MicrostructuralCharacterizationofBainiticSteelSubmitted.pdfVIP

Microstructural Characterization of Bainitic Steel Submitted to Torsion Testing and Interrupted Accelerated Cooling A. B. Cota* and D. B. Santos† *Federal University of Ouro Preto, Department of Physics, Ouro Preto, M.G., Brazil; and †Federal University of Minas Gerais, Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Belo Horizonte, M.G. Brazil HSLA low-carbon bainitic steel containing B was submitted to torsion tests to simulate con- trolled rolling, followed by interrupted accelerated cooling. Microstructural characteristics and the mechanisms for the refinement of structure were evaluated using light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Vickers hardness test- ing. The final microstructure was found to contain complex mixture of granular bainite, small islands of MA constituent, bainitic ferrite, and polygonal ferrite. Increasing the cool- ing rate or decreasing the finish cooling temperature resulted in a decrease in the volume fraction and average size of the MA islands and the polygonal ferrite. A finish cooling tem- perature of 400C produced a microstructure consisting of fine laths of bainitic ferrite with an interlath MA constituent. A quantitative relationship between the accelerated cooling variables and the ferrite grain size was developed. © Elsevier Science Inc., 2000. All rights reserved. INTRODUCTION The MA islands formed in granular bain- ite during the continuous cooling of steels In the last 2 decades there have been con- have a strong effect on the mechanical siderable advances in the theory and prac- properties [8]. This constituent leads to in- tice of accelerated cooling after controlled creases in the tensile strength but a deterio- rolling. Several investigatio