Effect of Thermomechanical Rolling of the Induction Hardenability of a Micro-Alloyed 1045 Steel

A micro-alloyed 1045 steel was commercially rolled into 54 mm diameter bars by conventional hot rolling at 1000 °C and by lower temperature thermomechanical rolling at 800 °C. The lower rolling temperature refined the ferrite-pearlite microstructure and influenced the microstructural response to rapid heating at 200 °C·s-1, a rate that is commonly encountered during single shot induction heating for case hardening. Specimens of both materials were rapidly heated to increasing temperatures in a dilatometer to determine the Ac1 and Ac3 transformation temperatures. Microscopy was used to characterize the dissolution of ferrite and cementite. Continuous cooling transformation (CCT) diagrams were developed for rapid austenitizing temperatures 25 °C above the Ac3 determined by dilatometry. Dilatometry and microstructure evaluation along with hardness tests showed that thermomechanical rolling reduced the austenite grain size and lowered the heating temperature needed to dissolve the ferrite. With complete austenitization at 25 °C above the Ac3 there was little effect on the CCT behavior.

Effect of Mn Addition on Hot-Working Behavior and Microstructure of Hot-Rolled Medium-Mn Steels

Hot plastic working behavior and microstructure evolution were investigated during a production process of four medium-Mn steels, which differed in Mn (3 and 5%) and Nb contents. The production process started with casting, followed by hot forging, rough hot-rolling and concluded with final thermomechanical processing, which was performed to obtain multiphase bainite-based alloys with some fractions of retained austenite. The rough rolling was composed of four passes with total true strain of 0.99 and finishing rolling temperature of 850 °C, whereas thermomechanical processing contained five passes and total true strain of 0.95 at a finishing rolling temperature of 750 °C. During the process, the force parameters were recorded, which showed that the rolling forces for steels containing 3% Mn are higher compared to the 5% Mn alloys. There was no significant influence of Nb on the rolling parameters. The produced as-cast microstructures were composed of dendritic bainitic-martensitic phases. A positive effect of Nb micro-addition on a refinement of the as-cast structure was noticed. The thermomechanical processed steels showed fine multiphase microstructures with some fractions of retained austenite, the fraction of which depended on the Mn content in steel. The steels containing 3% Mn generated higher forces both during rough and thermomechanical rolling, which is related to slower recrystallization softening in these alloys compared to the steels containing 5% Mn.

The Phenomenon of the “First Stress Peak” at the Yielding in the Dynamic Compression Tests of FCC and BCC Microalloyed Structures

In the presented work two grades of steel i.e. microalloyed ferrite (M_F) and microalloyed austenite (M_A) where subjected to the grain refinement processes using MaxStrain system and thermomechanical rolling. The wide range of grain size, starting from 200 µm down to submicrometer level was produced in this way. The specimens of both steels were subjected to the dynamic compression tests using the Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) apparatus and applying the strain rates in the range between ε˙ = 3750s-1 and ε˙ = 6000s-1. In addition, different temperatures were used in the tests, i.e.200 °C and 400 °C. The first peak of stress which is observed during elastic-plastic transition during the dynamic compression tests can be treated as a characteristic feature of the tested material. The results obtained in the present investigations showed a significant dependence of the “first stress peak” in the dynamic compression curve on the degree of the microstructure refinement for the samples of M_F and almost complete absence of this dependence for M_A.

Application Specific Microstructure Development in Microalloyed Bainitic Hot Strip

During the hot rolling of bainitic steels, time and temperature must be controlled within narrow limits to avoid undesirable ferritic or martensitic phase fractions. In order to design a reliable process window for the production of bainitic steels, the effects of the different process parameters on the phase transformation and the final properties of a microalloyed and a non-microalloyed steel were investigated. Thermomechanical tests with the possibility of producing secondary samples were conducted to analyze the influence on the mechanical properties strength and toughness. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron probe micro analysis (EPMA) were used to investigate the origin of the differing properties. In particular, it has been found that thermomechanical rolling of the microalloyed steel leads to an improvement in strength. This is partly due to the transformation kinetics and partly to strain-induced precipitations. Further, the hardening behavior is affected by the secondary phase within the bainitic matrix configured through the cooling strategy. Coarse Martensite/Austenite (MA) structures reduce toughness, whereas finely dispersed MA islands increase the hardening potential. Furthermore, the results from the material experiments were used to develop a rate model in combination with a nucleation model to predict the kinetics of the phase transformation and the shape of the bainitic microstructure.

Organization of K60-D strength class sheet rolled stock production intended for electro-welded pipes of pipelines and distribution systems of LNG production plants

A technology of К60-D strength class sheet rolled stock production at 2800 mill of JSC “Ural Steel” elaborated and implemented, by application of thermomechanical rolling followed by accelerated cooling. It was shown that the implemented technology provides the required complex of mechanical properties and high resistance of the rolling stock within a wide dimensional range. The thickness of the rolling stock, produced for trunk pipelines and field oil and gas pipelines, gas-collecting nets pipelines and natural gas liquefaction plants as well as pipelines details was 21.2; 28.5 and up to 45 mm correspondently. Complete meeting the properties of the К60-D strength class sheet rolled stock, produced by the elaborated technology, the requirements to the materials for two-seamed 1420 mm diameter pipes of D category was confirmed by results of tests.