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Austenite Stability and Strain Hardening in C-Mn-Si Quenching and Partitioning Steels

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Abstract

Quenching and partitioning (Q&P) processing of third-generation advanced high strength steels generates multiphase microstructures containing metastable retained austenite. Deformation-induced martensitic transformation of retained austenite improves strength and ductility by increasing instantaneous strain hardening rates. This paper explores the influence of martensitic transformation and strain hardening on tensile performance. Tensile tests were performed on steels with nominally similar compositions and microstructures (11.3 to 12.6 vol. pct retained austenite and 16.7 to 23.4 vol. pct ferrite) at 980 and 1180 MPa ultimate tensile strength levels. For each steel, tensile performance was generally consistent along different orientations in the sheet relative to the rolling direction, but a greater amount of austenite transformation occurred during uniform elongation along the rolling direction. Neither the amount of retained austenite prior to straining nor the total amount of retained austenite transformed during straining could be directly correlated to tensile performance. It is proposed that stability of retained austenite, rather than austenite volume fraction, greatly influences strain hardening rate, and thus controls strength and ductility. If true, this suggests that tailoring austenite stability is critical for optimizing the forming response and crash performance of quenched and partitioned grades.

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Acknowledgments

The financial support of the Advanced Steel Processing and Products Research Center (ASPPRC) at the Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, USA, is gratefully acknowledged. CF and KD acknowledge support from the National Science Foundation division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation (NSF-CMMI) through Award No. 1752530. The authors would like to thank K.X. Steirer, who assisted with X-ray diffraction experiments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Colorado School of Mines, Advanced Steel Processing and Products Research Center, 1500 Illinois Street, Golden, CO, 80401, USA

    Christopher B. Finfrock, Amy J. Clarke & Kester D. Clarke

  2. AK Steel Corporation, Steel Research & Innovation Center, 9227 Centre Pointe Drive, West Chester, OH, 45069, USA

    Grant A. Thomas

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  1. Christopher B. Finfrock
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Finfrock, C.B., Clarke, A.J., Thomas, G.A. et al. Austenite Stability and Strain Hardening in C-Mn-Si Quenching and Partitioning Steels. Metall Mater Trans A 51, 2025–2034 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-020-05666-8

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