Formation Of Austenite Research Articles

On the precipitation and transformation kinetics of precipitation-hardening steel X5CrNiCuNb16-4 in a wide range of heating and cooling rates

In this work, the transformation and dissolution/precipitation behaviour of the soft martensitic, precipitation-hardening steel X5CrNiCuNb16-4 (often referred to as 17–4 PH or AISI 630) has been investigated by various analytical in situ techniques. First, austenite formation during the heating stage of a solution treatment (or austenitization) is examined. Subsequently, a major part of this work evaluates precipitation during cooling from the solution treatment (i.e., the quench-induced precipitation of Cu-rich particles). The following analytical in situ techniques were utilised: synchrotron high-energy X-ray diffraction, synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering, differential scanning calorimetry, and dilatometry. These were complemented by ex situ high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy on as-quenched samples after various cooling rates. The continuous heating transformation and continuous cooling transformation diagrams have been updated. Contrary to previous reports, X5CrNiCuNb16-4 is rather quench sensitive and the final properties after ageing degrade if cooling is done slower than a certain critical cooling rate. Quench-induced Cu-rich precipitation happens in two reactions: a larger, nearly pure Cu face-centred cubic phase forms at higher temperatures, while at medium temperatures, spherical Cu-rich nanoparticles form, which are found to be body-centred cubic at room temperature. The dimensions of the quench-induced particles range from several µm after cooling at 0.0001 K s-1 down to just a few nm after cooling at 1 K s-1. The maximum age hardening potential of X5CrNiCuNb16-4 can be exploited if a fully supersaturated solid solution is reached at cooling rates above the critical cooling rate of about 10 K s-1.

The evolution and toughening mechanism of austenite in high Co–Ni ultrahigh strength steel

The austenite, as a “soft” phase, has a significant impact on the mechanical properties in ultrahigh strength steel. The morphology, size, and distribution of austenite play a critical role in toughness of steel. This study concentrates on morphology, size, and distribution of austenite subjected to solid solution, cryogenic, and aging treatments and explores its evolution characterized by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction and x-ray diffraction. The toughening mechanism of austenite with different characterization was investigated through charpy impact testing and fracture morphology analysis. The results indicate that filmy and blocky austenite existed at the lath boundary of martensite. Blocky austenite and some filmy austenite were eliminated after cryogenic treatment, while approximately less than 15 nm filmy reverted austenite was formed after aging treatment. Filmy reverted austenite at the boundary of martensite laths can enhance toughness. Retained austenite without cryogenic treatment can induce the formation of larger blocky austenite, which decreased toughness.

Tuning austenite stability through prior microstructure control in a low-alloy Q&P steel

Quenching and partitioning (Q&P) processing is a widely accepted heat treatment methodology for creating high strength steels consisting of ferrite, martensite, and austenite, while maintaining relatively low manufacturing costs. Though the research on effects of prior microstructure is limited, an understanding of the heat treatment response of different starting microstructures is critical to processing and creating steels with complex microstructures that contain retained austenite and may afford opportunities to further optimize properties. This study investigates the influence of starting microstructure (ferrite/pearlite versus martensite) and prior levels of cold work (38 verses 58 %) on the microstructural development and mechanical properties of a 0.2 C-2.0 Mn-1.5 Si (wt.%) steel exposed to Q&P processing. Samples with a starting martensitic microstructure resulted in higher retained austenite fractions and a more homogeneous microstructure after Q&P processing compared to a starting microstructure of ferrite-pearlite. Starting martensitic microstructures also displayed higher work hardening rates and higher uniform elongations. Larger cold reductions saw accelerated dissolution kinetics and austenite formation during intercritical annealing, resulting in more similar final microstructures from the ferrite-pearlite and martensitic starting microstructures. The results presented here indicate that varying prior processing can be a route to manipulate and control austenite stability in a Q&P processed steel.

Lattice Parameter of Austenite in Silicon Cast Irons

Upon solidification, graphitic cast irons undergo a volume change whose amplitude depends on two opposite terms, the contraction associated with austenite formation and the expansion due to graphite crystallization. During cooling after solidification, further precipitation of graphite occurs that continuously changes the physical properties of the material and possibly affects the eutectoid transformation that transforms the matrix from austenitic to ferritic or ferritic-pearlitic. This work intended to study the density of graphitic cast irons at high temperature, i.e., in the temperature range where the matrix is austenitic. High-temperature laboratory X-rays have been carried out on several alloys containing various carbon and silicon contents to characterize the austenite mean lattice parameter. By complementing these results with literature data, a statistical analysis was carried out that expresses the austenite mean lattice parameter as a function of temperature and composition, evidencing the high uncertainty related to the austenite carbon content. Finally, one of the investigated alloys was submitted to a simultaneous dilatometry and X-ray analysis in a synchrotron from room temperature to 1050 °C. The data are used to discuss the austenite lattice parameter prediction and the possibility of density prediction.

Effect of Quenching Post‐Intercritical Austenitizing on the Microstructure and Tensile Properties of an K55 Grade Steel for Oil and Gas Industry

The API K55 grade steel is widely utilized in seamless pipes for oil and gas exploration, especially as casing pipes for wellbores. Traditionally, this steel is processed using hot rolling followed by quenching and tempering to achieve the desired dimensional and microstructural characteristics, balancing high strength with ductility. This article introduces an alternative method to attaining the required tensile properties for API K55 grade steel by employing a biphasic microstructure (ferrite/martensite) achieved through quenching post‐intercritical austenitizing heat treatment to high‐strength‐low‐alloy steel. Thermodynamic simulations and dilatometric experiments revealed that increasing the austenitizing temperature enhances austenite formation, decreasing significantly its carbon content, which facilitates martensitic transformation and increases the Ms and Mf temperatures. A complete phase transformation mapping was presented, highlighting how the austenitizing temperature influences martensitic transformation kinetics during the quenching heat treatment. It was concluded that austenitizing at 750 °C, followed by quenching and short tempering at 650 °C, produced a biphasic microstructure with 30% ferrite and 70% martensite, providing a favorable balance between mechanical strength and ductility that meets the API K55 grade requirements, surpassing traditional methods in the industry.

Effects of Silicon and Aluminum Alloying on Phase Transformation and Microstructure Evolution in Fe–0.2C–2.5Mn Steel: Insights from Continuous–Cooling–Transformation and Time–Temperature–Transformation Diagrams

The impact of silicon and aluminum on phase transformation behavior, particularly bainite, and microstructure evolution in Fe–0.2C–2.5Mn steel are presented. Continuous–cooling–transformation (CCT) and time–temperature–transformation (TTT) diagrams are determined experimentally. An aluminum extended empirical formula is introduced to estimate the martensite start temperature (Ms) with a thorough assessment of existing formulae. Results show that aluminum significantly increases Ms and has a stronger influence on promoting ferritic microstructures than silicon. During continuous cooling, alongside bainite, formation of Widmanstätten structures is induced in aluminum‐alloyed steel at higher cooling rates due to increased prior austenite grain size. Silicon decelerates bainite transformation kinetics by enhancing austenite's chemical stability through carbon enrichment via preventing carbide precipitation and by strengthening austenite against displacive phase transformation via solid solution hardening. Although aluminum has similar effects, incubation time is shortened during isothermal treatment because of the increased driving force, which overcompensates for the retardation effects. A finer carbide‐free bainitic microstructure is achieved in aluminum‐alloyed steel with more pronounced film‐like retained austenite (RA) formation and superior carbon enrichment, improving RA stability and suppressing martensite–austenite island formation. Finally, with the proposed formula, an accurate approximation to experimental Ms is accomplished.

Thermo-kinetic insights into deformation mechanism in the phase-transforming nanostructured Fe alloy

Solid-state phase transformations (SSPTs) being the most widely versatile routes to tailor microstructures are less utilized in the design of nanostructured (NS) alloys, resulting in a lack of understanding of the significance of SSPTs in tuning mechanical properties. Here, we combine nanostructuring with reverse austenite transformation to make a phase-transforming NS Fe alloy consisting of ultrafine ferrite and austenite grains. By comparison with the coarse-grained (CG) counterpart, the NS sample exhibits high strengths (i.e., the yield and the ultimate tensile strengths are 816 and 1170 MPa, respectively), good ductility with a uniform elongation of 53 %, and superior strain hardening capacity, under multiple strengthening mechanisms and the activation of transformation induced plasticity. Regarding the mechanism in forming the NS sample, grain refinement is revealed to markedly affect the austenite formation kinetics by generating sluggish growth behavior accompanied by sufficient solute partitioning. Then, we clarify the difference in mechanical responses of the phase-transforming NS and CG samples using a physically based microstructures-properties model. Further based on the thermo-kinetic theory of generalized stability, we show that the simultaneous increase of strength and ductility in the NS sample relative to the CG sample is originated from the deformation physics with higher driving force and higher generalized stability. From the thermo-kinetic perspective, our work demonstrates that the SSPTs hold substantial promise in optimizing the microstructures and the mechanical properties of NS Fe alloys and are expected to find wide application in the development of other NS materials.

Achieving an excellent balance of strength, plasticity, and stretch flangeability in a 1000 MPa grade TRIP-assisted bainitic ferrite steel

To address the requirements for safety enhancement, weight reduction, and emission reduction, a novel transformation-induced plasticity-assisted bainitic ferrite (TBF) steel was processed by involving a pre-quenching (PQ) process. This steel was designed with varying PQ temperatures to achieve different fractions of intercritical ferrite and bainite, and its influence on mechanical properties of TBF steels was thoroughly investigated through tensile tests and hole expansion tests. The results demonstrated that the introduction of high-temperature PQ treatment before heat treatment can dramatically accelerate the formation of austenite during the secondary annealing process, thereby facilitating a more sufficient bainitic transformation in the subsequent isothermal process. With the increase of PQ temperature from 750 to 900 °C, abundant intercritical ferrite was replaced by lathy bainite. In comparison with conventional specimens, the high-temperature PQ treatment could reduce the fraction of intercritical ferrite and martensite-austenite (M-A) islands, in favor of delaying the initiation of microvoid and microcrack and improving local formability. In summary, the P-900 specimen exhibited optimal comprehensive mechanical properties, with the highest yield strength of 657 MPa, ultimate tensile strength of 1081 MPa, elongation of 28.7%, and hole expansion ratio of 35.1%.

Effect of heat treatment processes on the microstructure and mechanical properties of 00Cr13Ni5Mo super martensitic stainless steel (SMSS)

The effects of quenching and tempering temperatures on the microstructure and mechanical properties of super martensitic stainless steel (SMSS) 00Cr13Ni5Mo were studied. The SMSS after heat treatment is composed of martensite (α phase) and a small amount of austenite. When the quenching temperature is 930 °C, with the increase of tempering temperature, the enrichment of Ni in martensite leads to the formation of reverse austenite, the content of martensite phase decreases from 84.9 % to 80.0 %, and the average grain size increases from 23.23 μm to 27.07 μm. When tempering at 580 °C, the content of martensite phase decreases from 80.0 % to 83.7 % with the increase of quenching temperature. The average grain size increased from 25.23 μm to 35.01 μm. When the quenching temperature is 930 °C, the hardness and yield strength of SMSS decrease, and the hardness and yield strength are the highest at 530 °C, which are 275 HV and 873 MPa. The plasticity increases first and then decreases, and the plasticity is the best at 580 °C. The elongation and reduction of area were 22.87% and 71.41%. These changes in mechanical properties are mainly related to the content of martensite and reversed austenite in the microstructure. The tensile strength and elongation of SMSS under different process conditions were compared. The results show that when the quenching temperature is 930 °C and the tempering temperature is 580 °C, the comprehensive performance of SMSS is the best, reaching 18700 MPa•%. This value is 31% higher than that of forgings. Finally, the formation mechanism of reversed austenite was discussed, and the strengthening model of SMSS 00Cr13Ni5Mo was established.

Synergistic improvement of pitting and wear resistance of laser powder bed fusion 420 stainless steel reinforced by size-controlled spherical cast tungsten carbides

The spherical cast WC/W2C is selected to produce a martensitic stainless steel-based composite using the laser powder bed fusion technique. W and C reacted with Fe and Cr, creating a strong bond between the particles and the matrix, reducing the wear rate by over 98 %. W and C diffuse to the matrix, increasing the hardness over 100 HV0.5. The interface between cast WC/W2C and matrix is sensitive to pitting corrosion through galvanic effects. However, the formation of austenite and WO3 from spherical cast WC/W2C decomposition improves the critical pitting potential and passive film stability.

Austenite formation and solute redistribution during double soaking of a 7Mn-steel

In this work, the influence of secondary soaking parameters on microstructural evolution in medium manganese steels is evaluated with a specific focus on the mechanisms driving austenite formation and solute partitioning at an intermediate secondary soaking temperature of 750 °C. The secondary soaking heat treatment represents the latter step of the double soaking heat treatment where it is used, after an initial intercritical annealing heat treatment, to form additional, solute-lean austenite. Here, data are obtained on a 0.14C-7.17 Mn steel for secondary soaking temperatures between 700 °C and 800 °C, and for times up to 1200 s. Austenite formation during secondary soaking is characterized using dilatometry and XRD, while Mn redistribution is experimentally observed using STEM-EDS. Manganese partitioning during secondary soaking, as well as calculated changes in carbon partitioning, are further explored through a DICTRATM model. Experimental and simulation results suggest that the ferrite-to-austenite transformation during the secondary soaking step may proceed under a partitioning, diffusional transformation at the 750 °C secondary soaking temperature. Manganese partitioning was demonstrated to primarily occur from ferrite to newly formed secondary austenite, while carbon diffusion principally occurred from primary to secondary austenite. Transformation of secondary austenite to martensite upon quenching along with some fraction of primary austenite, whose transformation was attributed to a reduction in C concentration, was shown demonstrated. The results of this study are expected to be of interest to those seeking to design multi-step heat treatments which produce austenite of variable solute concentrations and stabilities.

Tensile Properties and Fracture Analysis of Duplex (2205) and Super Duplex (2507) Stainless Steels, Produced via Laser Powder Bed Fusion Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing of duplex (DSS) and super duplex stainless steel (SDSS) has been successfully demonstrated using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) in recent years. Owing to the high cooling rates, as-built LPBF-processed DSS and SDSS exhibit close to 100% ferritic microstructures and require heat treatment at 1000–1300 °C to obtain the desired duplex microstructure. In this work, the mechanical properties of DSS and SDSS processed via LPBF were investigated in three building directions (vertical, horizontal, diagonal) and three processing conditions (as-built, stress-relieved, annealed, and quenched) using uniaxial tensile testing. As-built samples exhibited tensile and yield strength greater than 1000 MPa accompanied by less than 20% elongation at break. In comparison, the water-quenched samples and samples annealed at 1100 °C exhibited elongation at break greater than 34% with yield and tensile strength values less than 950 MPa. Stress relief annealing at 300 °C had a negligible impact on the mechanical properties. Austenite formation upon high-temperature annealing restored the reduced ductility of the as-built samples. The as-built and stress-relieved SDSS showed the highest yield and tensile strength values in the horizontal build direction, reaching up to ≈1400 and ≈1500 MPa (for SDSS), respectively, as compared to the vertical and diagonal directions. Fractographic investigation after tensile testing revealed predominantly a quasi-ductile failure mechanism, showing fine size dimple formation and cleavage facets in the as-built state and a fully ductile fracture in the annealed and quenched conditions. The findings in this study demonstrate the mechanical anisotropy of DSS and SDSS along three different build orientations, 0°, 45°, 90°, and three post-processing conditions.

Effect of prior austenite grain size on austenite reversion, bainite transformation and mechanical properties of Fe-2Mn-0.2C steel

To elucidate the response of austenite reversion and subsequent bainite transformation behavior to the prior austenite grain (PAG) size, the transformation kinetics and amount of reverted austenite in the intercritical region, the subsequent bainite transformation kinetics, and the tensile properties were investigated by dilatometers, scanning electron microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and the mechanical tests. The results show that, when annealed at 730 °C, fine-grained specimens exhibit faster reverted austenite transformation rate than coarse-grained specimens due to the presence of more PAG boundaries. As the intercritical temperature rises to 760 °C, more intragranular globular austenite forms in the coarse-grained specimen, which accelerates the reverted austenite transformation rate. Compared to fine-grained specimens, coarse-grained specimens exhibit faster bainite transformation and higher amount of bainitic ferrite. The microstructure after austempering consists of intercritical ferrite, bainitic ferrite, RA and fresh martensite. With increasing the austempering time, more bainitic ferrite is formed and the amount of RA and fresh martensite decreases. With increasing the austempering time, the increase in the amount of bainitic ferrite leads to an increase in the yield strength, while the decrease in the amount of RA leads to a decrease in the elongation. Moreover, compared with coarse-grained specimens, the finer microstructure in fine-grained specimens improves yield and tensile strengths, while higher amount of RA contributes to larger uniform and total elongations.

Influence of heating rate and intercritical annealing temperature on the austenite formation of a cold rolled dual‐phase steel

AbstractThis study investigated austenite formation in a cold‐rolled dual‐phase steel through thermal experiments in a dilatometer and a Gleeble machine, applying various intercritical annealing temperatures and different heating rates in a 60 % cold‐rolled ferrite‐pearlite banded microstructure. The microstructural characterization revealed that the transformation of lamellar pearlite into ferrite and spheroidized cementite aggregates started before the onset of austenite formation. Different degrees of overlap between the recrystallization of ferrite‐pearlite structure and austenite formation processes were observed, depending on the applied heating rates, which affected the austenite formation mechanisms and the microstructure morphology.

Isothermal aging treatment and its effect on the mechanical properties of Fe-Cr-Mn high-nitrogen austenitic steel

The high-temperature solution nitriding process is a suitable treatment for producing high-nitrogen steels by the diffusion of nitrogen from the surface to the center of steels under high nitrogen pressure at high temperatures. On the other hand, long-term solution nitriding at high temperatures can cause the formation of coarse-grained austenite. This study focused on the grain size, strength, and elongation properties of Fe-Cr-Mn high-nitrogen austenitic steels by isothermal aging. For this purpose, we produced high-nitrogen steels by three-step phase transformations: (i) high-temperature solution nitriding, (ii) isothermal aging, and (iii) reaustenitization. After solution nitriding, high-nitrogen austenitic steel was treated with isothermal aging to induce austenite decomposition. Supersaturated austenite (ϒ) transformed to less nitrogen-saturated austenite (ϒ′) and discontinuous cellular precipitation (DCP) during the isothermal aging treatment. Subsequently, the decomposed structure was reversed into austenite through reaustenitization. The results suggested that austenite grain refinement and increasing hardness were achieved by nucleating reversed austenite grains after reaustenitization treatment. On the other hand, a noticeable increase in elongation appeared after reaustenitization treatment for 30 min.

Effect of Mo and Cr on the Microstructure and Properties of Low-Alloy Wear-Resistant Steels.

Low-alloy wear-resistant steel often requires the addition of trace alloy elements to enhance its performance while also considering the cost-effectiveness of production. In order to comparatively analyze the strengthening mechanisms of Mo and Cr elements and further explore economically feasible production processes, we designed two types of low-alloy wear-resistant steels, based on C-Mn series wear-resistant steels, with individually added Mo and Cr elements, comparing and investigating the roles of the alloying elements Mo and Cr in low-alloy wear-resistant steels. Utilizing JMatPro software to calculate Continuous Cooling Transformation (CCT) curves, conducting thermal simulation quenching experiments using a Gleeble-3800 thermal simulator, and employing equipment such as a metallographic microscope, transmission electron microscope, and tensile testing machine, this study comparatively investigated the influence of Mo and Cr on the microstructural transformation and mechanical properties of low-alloy wear-resistant steels under different cooling rates. The results indicate that the addition of the Mo element in low-alloy wear-resistant steel can effectively suppress the transformation of ferrite and pearlite, reduce the martensitic transformation temperature, and lower the critical cooling rate for complete martensitic transformation, thereby promoting martensitic transformation. Adding Cr elements can reduce the austenite transformation zone, decrease the rate of austenite formation, and promote the occurrence of low-temperature phase transformation. Additionally, Mo has a better effect on improving the toughness of low-temperature impact, and Cr has a more significant improvement in strength and hardness. The critical cooling rates of C-Mn-Mo steel and C-Mn-Cr steel for complete martensitic transition are 13 °C/s and 24 °C/s, respectively. With the increase in the cooling rate, the martensitic tissues of the two experimental steels gradually refined, and the characteristics of the slats gradually appeared. In comparison, the C-Mn-Mo steel displays a higher dislocation density, accompanied by dislocation entanglement phenomena, and contains a small amount of residual austenite, while granular ε-carbides are clearly precipitated in the C-Mn-Cr steel. The C-Mn-Mo steel achieves its best performance at a cooling rate of 25 °C/s, whereas the C-Mn-Cr steel only needs to increase the cooling rate to 35 °C/s to attain a similar comprehensive performance to the C-Mn-Mo steel.

Advancing Duplex Stainless Steel Microstructure: Synergistic Ferrite Grain Refinement and Austenite Formation Through Permanent Magnet Stirring

Advancing Duplex Stainless Steel Microstructure: Synergistic Ferrite Grain Refinement and Austenite Formation Through Permanent Magnet Stirring

Improving laser welded joint performance of medium-Mn steel through C and Mn partition by intercritical annealing process

In this paper, the fracture failure mechanism of laser welded (LW) joints of medium-Mn steel is studied. And the mechanical properties of the joints were greatly improved by designated intercritical annealing (IA) process. Experimental results showed that the elongation of the as-welded joint of medium-Mn steel is very low, and the fracture shows typical brittle fracture characteristics. Electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA) test showed that there were many Mn segregation bands in the joint, and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) surface scanning test further demonstrated that many Mn23C6 carbides were produced at the martensite grain boundary (GB) of the fusion zone (FZ), which was the main reason for the occurrence of brittle fracture in the FZ. The IA process improves the segregation of Mn element at the GB of the joint and reduces the intergranular brittleness. At the same time, more austenite was distributed by C and Mn elements, and more Fe3C phases were found near austenite in the EBSD diagram, which provided nucleation centers for the formation of austenite. The product of strength and elongation (PSE) of the IA treated joint was dramatically increased by 2693.65%.

Mechanical and micro-structural studies of pulsed and constant current TIG weldments of super duplex stainless steels and Austenitic stainless steels

Abstract In the present research work, the influence of heat input rates on microstructures, hot tensile properties, and weld surface hardness number of Super Duplex Stainless Steel 2507 super duplex steels and austenitic steels 316L plates were investigated. Pulsed current and constant current modes were used in Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding to join the dissimilar metals using ER2205 as filler. Microstructural studies were revealed at different zones of pulsed and constant current TIG weldments using optical microscopy. The tensile test was conducted at two different temperature conditions (i.e., 27 and 350°C) to investigate the strength of dissimilar weldments. Hardness measurements were made on the weld surface along the transverse direction using Vicker’s hardness tester. The microstructures revealed the formation of inter-granular austenite at the fusion zone with grain boundaries with austenite structures. Due to the constant heat input, a significant microstructural development with high austenite fractions was observed in constant current (CC)-TIG weldment. In comparison to CC-TIG weldments (UTS at 27°C = 600 MPa UTS at 350°C = 456 MPa), higher tensile characteristics were noted in Pulsed Current (PC)-TIG weldments (UTS at 27°C = 695 MPa UTS at 350°C = 475 MPa). The UTS of PC-TIG weldment is improved by 15.8% when compared to CC-TIG weldment due to the controlled heat input rates. PC-TIG weldments exhibited improved hardness numbers in various zones with smaller HAZ widths than CC-TIG weldments.

Medium-carbon dual-phase steels with spheroidized ferrite matrix

This study presents processing and properties of dual-phase (DP) steels, which contain islands of martensite among ferrite grains effectively reinforced by abundant carbide particles. To this end, a medium-carbon, low-alloyed steel plate with an initial ferrite-pearlite microstructure underwent cold rolling for 80% thickness reduction. Specimens obtained from the cold rolled strip were then heated in a neutralized salt bath at various temperatures ranging from 600 to 730 °C for 10 ks, followed by water quenching. The resulting microstructures and mechanical properties were analyzed. Preceding the formation of austenite during intercritical annealing, recrystallization led to the formation of a spheroidized ferrite microstructure with a high number of carbide particles dispersed mainly within the recrystallized ferrite grains. Initially, austenite grains formed on the carbides located at the boundaries between ferrite grains, followed by the formation of austenite on the carbides still present within the ferrite grains. Quenching from 715 °C resulted in a DP microstructure with intergranular martensite while increasing the annealing temperature to 725 °C led to the creation of intragranular martensite additionally. The study also focused on the distribution of alloying elements in the DP microstructure, revealing an enrichment of carbides with Mn, Cr, and Mo. Furthermore, an enrichment of martensite islands with manganese atoms was identified, but no comparable enrichment with carbon atoms was observed. The specimens annealed at 715–725 °C, which consisted of a martensite volume fraction ranging from 0.15 to 0.45, exhibited a superior balance of strength and ductility, as well as an outstanding work hardening exponent.