Pearlite spheroidization by thermomechanical treatment of directly charged thin slabs

Abstract

Considering coarse initial austenite grain and the reduced thickness of directly charged thin slabs, a modified thermomechanical treatment was carried out on an unalloyed engineering steel with 0.66% C. For the laboratory simulation to determine the microstructural and mechanical properties a continuous casting simulator linked with the hot deformation simulator (Wumsi) were used. The aim of these tests was to study the process of the strain induced spheroidization of lamellar pearlite in order to improve the cold deformability of the steel, taking account of the particular conditions of direct charging. By the Variation of hot rolling deformation schedules, the influence of austenite grain size, pearlite interlamellar spacing as well as strain and strain temperature were investigated. The spheroidization process was mostly influenced by the strain applied just after finished pearlite transformation. Improving both strength and ductility by increasing fraction of spheroidized pearlite was supported by a smaller pearlite interlamellar spacing before deformation. A coarse austenite grain hardly affects the spheroidization process and brings about no impairment of mechanical properties, which makes this processing particularly attractive for direct charging of thin slabs. Moreover, a finely spheroidized pearlite exerts structural similarities to a tempered martensite, concerning distribution, shape and size of the cementite, accordingly leading to comparable mechanical properties. This justifies such modified hot rolling to be accepted as a potential substitution for the conventional post‐rolling quench and tempering of high carbon steel products.