Effect of shape of sulfide inclusions on anisotropy of inclusion spacings and on directionality of ductility in hot-rolled C-Mn steels

Abstract

The effects of sulfur content (0.004 or 0.013 pct) and sulfide morphology (stringered or globular) on anisotropy of tensile ductility and Charpy shelf energy were investigated in a series of 0.1 and 0.2 pct carbon, 1.0 pct manganese steels. The effect of sulfide inclusions on fracture strain or Charpy shelf energy correlated with the projected area of inclusions per unit volume,Av, on a plane perpendicular to the tensile direction and the mean free distance between inclusions, λ, in a direction parallel to the tensile direction regardless of the amount or the shape of the inclusions or the test direction: longitudinal, transverse, or through-thickness. The magnitude ofAv is directly proportional to the volume fraction of inclusions and inversely proportional to the inclusion dimension parallel to the tensile direction. The mean free distance, λ, is inversely proportional toAv. Approximate relations were obtained for the nearest-neighbor distances between inclusions on the longitudinal, transverse, and through-thickness planes. These distances were incorporated into a model for ductile fracture based on an adaptation of a previously proposed criterion for the linkage of voids nucleated at second-phase particles. The agreement between the observed and predicted fracture strains for longitudinal, transverse, and through-thickness specimens of the steels studied is encouraging.