Stretch-flange-formability is an important property for ultra high strength steel (UHSS) sheets for pressforming. In this study, microscopic deformation behaviors during punching and following stretch-flangeforming were investigated using three types of 980 MPa grade UHSS sheets with either two ferrite/martensite dual-phase structures or a martensite single-phase structure in order to clarify how the microstructure affects the stretch-flange-formability of UHSS sheets. The results of this investigation revealed following conclusions. Microscopic plastic-flow or micro-void density generated by punching is not the dominant factor of the stretch-flange-formability of UHSS sheets. During hole-expanding, cracks were mainly initiated at the fractured surface part and the cracks became longer and deeper from the punched surface with the increase of hole-expanding ratio. Deep cracking resistance in this process is important to improve the stretchflange-formability. The existence of strain gradient induced by hole punching is considered to be one of the reason for the highest hole-expanding ratio of the martensite single phase steel. During hole-expanding, the micro-cracks propagate mostly along the phase interfaces in the dual-phase steel sheets in the case of poor stretch-flange-formability, while the micro-cracks are tend to propagate through ferrite and martensite phases in the case of high stretch-flange-formability. The analysis of the hardness of ferrite and martensite suggests that the difference in hardness is the dominant factor of the stretch-flange-formability of the dualphase steel. In addition, the volume fractions of phases also influence the formability.

The effects of heat‐treatment conditions on mechanical properties are comprehensively investigated to optimise the industrial process of the 590 MPa grade TRIP steel sheet with the metallurgical understanding. The substantial effect of the thermal conditions are first clarified by laboratory investigation, which includes the effects of annealing conditions, cooling conditions from intercritical temperature to austempering temperature and austempering conditions. The results indicate that the optimum annealing temperature is between 800 and 850 °C and the mechanical properties are hardly influenced by the annealing time between 30 and 120 s at an annealing temperature of 825 °C. It is also suggested that the optimum quenching rate is 45 °C/s to obtain the stable properties of the products and the optimum austempering conditions are 425 °C with over 300 s in case of a constant temperature austempering. Based on the laboratory investigation, mill trial is performed using the NKK No.4‐CAL in Fukuyama works. The heat treatment conditions are intentionally varied to examine minutely the stability of the production. The mechanical properties are sensitive to the austempering start temperature, when the austempering temperature is gradually decreased during austempering in the industrial conditions for the stable operation without meanders. Excellent mechanical properties can be obtained by controlling the austempering start temperature between 445 and 460 °C. On the contrary, the properties deteriorate in case of the austempering start temperature over 470 °C although the amount of retained austenite is the same or slightly larger than the material which exhibits excellent properties. This is because the retained austenite is less stable in the high‐temperature austempered material caused by less bainite transformation.

High strength cold-rolled steel sheets (HSS) with sufficient formability have been developed for the IF steel-bases in the last decade, in which the major strengthening method was solid-solution hardening with silicon, manganese and phosphorous. When the IF steel is strengthened with the high amount of solid-solution elements, it becomes susceptible to the secondary work embrittlement because of the lack of grain boundary strength, which is the essential drawback of interstitial free steel. Although the grain refinement is an effective method to improve the toughness of steel, this method has not been taken into consideration in view of press-formability because it leads the steel to higher yield ratio, lower n-value and lower r-value.A new type of IF-HSS was strengthened by hybridizing the grain refinement and the supplemental solidsolution hardening. The grain refinement was achieved by means of the fine distribution of carbide under the appropriate combination of the relatively higher carbon content near 60 ppm with a suitable carbideforming element. While this steel has the fine grain structure, yield strength hardly increases due to the formation of unique microstructure containing PFZ, and the g fiber texture sufficiently develops. As the result, a new type of grain-refined IF-HSS has been successfully developed to reach a higher r-value and a superior secondary work embrittlement as compared with the conventional IF-HSS.

Industrial low alloy TRIP sheet steels contain blocky and lath-shaped retained austenite. In the present study, transformation behaviour of blocky and lath-shaped retained austenite during straining was investigated to clarify its effect on mechanical properties. Two types of TRIP steels containing almost the same amount but the different morphology of retained austenite were used. A steel containing large amount of lath-shaped retained austenite exhibits superior ductility, and sustains high work-hardenability in a high strain region. On the contrast, a steel containing large amount of blocky retained austenite exhibits low ductility. 　The work-hardenability increased steeply to the maximum at a low strain region, and then reduced in a high strain region. The stability of the blocky austenite has been found to be poor with respected to martensite transformation. The lath-shaped retained austenite remains until a high strain region whereas the blocky retained austenite transformed into martensite in a low strain region. Carbon content was higher in the lath-shaped retained austenite than in the blocky retained austenite. Stability of retained austenite is, however, inexplicable only by the carbon content, and would be affected by the different morphology and the resulting restraint conditions.

The ferrite-martensite dual phase (DP) steels offer a better combination of strength and ductility than other conventional steels with equivalent static strength which are generally used in the automobile industry. The continuous martensite phase in DP steels seems to play an important role in determining fatigue properties and be a key factor to gain a higher resistance to fatigue. Additionally it is very important from a practical point of view to improve the fatigue properties after prestraining or cold working. The effects of microstructural morphology and prestraining on the propagation behavior of short fatigue cracks in DP steels were investigated by the in-situ observation in a scanning electron microscope. The material with martensites continuously surrounding individual ferrites exhibited a higher fatigue strength and longer fatigue life than those of the material with martensite phase dispersed in the ferrite matrix. Cold rolling prior to fatigue testing resulted in a decrease of fatigue life for both materials, especially an extreme decrease for the martensite-dispersed material. It was found that the fatigue crack propagation was sensitive to microstructural morphology and prestraining only in the small crack within a range of approximately 250 mm and the propagation life of this region governed the total fatigue life.