tempering treatment. The improvement of mechanical properties could be reached through optimization of different mechanisms, such as solid solution hardening, unit size refinement, strain hardening, fine precipitation hardening and the effect of carbon in solid solution. The current study proposes a procedure for evaluating the contribution of different microstructural aspects on Charpy impact toughness. First, the effect that austenite conditioning has on low-temperature transformation unit sizes and microstructural homogeneity was analysed for the different microalloying element combinations. A detailed crystallographic characterization of the tempered martensite was carried out using electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) in order to quantify the effect of unit size refinement and dislocation density. The impact of heterogeneity and presence of carbides was also evaluated. The existing equations for impact transition temperature (ITT50%) predictions were extended from ferrite-pearlite and bainitic microstructures to tempered martensite microstructures. The results show that microstructural refinement is most beneficial to strength and toughness while unit size heterogeneity has a particularly negative effect on ductile-to-brittle transition behaviour. By properly balancing alloy concept and processing, steel having a yield strength above 900 MPa and low impact transition temperature could be obtained by direct quenching and tempering