In the present work, the influence of the cooling time on the mechanical performance, hardness, and microstructural features of a double pulse resistance spot welded medium-Mn steel are investigated. Curves of the electrical resistance throughout the welding revealed that the cooling time strongly influences the heat generation during the second pulse. A second pulse after a short cooling time re-melts the center, and heat treats the edge of the primary fusion zone. This desired in-process heat treatment leads to a modification of the cast-like martensitic structure by recrystallization illustrated by electron backscatter diffraction measurements and to a homogenization of manganese segregations, visualized by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, which results in an enhanced mechanical performance during the cross tension strength test. In contrast, during excessively long cooling times, the resistance drops to a level where the heat generation due to the second pulse is too low to sufficiently re-heat the edge of the primary FZ. As a consequence, the signs of recrystallization disappear, and the manganese segregations are still present at the edge of the fusion zone, which leads to a deterioration of the mechanical properties.

In the development of steels with increasing strength and toughness, ultra-high strength steel grades with a martensitic microstructure are gaining more importance. From the martensitic transformation product, however, strength-specific quantities derived from the former austenite grain cannot be accessed conveniently. A profound analysis of the prior austenite microstructure, its size distribution and aspect ratio is essential in order to allow conclusions on the mechanical properties. This paper presents an etchant to reveal the prior austenite grains of thermomechanical processed and press hardened martensitic steels. Furthermore, alternative detecting methods such as electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and high-temperature laser scanning confocal microscopy were evaluated. It was found that a picric-acid etchant in combination with a prior tempering treatment of the steel enables the visualization of prior austenite grains and their elongation in a micrometer-scale.

In the automotive industry resistance, spot welding is the dominant technology in sheet metal joining of advanced high strength steels (AHSS). In order to improve the mechanical performance of AHSS welds, in-process tempering via a second pulse is a possible approach. In this work, two different double pulse welding schemes were applied to a 1200 MPa transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP)-aided bainitic ferrite (TBF) steel. The different microstructures in the welds were characterized via light optical and scanning electron microscopy. Additionally, hardness mappings with several hundred indents were performed. It is shown that the second pulse, following a low first pulse which is high enough to produce a weld nugget that fulfills the quality criterion of a minimum spot weld diameter of 4*√t, leads to partial reaustenitization and consequently to a ferritic/martensitic microstructure after final quenching. Hardness mappings revealed that this inner FZ is harder than the surrounding FZ consisting of tempered martensite. In contrast, if the highest current without splashing is chosen for the first pulse, the same second pulse does not reaustenitize the FZ but only temper the martensite.

The contradictory requirements of increased passenger safety and a simultaneous mass reduction of the body-in-white drive the development of advanced high strength steels in the automotive industry. Especially, components for the safety cell, e.g., reinforcement of B-pillar, bumper, and roof rails, need to be rigid and impede intrusion in the case of a crash event to protect the occupants. [1] For these applications, ultrahigh strength steels with a tensile strength (TS) of up to 2000 MPa and a martensitic microstructure are used. [2] However, their exceptional high strength is accompanied by limited formability, which can be overcome by hot stamping. The combination of shaping by hot forming and the simultaneous microstructure adjustment by quenching in water-cooled dies enables the production of components with complex geometries. Besides the reduced press forces, this manufacturing process also offers the ability to produce tailored blanks and eliminate spring back, which increases with the sheet strength in cold-forming operations. [3,4] While hot stamping was initially used for built-in components, the expansion of their application to more exposed structures leads to the need for corrosion protection. [5] In contrast to AlSi coatings that only provide barrier protection, zinc coatings additionally offer cathodic corrosion protection and, therefore, maintain their protection effect even when the coating layer is breached, e.g., by stone chipping. The major drawback of zinc coatings is their susceptibility to liquid metal embrittlement (LME) during direct hot press forming due to the presence of liquid zinc during deformation. [6] Thus, zinc-coated press hardening steels are mainly produced via the "indirect" process, where the sheet is cold stamped and subsequently subjected to a quenching and calibration operation in the press after full austenitization. Another possibility to avoid LME is by elimination of liquid phases during hot forming. One idea is to increase austenitization time to fully transform the coating into a single-phase solid solution of α-Fe(Zn) ferrite. [7] The disadvantage of this approach, besides the longer process time, is the decreased corrosion protection due to the lower potential difference between matrix and α-Fe(Zn) ferrite compared with zinc-rich Γ-ZnFe. [8] A further possibility is to increase the transfer time [9] or add an additional precooling step [8,10] to solidify all zinc phases, i.e., Γ-ZnFe, prior to the stamping operation. Typical precooling temperatures range between 450 and 650 C. [11] To guarantee a stable process, the composition of the standard hot stamping alloy 22MnB5 has been slightly adapted to 20MnB8. An increased amount of

This article presents the results of the development of a medium-Mn780 grade at large scale production via conventional LD-converter route at the voestalpine steel plant in Linz. It highlights the property profile of the newly developed grade—being a well-balanced global-formability type for demanding deep drawing operations and crash applications. Furthermore, it offers the possibility of weight reduction by replacing grades with lower strength levels.The article highlights critical aspects of the application of the material that had to be overcome. The first aspect addresses the often-observed presence of extensive yield point elongation (YPE) in medium-Mn steels. This contribution clearly shows that YPE can be avoided by a two-step heat treatment. The second aspect concerns the robustness of the manufacturing process and refers to the sensitivity of mechanical properties to the intercritical annealing temperature, which is a concern for industrial scale production. Based on the large-scale material, this contribution can emphasize that, with a precise temperature control during a batch annealing cycle, stable mechanical properties throughout an entire coil can be achieved. The third aspect addresses the necessary suitability of the material for the resistance spot welding process. In our first investigations, the material revealed rather low cross tension strength (CTS) after welding with standard parameters. Therefore, the chemical composition was adjusted and a double-pulse regime was established to vastly increase CTS.Considering all the above-mentioned aspects, this contribution represents a compilation of critical points and possible solutions towards the large-scale implementation and subsequent use of the present material by the automotive industry.