Overview
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ABSTRACT
The existence of two allotropic phases in iron – austenite and ferrite – lends steels a microstructure made of various constituents with different intrinsic mechanical properties. By chemical additions and thermomechanical processing conditions, the nature and morphology of steel constituents can be drastically changed, offering a broad range of yield stress, tensile stress and elongation values in steels. In this article, the characteristic features of major steel constituents are reviewed, together with their impact on the strength of steel at temperatures near ambient. Practical examples are detailed, illustrating different final applications.
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Read the articleAUTHORS
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Thierry IUNG: Manager / Metallurgy Expert MPM team - ArcelorMittal Global R&D, Maizières-lès-Metz, France
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Jean-Hubert SCHMITT: MSSMat, CNRS, CentraleSupélec, Université Paris-Saclay, Châtenay-Malabry, France
INTRODUCTION
Various hardening mechanisms can be used to increase the stress level required for plastic deformation of metal alloys. Most of these mechanisms are based on the displacement of dislocations in the crystal lattice and their interactions with various elements of the microstructure
Alongside increased strength, it is important to maintain, or even improve, other properties of use, such as ductility (a material's ability to undergo plastic deformation without fracture) or toughness (a material's ability to resist fracture in the presence of cracks). This remains a challenge for the development of steels, since an increase in strength is generally accompanied by a drop in ductility.
This article focuses on the links between microstructure and mechanical strength when the steel's major constituent is ferritic, pearlitic, bainitic or martensitic. Readers interested in the properties of other steel families may wish to consult the article on austenitic and multiphase steels
As is customary in the steel industry, all elemental contents are given as percentages by mass of the various additive elements. In simplified form, the notation Fe-xM1-yM2 means an iron-based alloy containing x% by weight of the element M1 and y% by weight of the element M2.
A glossary and a table of symbols are provided at the end of the article....
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KEYWORDS
microstructure | mechanical properties | steels | forming | process | metallic materials
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Studies and properties of metals
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Steel hardening
Bibliography
Websites
Bureau de Normalisation des Aciers (BN Aciers) website
https://www.a3ms.fr/ (pages consulted in January 2016)
Organizations – Federations – Associations (non-exhaustive list)
French Steel Federation (FFA)
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