Toward Eliminating Discontinuous Yielding Behavior of the EA4T Steel

Cold-rolled EA4T steel was heat-treated by inter-critical holding at 755 °C for 90 s, 120 s, 180 s, and 240 s, respectively, and then quenching in water. The tensile testing results of the EA4T specimens show an evident transition from the discontinuous yielding to the continuous yielding of the steel specimens by prolonging the holding time. A novel relationship between the discontinuous yielding behavior of tensile-deformed steel specimens and the carbide size was proposed based on experimental results and Cottrell’s theory. The model may provide a new clue for avoiding discontinuous yielding and improving mechanical properties of metals with static strain aging behaviors.

Understanding Hot vs. Cold Rolled Medium Manganese Steel Deformation Behavior Using In Situ Microscopic Digital Image Correlation

We address the differences in yield stresses between hot and cold rolled medium manganese steel showing continuous yielding. Continuous yielding in both, the hot and cold rolled samples were resulting from reverted austenite islands plastically deforming first and less strain in the tempered martensite matrix. At higher global strains, strain was taken up not only by the reverted austenite, but also by tempered martensite and fresh martensite formed from the austenite through martensitic phase transformation during deformation. Strain localization was also observed in the hot rolled samples. This localization is caused by cumulative deformation of colonies of lamellar reverted austenite islands. It is interpreted in terms of the spatial alignment of austenite colonies to the loading direction in addition to the crystallographic orientation.

Effect of Multipass Severe Rolling Process in the API X65 Steel

In the API X65 steel, effects of rolling and cooling conditions on microstructure and mechanical properties were studied. In the case of accelerated cooling after multi-pass rolling in the high/low unrecrystallized range, the tensile strength was 574-670 MPa and the impact toughness was 74-109 J. In the case of accelerated cooled to 550°C and then interrupted by air cooling, on the other hand, those values were 524-538 MPa and 100-135 J, respectively. Whereas the former exhibited the continuous yielding, the latter showed discontinuous yielding. In addition, yield ratio increased from 0.59-0.67 to 0.85-0.87, accompanied with the enhancement of yield strength. Ultrafine ferrite grains formed by the strain induced dynamic transformation during the severe rolling and second phases formed during cooling were observed. In accelerated cooling and interrupted cooling conditions, main second phases formed after cooling were martensite and pearlite, respectively. Separation cracking mostly observed at interfaces of ferrite matrix and second phases, may be attributed to the intrinsic interfacial weakness.

Influence of Severe Accumulative Rolling in a Low Carbon Microalloyed Steel

Effect of the severe deformation by multi-pass rolling on microstructure and tensile properties was analyzed in terms of rolling temperature, plate thickness, and cooling rate for a modified API X65 steel containing B. The plates, 80 and 50 mm thickness, were rolled six times by 20%/pass (total 75%) to 20 and 12 mm, at 1023 K of unrecrystallized γ region or 973 K of intercritical (α+γ) region, and then quenched in water or oil. All specimens except one oil-quenched condition showed relatively high UTS 700-830 MPa and the continuous yielding(YR～0.6), typical mode of the (ferrite + martensite (bainite)) dual phase microstructure. In contrast, one oil-quenched specimen with the 973 K-20 mm condition, exhibited the discontinuous yielding (YR～0.8), indicating that the microstructure basically consists of ferrite plus pearlite, as well as a relatively low UTS 660 MPa. The degree of deformation really occurring within materials, i.e., strain hardening seems to be enhanced with a decrease in deformation temperature. As the degree of deformation increases, the remaining austenite, not dynamically transformed to fine ferrite, becomes increasingly unstable. A lower hardenability of this remaining austenite thus would lead to a higher possibility to transform into the (ferrite + pearlite) structure of lower strength rather than the (ferrite + martensite (bainite)) of higher strength.