New Technology to Produce 1 GPa Low Carbon Microalloyed Steels from Cast Strip

Abstract

Global economy requires steel with further increasing mechanical properties and simultaneously decreasing price. In mass manufacturing three major methods can be used to increase strength: (i) increase microalloying element additions (increases cost), (ii) decrease deformation temperature and (iii) increase cooling rate after high temperature processing (both can be challenging for equipment). Thin strip casting is an effective way to reduce cost as it brings a reduction in number of deformation passes and shortens the production line. However, the mechanical properties can be missed due to insufficient microstructure development. In this article, we investigate a recently proposed technology based on Austenite Conditioning followed by Accelerated Cooling and Warm Deformation (AC2WD). Two low carbon steels microalloyed with either 0.012Ti or 0.1Mo-0.064Nb-0.021Ti (wt.%) were subjected to three processing modifications of the AC2WD-technology with two, one or no deformation of cast microstructure in the austenite temperature field. The Ti- and MoNbTi-steels exhibited 685–765 MPa and 880–950 MPa of the yield stress, 780–840 MPa and 1035–1120 MPa of tensile strength, and 20–30% and 22–24% of elongation to failure, respectively. The nature of strengthening mechanisms associated with the AC2WD-technology is discussed on the basis of detailed microstructure characterisation.