Microstructure-mechanical property relationships of dual-phase steel wire

Abstract

The high strain hardening rate and formability of dual-phase steels makes them promising choices for drawing into high strength wire. As the fundamental part of an alloy design project, dual-phase steels with several different martensite volume fractions, particle shapes, particle sizes, compositions, and crystallographic relations with the ferrite matrix were studied. They were wire drawn with true strains of up to 6.1. The initial microstructure, void formation tendency, drawability, and mechanical properties of the various steels were compared and correlated. The Fe-2Si-0.1C alloy was found to be the most promising with a suggested reduction in the carbon level to 0.06 to 0.08 pct. The double heat treatment which consists of quenching from austenite to martensite followed by intercritical annealing and quenching produced the best microstructure for drawing into wire. The annealing temperature should be adjusted to yield 25 to 30 vol pct martensite in the final microstructure. Stress relief after drawing provided a substantial increase in ductility without significant loss in strength.