Microstructure development during multi-pass deformation in a low carbon steel with a leaner composition, finer grain size, and higher strength

Low-carbon strip steels for structural applications are produced by slab reheating, multi-pass hot rolling and controlled cooling. In this paper, a commercial structural strip grade steel has been compositionally modified, by reducing the Mn content to offer a different cost base with a proactive ad...

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Main Authors: Jiaqi Duan, Didier Farrugia, Carl Slater, Zushu Li, Claire Davis
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-05-01
Series:Journal of Materials Research and Technology
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2238785425013869
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author Jiaqi Duan
Didier Farrugia
Carl Slater
Zushu Li
Claire Davis
author_facet Jiaqi Duan
Didier Farrugia
Carl Slater
Zushu Li
Claire Davis
author_sort Jiaqi Duan
collection DOAJ
description Low-carbon strip steels for structural applications are produced by slab reheating, multi-pass hot rolling and controlled cooling. In this paper, a commercial structural strip grade steel has been compositionally modified, by reducing the Mn content to offer a different cost base with a proactive addition of Nb, to control grain size without altering processing parameters. The multi-pass hot rolling schedule and controlled cooling, representing industrial strip run out table cooling conditions, were simulated using a Gleeble HDS-V40 thermo-mechanical simulator. Interrupted tests were carried out to obtain the prior austenite grain size (PAGS) distributions after different hot deformation passes. The base composition steel showed substantial grain size refinement by recrystallization during the first three deformation passes, but no further refinement during the remaining four passes with a final PAGS of 34 ± 0.87 μm before controlled cooling. In the Nb-modified steel, recrystallization was delayed in the early passes, leading to undesired partial recrystallization; however, full rolling schedule refined the PAGS to 15 ± 0.44 μm with narrow size distributions through recrystallization, which resulted in finer transformed ferrite grains after controlled cooling. Higher hardness in the Nb containing steel was attributed to finer ferrite grain size, NbC precipitation strengthening and Nb solute strengthening.
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spelling doaj-art-0eeae1ea0bfe48ef8e5e4b69651bdb0b2025-08-20T03:19:56ZengElsevierJournal of Materials Research and Technology2238-78542025-05-0136103731038210.1016/j.jmrt.2025.05.230Microstructure development during multi-pass deformation in a low carbon steel with a leaner composition, finer grain size, and higher strengthJiaqi Duan0Didier Farrugia1Carl Slater2Zushu Li3Claire Davis4WMG (Warwick Manufacturing Group), The University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK; Corresponding author.Tata Steel R&D (UK), Voyager Building, Warwick Science Park, Coventry, CV4 7EZ, UKWMG (Warwick Manufacturing Group), The University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UKWMG (Warwick Manufacturing Group), The University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UKWMG (Warwick Manufacturing Group), The University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UKLow-carbon strip steels for structural applications are produced by slab reheating, multi-pass hot rolling and controlled cooling. In this paper, a commercial structural strip grade steel has been compositionally modified, by reducing the Mn content to offer a different cost base with a proactive addition of Nb, to control grain size without altering processing parameters. The multi-pass hot rolling schedule and controlled cooling, representing industrial strip run out table cooling conditions, were simulated using a Gleeble HDS-V40 thermo-mechanical simulator. Interrupted tests were carried out to obtain the prior austenite grain size (PAGS) distributions after different hot deformation passes. The base composition steel showed substantial grain size refinement by recrystallization during the first three deformation passes, but no further refinement during the remaining four passes with a final PAGS of 34 ± 0.87 μm before controlled cooling. In the Nb-modified steel, recrystallization was delayed in the early passes, leading to undesired partial recrystallization; however, full rolling schedule refined the PAGS to 15 ± 0.44 μm with narrow size distributions through recrystallization, which resulted in finer transformed ferrite grains after controlled cooling. Higher hardness in the Nb containing steel was attributed to finer ferrite grain size, NbC precipitation strengthening and Nb solute strengthening.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2238785425013869C–Mn steelNiobium microalloyingTMCPRecrystallizationPAGSAustenite to ferrite transformation
spellingShingle Jiaqi Duan
Didier Farrugia
Carl Slater
Zushu Li
Claire Davis
Microstructure development during multi-pass deformation in a low carbon steel with a leaner composition, finer grain size, and higher strength
Journal of Materials Research and Technology
C–Mn steel
Niobium microalloying
TMCP
Recrystallization
PAGS
Austenite to ferrite transformation
title Microstructure development during multi-pass deformation in a low carbon steel with a leaner composition, finer grain size, and higher strength
title_full Microstructure development during multi-pass deformation in a low carbon steel with a leaner composition, finer grain size, and higher strength
title_fullStr Microstructure development during multi-pass deformation in a low carbon steel with a leaner composition, finer grain size, and higher strength
title_full_unstemmed Microstructure development during multi-pass deformation in a low carbon steel with a leaner composition, finer grain size, and higher strength
title_short Microstructure development during multi-pass deformation in a low carbon steel with a leaner composition, finer grain size, and higher strength
title_sort microstructure development during multi pass deformation in a low carbon steel with a leaner composition finer grain size and higher strength
topic C–Mn steel
Niobium microalloying
TMCP
Recrystallization
PAGS
Austenite to ferrite transformation
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2238785425013869
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AT carlslater microstructuredevelopmentduringmultipassdeformationinalowcarbonsteelwithaleanercompositionfinergrainsizeandhigherstrength
AT zushuli microstructuredevelopmentduringmultipassdeformationinalowcarbonsteelwithaleanercompositionfinergrainsizeandhigherstrength
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