Influence of the Partitioning Treatment on the Mechanical Properties of a 0.3C-1.5Si-3.5Mn Q&P Steel

Abstract

The Quenching and Partitioning (Q&P) process is a promising method for developing steels with superior mechanical properties. This process includes quenching an austenitic microstructure to form a controlled fraction of martensite, an isothermal treatment (partitioning step) aiming for the partitioning of carbon from martensite to austenite and a final quench to room temperature. This paper analyses the concurrent processes of carbon partitioning and martensite tempering during the partitioning step of a 0.3C-1.5Si-3.5Mn (wt.%) Q&P steel. The influence of the martensite tempering and the carbon partitioning on the tensile strength as well as on the uniform and post-uniform elongation of the developed Q&P microstructures is investigated.

Effects of the austenitizing temperature on the mechanical properties of cold-rolled medium-Mn steel system

“…Most previous researches on the QP process are focused on the steels with a manganese content of less than 3(wt. %), while few studies [9][10][11][12][13] are focused on the effects of the austenitizing temperature rather than the quenching and partitioning parameters on the steels with higher manganese content. The present work aims to investigate the microstructure and mechanical property of a medium-Mn high strength C-Si-Mn steel system under QP process.…”