Effect of rare-earth metals on the hot strength of HSLA steels

Abstract

Abstract An experimental study was done on the effect of rare-earth metals on a high-strength low-alloy steel. The work was focused in deriving the influence on Ce and La on the hot-working behavior. For this purpose, uniaxial hot-compression tests were carried out in a wide range of temperatures and strain rates. The effect of the rare-earth metals was determined by comparison of the characteristic parameters, describing the constitutive equations of the high-temperature response of the steel with, and without, rare-earth metals. The results showed that rare-earth metals were playing a major significant role on hardening mechanisms rather than on softening by dynamic recovery. On the contrary, rare-earth metals were able to delay the onset of dynamic recrystallization. All the present experimental results suggested that the latter roles are played by solid solution strengthening, through a solute drag effect, and not by precipitated particles.