In this study, recently established multiresolution spherical indentation stress–strain protocols have been employed to derive new insights into the microstructural changes that occur during the processing of dual-phase (DP) steels. This is accomplished by utilizing indenter tips of different radii such that the mechanical responses can be evaluated both at the macroscale (reflecting the bulk properties of the sample) and at the microscale (reflecting the properties of the constituent phases). More specifically, nine different thermo-mechanical processing conditions involving different combinations of intercritical annealing temperatures and bake hardening after different amounts of cold work were studied. In addition to demonstrating the tremendous benefits of the indentation protocols for evaluating the variations within each sample and between the samples at different material length scales in a high throughput manner, the measurements provided several new insights into the microstructural changes occurring in the alloys during their processing. In particular, the indentation measurements indicated that the strength of the martensite phase reduces by about 37% when quenched from 810 °C compared to being quenched from 750 °C, while the strength of the ferrite phase remains about the same. In addition, during the 10% thickness reduction and bake hardening steps, the strength of the martensite phase shows a small decrease due to tempering, while the strength of the ferrite increases by about 50% by static aging.
New Insights into the Microstructural Changes During the Processing of Dual-Phase Steels from Multiresolution Spherical Indentation Stress–Strain Protocols
