Effects of Mo and Controlled Cooling on Microstructure and Properties of Thick‐Wall High‐Strength Pipeline Steel

Abstract

Herein, the effect of molybdenum (Mo) and postrolling cooling processes on the mechanical properties and microstructure transformation characteristics of an X80 thick‐wall high‐strength pipeline steel are deeply investigated. The results reveal that the yield strength and tensile strength of the steel are enhanced with Mo addition at the equalization temperature of 480 °C at a cooling rate of 25 °C s−1, accompanied by the improvement in the yield ratio. However, when the postrolling cooling temperature is reduced to 380 °C, the mechanical properties of steels with Mo‐free and 0.29 wt% Mo are comparable. The mechanistic study indicates that the Mo addition would inhibit the transformation from deformed austenite to polygonal ferrite, and promote the transformation of acicular ferrite/granular bainite at medium–low temperatures, as well as significant differences in the volume fraction, size, and morphology of martensite/austenite (M/A) in the matrix. Notably, the volume fraction of M/A decreases from 7.2% to less than 1.0% with Mo content increasing, while its average size also reduces from 1.5 to less than 1.0 μm. And the fine, spheroidal, and dispersed M/A is found to play a vital role in the high‐strength and excellent low‐temperature toughness of the steel.