Martensitic Steel Sheets of 1300 and 1500MPa Grades

Yukihiro UTSUMI＊1, Atsuhiro SHIRAKI＊1, Sae HAMAMOTO＊1, Junichiro KINUGASA＊2

*1
Sheet Products Development Dept., Research & Development Lab., Iron & Steel Business
*2
Materials Research Laboratory, Technical Development Group

Super-high strength steel sheets of a strength exceeding

980 MPa have been used in reinforcement parts for
automotive bumpers and door to meet strengthened
collision safety standards and to decrease weight for the
sake of emission reduction. A study has been conducted to
improve the bending workability, resistance weldability,
and delayed-fracture immunity required for the steel
sheets used in parts produced through cold forming,
such as bumper reinforcements. The study then led to
the development of martensitic steel sheets of 1300 MPa
and 1500 MPa grades. The newly developed steel has Fig. 1 Example of bumper reinforcements
enabled the production of bumpers of 1300 MPa grade
and 1500 MPa grade, the world's highest grades for cold current with seam welding and spot welding,
worked bumper reinforcements, while also enabling 10 strength of welded joints, and bending
to 15% less weight compared with conventional bumper workability of seam welds)
reinforcements. (3) Delayed-fracture immunity (characteristics
specifically required for high-strength steel)
Introduction
1.1 Bending workability
There has been a growing need for steel sheets
and members of ultrahigh strength in satisfying In order to obtain excellent bending workability
stronger collision safety standards and the need for of the high strength of 1300 MPa and 1500 MPa grade
less weight for emission reduction purpose. Steel martensitic steel, it is effective to form martensitic
sheets of the ultrahigh strength level of more than single phase structures, which provide uniformly
980 MPa are currently used to make reinforcement high strength. However, martensitic structures as
parts for automotive bumpers and doors. quenched can be brittle although of high strength,
This paper describes the martensitic steel sheets and therefore tempering is used to improve their
of 1300 and 1500 MPa grade, which have mainly ductility and toughness. Meanwhile, it is known
been adopted in the use of the above applications. that the bending workability is affected by the
tempering temperature, and that it deteriorates in
1. Concept of steel sheet design the tempering temperature range where so called
low-temperature tempering embrittlement occurs.2)
Bumper reinforcements (hereinafter referred We therefore examined the effect of the
to as bumper R/F) represent the reinforcing parts tempering temperature on the tensile strength or
attached to the front and rear of vehicles, which bending workability (minimum bending radius)
help absorb the impact in collisions. They typically of 0.22% C martensitic steel sheets of 1.0 mm in
have a hollow square cross section or B-shaped cross thickness. Fig. 2 shows the results. The results
section as shown in Fig. 1. Steel sheet coils are cut indicate that the same phenomenon occurs as
to a specified length, pierced, roll formed or press described above, and that high strength and bending
formed, and then assembled into the final shape workability can be compatible in a tempering
through seam welding or spot welding, etc.1) In the temperature range lower than that where the
case of roll forming, they are bent according to the bending workability deteriorates.
shape of the front or rear side of the vehicle after the
forming and seam welding processes. Steel sheets 1.2 Resistance weldability
used in bumpers therefore require the following
characteristics. High-tensile steel sheets have some problematic
(1) Bending workability of the base material (roll issues; that is, the suitable welding current range
formability) with spot welding (the current range after a specified
(2) Resistance weldability (wide range of suitable nugget diameter is obtained until an expulsion,

KOBELCO TECHNOLOGY REVIEW NO. 35 JUN. 2017 34

 Fig. 2 Effect of tempering temperature on (a) tensile strength and (b) minimum bending radius

which is scattering of molten metal develops) Table 1 Chemical composition of steels

decreases3) and the cross tensile strength does not
increase4). This phenomenon can also be observed in
the same way with seam welding, which is another
type of resistance welding. In order to expand the
suitable welding current range, it is important to
shift the expulsion development current to the high-
current side, and it is effective to reduce the addition
of the elements that increase the electric resistance of
steel, including P, Si, Mn, etc.5)
The characteristics required in bumper R/Fs,
which have a closed cross section manufactured
by roll forming, include peel strength and bending
workability of seam welds. The relationship
between peel strength and bending workability
of seam welds and the additive elements was
therefore examined. Laboratory-melted steel with
the chemical composition shown in Table 1 was hot
rolled, pickled, cold-rolled, and then heat treated in
a salt bath to manufacture martensitic steel sheets Fig. 3 Peel test of seam weld
of 1.2 mm in thickness. The heat treatment included
being held at 900℃ for 90 seconds to austenitize, and
being water quenched and then tempered at 200℃
for 360 seconds. The resulting steel sheets were
then seam welded with two sheets overlapped, and
the peel strength of the seam weld was measured
using the test shown in Fig. 3. In addition, a
U-bend test of the seam weld was conducted at
a right angle to the weld line using dies of 2 mm,
3 mm, 5 mm, and 10 mm in tip radius, as shown in
Fig. 4, thereby determining the minimum bending Fig. 4 Bending test of seam weld
radius where no cracks were caused in the weld.
The correlation between these measurements and the bendability of seam welds has a correlation of
the chemical composition was then determined Ceq2=C+Mn/7.5, thus indicating that it improves as
using multiple regression analysis. Fig. 5 shows the Ceq2 decreases.
results of measuring the peel strength of seam welds
and Fig. 6 the results of measuring the minimum 1.3 Delayed-fracture immunity
bending radius of seam welds in a correlation
of Ceq1 and Ceq2, as determined by multiple It is well known that hydrogen embrittlement
regression analysis, respectively. cracking tends to occur, i.e. the delayed fracture
The peel strength of seam welds has a sensibility increases when the strength of steel is
correlation of Ceq1=C+Mn/5+Si/13, thus indicating increased6). It is also agreed that the delayed-fracture
that it improves as Ceq1decreases. Meanwhile, immunity of steel sheets is affected not only by

35 KOBELCO TECHNOLOGY REVIEW NO. 35 JUN. 2017

 temperature described above7), 8). The results of the
examination of this paper indicated that the delayed-
fracture immunity also deteriorates within basically
the same temperature range as the tempering
temperature range in which the bending workability
deteriorates, and that all the high strength, bending
workability, and delayed-fracture immunity factors
are compatible within a tempering temperature
range lower than that temperature range.
Steel sheets typically get cut or pierced into a
Fig. 5 Effect of chemical composition on peel strength of specified length or shape in being processed into
seam weld
a specific part. However, it is considered that
delayed fractures tend to occur along the edge of
such processed parts due to the very large plastic
strain involved. This means that, of the three above
described measures taken to counter delayed-
fracture immunity, the measures to prevent the
hydrogen from penetrating and diffusing into the
steel are the most effective as the effect of the base
metal structure control tends to be lost. Because of
this an optimized composition design was adopted
through selecting the applicable elements.

Fig. 6 Effect of chemical composition on minimum 2. Characteristics of martensitic steel manufactured

bending radius of seam weld using an actual machine

their strength but also their chemical composition, The results of the laboratory examination were
microstructure, etc. The delayed fracture of high- taken into account to manufacture 1300 MPa and
strength steel is a phenomenon wherein the 1500 MPa grade cold rolled steel sheets (thickness:
hydrogen generated in connection with the corrosion 1.2 mm) using an actual machine. The qualities
reaction of the steel penetrates into it, and hydrogen of appropriate bending workability, resistance
embrittlement cracking of the steel occurs at a weldability, and delayed-fracture immunity
locally concentrated area in accordance with the were taken into account in the design of the steel
tensile stress gradient. In other words, hydrogen sheets, while also taking full advantage of the
embrittlement is understood to be a phenomenon water quenching process that is a feature of Kobe
caused by three different factors that are related to Steel's continuous annealing line. Fig. 7 shows a
each other: (1) the penetrability of the hydrogen into SEM image of the developed steel, and Table 2 the
the steel, (2) the diffusivity of the hydrogen in the mechanical properties. The bending workability
steel, and (3) the hydrogen embrittlement sensibility included a 90 V-bend test and L-bend test (Fig. 8) in
of the structure of the steels. determining the minimum bending radius. Table 3
Accordingly, effective measures to counteract shows the results. Both the 1300 and 1500 MPa grade
each of the above factors involved in hydrogen steel sheets formed uniform martensitic single
embrittlement from the steel side to use include: phase structures and featured favorable bending
(1) preventing the hydrogen from penetrating the workability.
steel by improving the corrosion resistance, (2) The spot weldability was evaluated through
preventing the hydrogen from diffusing into the welding the test materials of 1.2 mm in thickness
steel and concentrating in a tensile stress area by with a DR type electrode of 6 mm in tip diameter,
introducing trap sites, and (3) reducing the hydrogen a welding pressure of 4.1 kN, a welding time of
embrittlement sensibility of steel itself through grain 10 cycle/60 Hz, and welding current of 4 to 13 kA.
refining. The delayed-fracture immunity measures Fig. 9 shows the effect of the welding current on
were used based on a laboratory examination the tensile shear strength and cross tensile strength,
conducted from the viewpoint as described above. respectively. Table 4 shows the suitable welding
With martensitic structures it is known that current, and the nugget diameter, tensile shear
not only the bendability but also the delayed- strength, and cross tensile strength obtained within
fracture immunity can be affected by the tempering the range. The lower limit of the suitable welding

KOBELCO TECHNOLOGY REVIEW NO. 35 JUN. 2017 36

 Table 3 Typical bendability of developed steels

Fig. 7 SEM image of developed steels

Table 2 Typical mechanical properties of developed steels

Fig. 9 Effect of welding current on (a) tensile shear

strength and (b) cross tensile strength in developed
steels

current range in this evaluation had the current

value where the nugget diameter becomes equal
to the minimum nugget diameter of 4.4 mm (4√t )
in accordance with the requirements of JIS Z 3140,
Class B. The list also includes results of evaluating
high-ductility type DP steel sheets of 980 MPa grade.
The tensile shear strength of the 1300 and
1500 MPa grade steel sheets is almost the same as
that of the 980 MPa grade steel sheets but the cross
tensile strength tends to decrease in the order of
Fig. 8 Experimental procedure of (a) V-bend test and (b)
L-bend test
the 980, 1300, and 1500 MPa grade steel sheets. The

Table 4 Suitable welding current for developed steels, and their nugget diameter, tensile shear strength and
cross tensile strength

37 KOBELCO TECHNOLOGY REVIEW NO. 35 JUN. 2017

 Fig.10 Experimental procedure of delayed-fracture immunity test

results agree with those of a study made by Oikawa, more, they can be reduced by 10 to 15% of their
et al.9), revealing that the tensile shear strength get weight when compared with conventional bumper
saturated above 1,100 MPa and the cross tensile R/F parts.
strength saturated around 590 to 780 MPa, with
a decreasing tendency as the strength of the steel Conclusions
sheets increases in the case of the 780 MPa grade
steel sheets. Kobe Steel commercialized 1180 MPa grade cold
The suitable welding current range is as wide rolled sheet steels, and has already produced and
as 2.5 kA for the 1300 MPa grade steel sheets and distributed them for use in bumper R/Fs. In response
4 kA for the 1500 MPa grade steel sheets, whereas to the need for further higher levels of strength, this
it is 1.5 kA for the 980 MPa grade steel sheets. In paper has introduced the newly developed 1300
addition, the nugget diameter obtained at the upper and 1500 MPa grade martensitic steel sheets. The
limit of the suitable welding current range is larger developed steel sheets have been adopted by some
than that of the 980 MPa grade steel sheets. For this customers for use in making roll formed bumper R/
reason the cross tensile strength obtained at the Fs, and have started to be produced commercially.
upper limit of the suitable welding current range of A constantly important issue in the automobile
the 1300 and 1500 MPa grade steel sheets is almost industry is satisfying both better collision safety and
the same as that of the 980 MPa grade steel sheets. less weight. The requirement with automotive body
This then means that the practical weldability would use is the application of 980 MPa, 1180 MPa, and
appear to be almost the same as that of the 980 MPa 1470 MPa grade steel sheets. The even high level of
grade steel sheets. strength of up to 1,700 MPa is a challenge that will be
The delayed-fracture immunity was evaluated addressed in the future.
using a U-bend test (dipped in hydrochloric acid) Kobe Steel will continue to strive to develop
as shown in Fig.10. To examine the crack initiation, materials that can contribute to the needs of even
strip test pieces were U-bent with a bend radius of higher level of strength and better workability.
10 mm, and then dipped in 0.1 mol/L of hydrochloric
acid for 200 hours, while loading stress of 1,300 MPa References
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highest level of strength as a bumper R/F. Further

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