Influence of Boron on the Precipitation Kinetics in Advanced Ultra-High Strength Steels

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn the present work, the stress relaxation method was employed to determine the influence of B addition on the kinetics of strain-induced precipitation and its interaction with the static austenite recrystallization. For this purpose, the behavior of two low carbon advanced ultra-high strength steels was analyzed during stress relaxation tests at different temperatures and constant pre-strain rate. The precipitation start (Ps) and finish (Pf) times were determined from the relaxation curves and then the corresponding precipitation-time-temperature diagrams were constructed for each steel. Transmission Electron Microscopy was used to determine the chemical nature and evolution of precipitation. In general, the results show that the addition of B retards the austenite recrystallization, tends to accelerate the precipitation kinetics of carbonitrides and leads to a finer and denser distribution of precipitates. These results are discussed in terms of the driving force for the nucleation of precipitation, which in turn is controlled by the degree of supersaturation of microalloying element and as a function of B segregation and B-vacancy complexes to dislocations and grain boundaries.