A Discussion of the Paper “The Role of Inclusions on Mechanical Properties in High-Strength Steels”

Abstract

The authors show that at high tensile strength fracture toughness is insensitive to steel cleanliness, and reduction of area is very sensitive to steel cleanliness. These conclusions are generally substantiated by work conducted at U. S. Steel. The U. S. Steel work amplifies that reported in the subject paper by examining the effect of residual elements (cleanliness) on the reduction of area and fracture toughness of 18Ni maraging steels and the effect of prior-austenite grain size and residual-element content on the reduction of area and fracture toughness of high-strength quenched and tempered alloy steels. The U. S. Steel work shows that for the maraging and alloy steels studied, reduction-of-area values are very sensitive to residual-element level but not affected much by tensile-strength levels in the range 230–300 ksi. The fracture toughness of the maraging steels shows a sensitivity to residual-element level that decreases as the strength is raised. The steels appear to reach a point of complete insensitivity to residual-element level at a tensile strength of 310 ksi. At this strength, the fracture toughness approaches a KIc value of 50 ksi( in.)12. The fracture toughness of the alloy steels is insensitive to residual-element level throughout the tensile-strength range 230–320 ksi, but is sensitive to prior-austenite grain size. The grain-size sensitivity decreases as the strength level increases and appears to reach a point of complete insensitivity at a tensile strength of about 310 ksi. Again, the fracture toughness of the steels at a tensile strength of 310 ksi approaches a KIc value of approximately 50 ksi in.12. It is concluded that lowering residual-element levels by vacuum melting should improve the fracture toughness of maraging steels at tensile strengths below 310 ksi but will probably not improve the fracture toughness of quenched and tempered alloy steel at tensile strengths in the range 230 ksi and higher. Lowering residual elements by vacuum melting improves the ductility, as measured by reduction of area, of both maraging and alloy steels over the entire range of strengths studied. Reduction of area is not very sensitive to tensile strength in the range studied.