Indentation Size Effect (ISE) in steels having a wide spectrum of carbon (C) concentrations (wt-%) 0.002 (interstitial-free), 0.07 (microalloyed), 0.19 (low carbon), 0.32 (medium carbon), and 0.7 (high carbon), and microstructures were investigated using Vickers micro-hardness tester. A decrease in micro-hardness with increasing load, i.e. ISE, is observed in all the samples except microalloyed steel. The empirical relations, such as the Nix and Gao model, Minimum Resistance model, and Proportional Specimen Resistance (PSR) model, were used to determine the load-independent or true hardness values. Nix and Gao model was adopted to determine the plastically deformed zone (PDZ) size under the indenter and subsequently correlated with ISE in the materials. It is observed that ISE is absent when the PDZ size becomes comparable to or larger than the grain size of the material.
Current study deals with the microstructural characterization of five different plates of steel with carbon concentration ranging from ultra-low to moderately high. Phase analysis was carried out using XRD technique. The XRD results were analyzed through Rietveld refinement and Williamson Hall plots. Rietveld refinement was carried out to understand the effect of carbon concentration on the lattice parameters of the above steel samples in as-received condition and also after deformation under uni-axial tensile loading. Lattice parameters obtained from refinement showed the strong dependence on carbon concentration of the given steels. But the failed specimens showed somewhat complex results as Spheroidized high carbon steel, Low carbon steel and IF steel showed an increase in lattice parameter whereas Medium carbon steel and Microalloyed steel showed a contraction in lattice parameter. Williamson Hall plot gave the crystallite size, microstrain and dislocation density in the steels. For IF and Microalloyed steels the dislocation density in the material is found to be higher after deformation whereas dislocation density decreased in Spheroidized high carbon steel, Medium carbon steel and Low carbon steel.
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