Influence of Temperature on Strain Induced Precipitation Kinetics in Microalloyed Steels

Starting from the expression of Dutta and Sellars for the beginning of strain induced precipitation in microalloyed steels, the influence of temperature on t0.05parameter has been studied. Although the equation given by these authors reproduces well the typical “C” shape of the curve of precipitation start time Ps, the expression is not reliable for all cases. The precipitation-time-temperature (PTT) diagrams have been plotted thanks to a new experimental study carried out by means of hot torsion tests on approximately twenty microalloyed steels having different contents of Nb, V and Ti. Mathematical analysis of results recommends the modification of some parameters such as supersaturation ratio (Ks) and constant B, which is no longer a constant but a function of Kswhen the latter is calculated at the nose temperature (TN) of curve Ps. The value of parameter B is deduced from the minimum point or nose of the Pscurve, where ∂t0.05/∂T is equal to zero, and it can be demonstrated that B cannot be a constant. The new expressions for these parameters derive from the latest studies developed by the authors and this work supposes an attempt to improve the model. The expressions are now more consistent and predict with remarkable accuracy the PTT curves.