Effect of recrystallization on bainite transformation and mechanical properties of complex phase steel with high formability (CH steel)

Abstract

Herein, the effect of recrystallization on the bainite transformation and mechanical properties of CH steel were investigated using SEM, TEM, EBSD, dilatometry, and tensile testing machine. First, precipitation was introduced to hinder recrystallization by batch annealing. Subsequently, the competitive relationship between austenite transformation and recrystallization was revealed using different annealing processes. Finally, the effect of recrystallization on bainite transformation was analyzed, mainly including bainite morphology, fraction, transformation rate, bainite nucleation rate of untransformed austenite and austenite-bainite orientation relationship, as well as the effect on the mechanical properties. After batch annealing, a large amount of cementite and nanoscale (Nb, Ti)C precipitated in the hot-rolled sheet, the austenite transformation start temperature (Ac1) and the pearlite to austenite transformation end temperature (Ac1f)of the cold-rolled sheet increased, and the austenite transformation end temperature (Ac3) of the cold-rolled sheet decreased, and the austenite transformation process accelerated. The microstructure of annealed sheets is consisted of ferrite, granular bainite, martensite, and a small fraction of retained austenite. Carbide hindered the recrystallization process during the annealing process, resulting in significant refining of the grains. The lower degree of recrystallization promoted bainite transformation, providing more nucleation sites, higher grain boundary and autocatalytic nucleation activation energy, improving bainite's fraction and transformation rate. The bainitic ferrite was mainly lathy in the recrystallized zone and polygonal in the non-recrystallized zone. Both a K-S and an N-W relationship between retained austenite and bainite, while the N-W relationship in the non-recrystallized zone was relatively higher. Without severe loss of plasticity, hindering recrystallization increased the dislocation, grain refinement, and precipitation strengthening values of the samples, and the strength significantly improved. However, with the increase of annealing temperature, recrystallization fraction increased gradually, and the increase in strength became less noticeable.