Investigation on the mechanical properties of press-hardened boron steel sheets using the conductive heating technique

An aluminized 22MnB5 (Boron) steel sheet, used for structural parts in the automotive industry, was subjected to press-hardening followed by austenitizing, both in a conventional furnace and via the conductive (electric resistance) heating method, an innovative technique based on the Joule’s principle for fast heating of the sheet metal. Conductive heating presents a number of advantages over the in-furnace heating method. These include a more efficient use of energy, as well as the requirement of less time and space for heating, thus lowering costs. After press-hardening was performed using both methods, the microstructural and mechanical characterizations of both specimens were examined for optical microscopy, hardness, tensile strength, and high-speed impact tests. The results showed that the press-hardening process transformed the ferritic–pearlitic microstructure in the as-received state into martensite after die quenching and caused a substantial increase in hardness and strength at the expense of ductility and impact toughness. On the other hand, no significant difference was observed in either the microstructure or mechanical properties with respect to the heating method used. The results obtained in the present investigation concur with the findings of current literature.