Author’s Accepted Manuscript

Effect of Quenching Temperature on Stretch

Ji Hoon Kim, Eun Jung Seo, Min-Hyeok Kwon,

PII: S0921-5093(18)30751-2
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2018.05.083
Reference: MSA36521
To appear in: Materials Science & Engineering A
Received date: 13 February 2018
Revised date: 21 May 2018
Accepted date: 23 May 2018
Cite this article as: Ji Hoon Kim, Eun Jung Seo, Min-Hyeok Kwon, Singon Kang
and Bruno C. De Cooman, Effect of Quenching Temperature on Stretch
Flangeability of a Medium Mn Steel Processed by Quenching and Partitioning,
Materials Science & Engineering A, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2018.05.083
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 Effect of Quenching Temperature on Stretch Flangeability of a
Medium Mn Steel Processed by Quenching and Partitioning

Ji Hoon Kima, Eun Jung Seoa,1, Min-Hyeok Kwona, Singon Kanga,2,*, Bruno C. De Coomana

a
Graduate Institute of Ferrous Technology, Pohang University of Science and
Technology, 77 Cheongam-Ro, Nam-Gu, Pohang, 37673, Republic of Korea

1
Current address: Advanced Steel Processing and Products Research Center,
Colorado School of Mines, 1500 Illinois St. Golden, CO, 80401, USA
2
Current address: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Dong-A
University, 37, Nakdong-daero 550, Saha-gu, Busan, 49315, Republic of Korea

* Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected] (S. Kang)

Abstract

The stretch flangeability of a medium Mn steel prepared by quenching and partitioning was

examined using a hole-expansion test. Samples were heat-treated at quenching temperatures

90 C ≤ TQ ≤ 170 C, at which no secondary martensite is formed upon final quenching. The

hole-expansion test used a 60° conical punch. The hole at the center of the specimens was

prepared by punching or wire cutting. In both sample preparation conditions, hole expansion

ratio (HER) increased as TQ decreased. The dependence of HER on TQ was more pronounced

in the samples prepared by punching than in samples prepared by wire cutting. While there is

no clear correlation between HER and tensile properties, the HER decreased as retained

austenite increased. By punching, the retained austenite transformed to strain-induced

martensite in the shear-affected zone near the hole edge. This martensite has a negative

impact on the HER.

1
Keywords: Hole expansion ratio, Quenching and partitioning, Medium Mn steel, Stretch

flangeability, Retained austenite, Strain-induced martensite.

1. Introduction

Quenching and partitioning (Q&P) steel [1] is a promising candidate for third-

generation advanced high-strength steel for automotive applications. At room temperature

(RT), Q&P steel is composed of a martensitic matrix with retained austenite as a secondary

constituent. The stability of the retained austenite is controlled by partitioning of carbon into

austenite after the formation of martensite [2]. Q&P steels exhibit attractive tensile properties

due to the combination of the high strength of martensitic matrix and deformation-induced

martensite transformation of the C-enriched retained austenite.

The Q&P heat treatment process was initially applied to conventional transformation-

induced plasticity (TRIP) steels, such as 0.2C-1.6Mn-1.6Si (in wt. %) steel, which contains a

maximum of 13 vol. % of retained austenite after a Q&P process [3, 4]. The Q&P heat

treatment process has since been applied to steels of a broad range of compositions, and has

resulted in retained austenite volume fractions > 13 vol. % [5-9]. A 0.21C-4.0Mn-1.6Si-1.0Cr

(in wt. %) medium Mn steel retained up to 33 vol. % austenite after the Q&P process [10]. In

this steel the product of ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and total elongation (TE) was ~25

GPa·%.

Feasible industrial application of Q&P steels requires excellent stretch flangeability.

The hole expansion ratio (HER) is a representative parameter to quantify the stretch

flangeability of a steel sheet. Although the uniaxial tensile test has a different mode of

2
deformation from the hole expansion test, HER values have been related to tensile properties

such as the UTS [11-13], post uniform elongation (PUE) [14, 15], strain hardening rate [16],

and yield ratio (yield strength (YS)/UTS) [17]. In addition, the size of the shear-affected-zone

(SAZ) generated by hole punching [18-21], the hardness difference between hard phase and

soft phase in multi-phase steel [22, 23], and the volume fraction and stability of the retained

austenite in TRIP steel [24] have been invoked to explain stretch flangeability.

Some of these approaches were used to investigate the stretch flangeability of Q&P

processed steel [25, 26]. De Moor et al. [25] reported that fully-austenitized Q&P steel has

higher HER than intercritically-annealed Q&P steel and quenching-and-tempered (Q&T)

steel at a similar UTS. HER measurement from hole-expansion tests on 0.25C-2Mn-1.5Si

steel after full austenitization and one-step Q&P are positively correlated with yield ratio [26].

In the present study, the stretch flangeability of Q&P processed medium Mn steel

was investigated as a function of quenching temperature TQ, which is the main Q&P

processing parameter. The hole expansion test was performed using samples prepared by

punching; their HER values were compared with the results from specimens with wire-cut

holes to investigate the effect of SAZ formation on the HER. The evolution of HER with TQ

was analyzed by correlating HER with tensile properties, retained austenite fraction, and the

hardness increment in the SAZ near the punched edge.

2. Experimental Procedure

A 0.22C-3.79Mn-1.48Si-0.98Cr (in wt. %) steel was prepared by cold rolling to a

thickness of 1.2 mm. The two-step Q&P process was used. The samples were fully

austenitized at 850 °C for 4 min in a box furnace and initially quenched at 90 °C ≤ TQ ≤

3
170 °C in an oil bath. After the initial quenching, the samples were heated to 450 °C, held for

5 min in a salt bath for partitioning, and then quenched to RT in water.

The microstructures of the Q&P processed specimens were observed by field

emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM, FEI Quanta 3D FEG) and electron back-

scattering diffraction (EBSD) after electro-chemical etching in a solution of 5% HClO4 + 95%

CH3COOH. The EBSD results with a minimum confidence index (CI) value of 0.1 were used.

The retained austenite fraction was measured using the magnetic saturation method by

averaging ten measurements. The austenite C concentration C in the Q&P processed

specimens was estimated as C = C0 / V, where C0 is the C concentration of the steel, i.e. 0.22

wt. % and V is the measured retained austenite fraction. Prediction of C applied two

assumptions: (1) the phases present during the partitioning are retained austenite and

martensite formed during the initial quenching, and (2) C partitioning from martensite to

austenite was complete.

The microstructures of selected Q&P processed specimens were observed by field

emission transmission electron microscopy (FE-TEM, JEOL JEM-2100F). Specimens for the

FE-TEM observations were prepared as thin foil discs with a diameter of 3 mm, and electro-

chemically polished using a twin-jet polisher with a solution of 5% HClO4 + 95% CH3COOH.

Acceleration voltage for FE-TEM observation was 200 kV.

The microstructural evolution of the samples during the Q&P process was examined

using dilatometry. A Bähr 805 pushrod dilatometer was used with specimen dimensions of 10

 5  1.2 mm. The heating rate was similar to box-furnace heating (20 C/s up to 300 C,

10 C/s up to 600 C, and 2 C/s up to 850 C), and the cooling rate was about 50 C/s. The

Q&P process was simulated in vacuum atmosphere of 3  10-4 mbar; He was injected for

quenching.

4
 The tensile tests were carried out using a Zwick/Roell universal tensile tester at a

strain rate of 1  10-3 s-1. Tensile test samples were prepared by wire cutting according to

ASTM E8M for sub-size samples with the gauge length of 25 mm. The tensile properties

were obtained by averaging triplicate measurements. Sheets for the hole expansion test were

prepared with dimensions of 90 mm  90 mm before the Q&P heat treatment process. After

the Q&P heat treatment, 10-mm diameter holes were prepared in the center of the specimens

by either mechanical punching with a clearance of 20%, or by wire cutting. The HER tests of

the two types of samples were conducted using an Erichsen Universal Sheet Metal Testing

Machine (145-60), according to the ISO 16630:2009 standard [27]. A 60° conical punch was

used with a punch velocity of 8 mm/min. The specimens were clamped by a blank holder

force of 200 kN. The tests were stopped when a crack propagated through the full thickness

of the sample. The HER was calculated as

( ) (1)

where Df is hole diameter after the fracture, and D0 = 10 mm is the initial hole diameter. The

reported HER values were obtained by averaging the diameters in the rolling and transverse

directions.

The SAZ generated by punching was analyzed using a hardness profile in samples

that had been quenched at 90 °C or 170 °C. Hardness was measured using a micro Vickers

hardness tester (Mitutoyo HM-220), with an applied load of 0.2 kgf. The punched hole edge

has roll-over, burnished, and fractured areas (Fig. 1). The hardness was measured every 100

m from the interface between the burnished and fractured parts. Values were obtained by

5
averaging six measurements. Microstructures that included the retained austenite distribution

in the SAZ, were observed using EBSD.

Fig. 1. Cross-sectional FE-SEM micrograph of punched hole edge and its

3. Results

3.1. Microstructure and tensile properties of Q&P processed specimens

FE-SEM micrographs (Fig. 2a-c) of the Q&P specimens quenched at TQ = 90 °C,

130 °C, or 170 °C show prior austenite grain structure with average size ~6 m. The

morphology of the interior of the prior austenite grains illustrates the complex substructure of

the Q&P processed steels. The corresponding EBSD phase maps (Figs. 2d – f) were used to

characterize their substructure. BCC martensite formed lath-like features; the remainder was

FCC austenite. The fraction of austenite increased as TQ increased. High-magnification FE-

SEM micrographs (Figs. 2g – i) reveal white particles in the martensitic areas; these particles

are carbides formed during partitioning. The carbide density decreased as TQ increased.

6
 Fig. 2. (a) – (c) FE-SEM micrographs [yellow dotted lines: prior austenite], (d) – (e)
EBSD phase maps [Green: BCC; red: FCC] and (g) - (i) high-magnification FE-SEM
micrographs [yellow arrows: carbide precipitates in tempered martensite] of 0.22C-
3.79Mn-1.48Si-0.98Cr steel quenched at 90, 130, or 170 °C.

Q&P samples quenched at TQ = 90 °C or 170 °C were observed using FE-TEM

micrographs to reveal the morphologies of retained austenite (Fig. 3). In both specimens, the

original austenite grains were segmented into small areas by the formation of lath martensite.

In the sample quenched at TQ = 90 ºC, film-type retained austenite was dominant. In the

sample quenched at TQ = 170 °C, the retained austenite had a blocky-type morphology.

7
 Fig. 3. Bright-field TEM micrographs of film-type retained austenite in specimens
with (a) TQ = 90 °C and blocky-type retained austenite in specimens with (b) TQ = 170
°C, and corresponding dark field TEM micrographs of the austenite with (c) TQ = 90
°C and (d) TQ = 170 °C.

The evolution of retained austenite fraction as a function of TQ was measured using

magnetic saturation. The fraction of retained austenite increased from 0.13 at TQ = 90 °C to

0.25 at TQ = 170 °C (Fig. 4a). When austenite is not fully stabilized, secondary martensite

forms from the C-partitioned austenite during final quenching. This martensite is C-enriched

and generally undesirable due to its brittle characteristics, but it frequently occurs when

specimens are Q&P processed and quenched at high TQ; the result is typically a consequence

of limited C partitioning [9].

The dilatation curves measured for the Q&P process used in the present study confirm

that no secondary martensite formed during cooling to RT. The sample quenched at TQ =

170 °C was fully austenitized at 850 °C (Fig. 4b). During the initial quenching to TQ, no

ferrite transformation was detected, but martensite formed. After the initial martensite

8
formation, the dilatation traces before and after the partitioning are linear and overlap. This

relationship indicates negligible formation of bainite and secondary martensite during and

after partitioning.

Fig. 4. (a) Effect of quenching temperature on the retained austenite fraction of a Q&P
processed 0.22C-3.79Mn-1.48Si-0.98C steel measured by magnetic saturation method
and (b) a dilatometric plot for a Q&P processed sample with a quenching temperature
of 170 °C followed by partitioning at 450 °C for 5 min.

The stability of the retained austenite was evaluated in Q&P processed specimens by

analyzing how TQ affected C, grain size and grain morphology. Calculated C decreased

from 1.69 at TQ = 90 °C to 0.92 at TQ = 170 °C (Fig. 5a). Carbide precipitation limits the full

partitioning of C that was assumed for the calculation. However, in a Q&P steel with a

similar chemical composition (0.2C-4.0Mn-1.6Si-1.0Cr in wt. %) [9] C corresponded to the

calculated values.

The grain size of retained austenite increased from 0.39 μm at TQ = 90 °C to 0.95 μm

at TQ = 170 °C (Fig. 5b). The retained austenite morphology changed from film-type to

blocky-type as TQ increased (Fig. 3). In the present study, the retained austenite in the

samples that had been quenched at TQ = 90 °C had high C, reduced grain size, and film-type

morphology, which are all features that indicate increased stabilization of the austenite [28].

9
 Fig. 5. (a) Calculated carbon concentrations of retained austenite with different
quenching temperature by assuming full partition of carbon from martensite to
austenite during partitioning heat treatment, and (b) average grain size of retained
austenite with different quenching temperature obtained from EBSD measurements.

The tensile properties of the Q&P processed specimens were also affected by TQ (Fig.

6). The sample quenched at TQ = 90 ºC had YS = 1219 MPa and UTS = 1385 MPa. Both YS

and UTS decreased slightly as TQ increased; this trend was stronger in YS than in UTS (Fig.

6a). Uniform elongation (UE) and TE increased as TQ increased, but ~ 6% of PUE is

maintained as TQ increased (Fig. 6b). The evolutions of the tensile properties are generally

explained by the increase in the soft retained austenite fraction in the hard martensite matrix

as TQ increased, and the contribution of this austenite to strain hardening is related to the

TRIP effect [9].

10
 Fig. 6. Effect of quenching temperature on (a) yield strength (YS) and ultimate tensile
strength (UTS) and (b) uniform elongation (UE), total elongation (TE), and post-
uniform elongation (PUE) in the Q&P-processed medium Mn steel.

3.2. Stretch-flangeability of Q&P processed specimens

In hole expansion tests, HER was lower in the punched specimens than in the wire-cut

specimens (Fig. 7); this result concurs with earlier studies [14, 15, 23, 29-31]. The formation

of a deformed layer, i.e. the SAZ area, by punching is considered to degrade the HER of

punched specimens. Hardness measurements made in the punched hole edge area were used

to examine the formation of SAZ for the samples treated at TQ = 90 C or 170 C. The matrix

hardness was harder in specimens quenched at TQ = 90 C (445 Hv) than in samples

quenched at TQ = 170 C (419 Hv) (Fig. 8). The hardness increased towards the edge; the

maximum hardness at the edge of the punched hole was 530 Hv at TQ = 90 C and 521 Hv at

TQ =170 C. Although hardness in both the matrix and edge were highest in the sample

quenched at TQ = 90 C, the hole-punching process increased the hardness most in the sample

quenched at TQ = 170 C.

11
 Fig. 7. Hole expansion ratio (HER) of the Q&P-processed medium Mn steel with
different quenching temperatures. Black: punched specimens; red: wire cut specimens.

Fig. 8. Hardness profile of punched hole regions in specimens quenched at 90 °C or

The effect of TQ on the hardness increase can be explained by the difference in the

amount of martensite formed during punching. The phase distributions were examined using

EBSD in areas equivalent to the areas where the hardness measurements were made in the

samples quenched at TQ = 90 C or TQ = 170 C (Figs. 9a, b). In both specimens, the fraction

of areas that had CI < 0.1, (i.e., black areas in Fig. 9) increased near the punched edge; this

observation indicates the presence of a strain gradient, which corresponds to a reduction in

12
the retained austenite fraction near the punched region. A sheared microstructure was present

30 μm away from the punched edge (D = 30 μm in Fig. 9); in this region, the retained

austenite was almost fully transformed.

Fig. 9. EBSD phase maps of the punched region for the Q&P processed samples with
the quenching temperature of (a) 90 °C and (b) 170 °C. D = distance from the punched
edge.

In both specimens, the retained austenite fraction was reduced near the punched edge

(Fig. 10), but the amount of transformed austenite was clearly smaller in the sample heat

quenched at TQ = 90 °C than in the specimen quenched at TQ = 170 C. This sample had a

larger fraction of retained austenite in the initial stage than the specimen quenched at TQ =

90 °C. The matrix retained austenite fraction as measured by EBSD analysis was lower than

the value obtained using magnetic saturation, because the resolution of the EBSD technique

is limited to detect the small austenite islands or films that exist between the martensite

substructures (Fig. 3) [32].

13
 Fig. 10. Dependence of retained austenite volume fraction on distance from the
punched edge obtained from EBSD analysis.

TQ affected the fracture surface of cracks generated by the hole expansion test both in

punched and in wire-cut specimens. In specimens quenched at TQ = 90 C, a large fraction of

the fracture surface had a characteristic dimple structure for both punched (Fig. 11a) and

wire-cut (Fig. 11b) specimens. In specimens quenched at TQ = 170 C, the fracture was

mainly inter-granular (Figs. 11c, d).

14
 Fig. 11. FE-SEM fracture surface micrographs generated by the hole expansion tests:
(a) punched and (b) wire-cut specimen with TQ = 90 °C; (c) punched specimen and (d)
wire cut specimen with TQ = 170 °C. Yellow circles: intergranular fracture areas.

4. Discussion

4.1. The dependence of HER on tensile properties and retained austenite fraction

In Q&P processed specimens prepared by punching, HER increased as PUE and TS

increased, and decreased as TE and retained austenite fraction (Fig. 12). The positive

correlation of HER with PUE (Fig. 12a) concurs with previous reports [14-16]. In this study,

the PUE range was 5.6 to 6.6%, which is quite small; PUE is not a good parameter that can

explain the evolution of HER of the present Q&P steel. The decrease in HER with increase in

TE (Fig. 12b) contradicts a previous report [16], which showed the opposite relationship.

Similarly, the strong increase in HER with increase in UTS increased in the range 1330 MPa

- 1400 MPa (Fig. 12c) contradicts previous HER studies, which reported a decrease in HER

with increasing UTS, with a plateau at high UTS [11, 12, 16]. Furthermore, the decrease in

HER with increase in retained austenite (Fig. 12d) contradicts several previous reports. HER

increased with retained austenite fraction in Q&P-processed 0.25C-2Mn-1.5Si steel [26], and

15
in a 0.39C-(1.2-2.0)Si-1.2Mn TRIP steel processed by intercritical annealing and

austempering [30].

Fig. 12. The evolutions of hole expansion ratio (HER) of punched specimens as a
function of key variables; (a) post-uniform elongation, (b) total elongation, (c) ultimate
tensile strength, and (d) retained austenite fraction.

The HER values obtained in the present study were also compared with HER data

obtained under similar test conditions (60 conical punch, punched hole sample) [13, 14, 16,

21-23, 26, 33, 34]; HER clearly increased as yield ratio (YS/UTS) increased (Fig. 13). HER

values obtained in the present study follow the trend, but were below the reference values.

The dependence of the HER on the tensile properties and the retained austenite fraction in

present Q&P-processed medium Mn steel differ from those reported in the literature. This

16
disagreement indicates that HER of Q&P-processed medium Mn steel is affected by factors

other than those considered here. These factors are discussed in the next section.

Fig. 13. The dependence of the hole expansion ratio (HER) on the yield ratio
(YS/UTS). The results of the punched specimens in the present study were compared
to the reference results [13, 14, 16, 21-23, 26, 33, 34] measured from similar test
conditions.

4.2 Strain-induced martensite transformation at the punched hole edge

Punched hole microstructure is an important aspect of HER. The C-enriched retained

austenite underwent strain-induced martensitic transformation (Figs. 9, 10). The

transformation to martensite was most complete near the punched hole edge where the strain

is concentrated during the hole expansion test. The amount of transformation varied with TQ.

The phase fraction obtained from the EBSD phase map was converted to a fraction of

transformed austenite. The average austenite fraction obtained from an > 1000 m away from

the punched edge was assumed to be the initial austenite fraction prior to punching. The

transformed austenite fraction corresponded with the hardness profiles in the SAZ (Fig. 14).

This similarity implies that the strain-induced martensitic transformation is the main factor

that affects the hardness increase Hv generated by punching in the SAZ.

17
 Fig. 14. The comparison of the evolutions of hardness increment and transformed
fraction of retained austenite in the shear affected zone (SAZ) near the punched edge;
(a) specimen quenched to 90 C and (b) specimen quenched to 170 C.

Hv caused by transformation of retained austenite to strain-induced martensite

during punching quantified. YS of each phase was predicted using a model proposed [9] for a

medium Mn Q&P steel, then converted to hardness. The alloy composition and processing

conditions in the present study were very similar to those in [9] so, the parameters (Table 1)

for the model were used here. YS of retained austenite (YS) in Q&P steel was calculated as

YS = ss + gb + dis (2)

18
where ss, gb and dis are strengths (Table 2) contributed by solid solution, grain boundary,

and dislocation density, respectively. The calculated concentrations of C in austenite in the

specimens were 1.69 wt. % at TQ = 90 C and 0.92 wt. % at TQ = 170 C, assuming full

partitioning from martensite to austenite (Fig. 5a). The other alloying elements such as Mn,

Si and Cr were assumed not to partition. The predicted YS was 1585 MPa for samples

treated at TQ = 90 C, and 945 MPa for samples treated at TQ = 170 C. The predicted YS

values were converted to the hardness as [35]

Hv = (YS + 94.8)/2.446. (3)

Calculated hardness was 681 Hv at TQ = 90 °C and 422 Hv at TQ = 170 °C.

Table 1. Model parameters used to calculate the yield strength of retained austenite
and strain-induced martensite adopted from [9].

Retained Strain-induced
Parameters
austenite martensite
Shear modulus, G (GPa) 72.0 81.6
Burgers vector, b (nm) 0.250 0.248

 0.35 0.38
Hall-petch parameter, K (MPamm1/2) 9.49 -

Initial dislocation density,  (m-2) 1  1013 6  1014

19
 Table. 2. The contribution of each strength parameter in MPa for both retained
austenite and strain-induced martensite calculated from two different quenching
temperature conditions.

TQ ss gb dis ’0 ’ ’dis

90 C 1040 484 61 528 5026 518

170 C 577 307 61 528 2649 518

Yield strength of the strain-induced martensite (YS’) that had been transformed

from the retained austenite was obtained as

YS’ = ’0 + ’ + ’dis (4)

where ’0 is Peierls stress, ’ is solid-solution strengthening, and ’dis is strain hardening

(Table 2). YS’ was calculated assuming that the alloying elements do not diffuse during

transformation. Calculated YS’ was 6072 MPa at TQ = 90 C and 3695 MPa at TQ = 170 C.

The hardness of strain-induced martensite was obtained as [35]

Hv = (YS’ – 110.9)/2.507 (5)

The hardness of strain-induced martensite was 2378 Hv at TQ = 90 C and 1430 Hv at TQ =

170 C. The hardness difference between retained austenite and strain-induced martensite

was 1697 Hv at TQ = 90 C and 1008 Hv at TQ = 170 C. Assuming that the retained austenite

at the very edge of the punched hole is fully transformed to martensite, Hv at the tip of the

punched hole was 221 Hv at TQ = 90 C and 242 Hv at TQ = 170 C; these are both greater
20
than the measured Hv (Fig. 14), but both results show that Hv increased slightly as TQ

increased. The difference may be caused by reduced C partitioning caused by carbide

precipitation, and the presence of a volume fraction of small retained austenite that was not

detected by EBSD. Nonetheless, the result confirms that Hv measured in the SAZ close to

the hole edge in the punched specimens is related to the strain-induced martensite

transformation.

4.3 Key factors influencing the HER of Q&P processed medium Mn steel

In multi-phase steel, material failure starts with formation of cracks in the harder

phase constituent, and proceeds by crack growth along the interphase boundary [36]. Local

strain near the punched hole is generally much higher than the elongation measured in a

conventional tensile test. In DP steel, the local true strain applied to the very edge of a

punched hole is about 1.17 [36]. Due to the high strain near the punched edge, the punched

specimens in the present study have an elongated grain structure with a large amount of

martensite transformation (Fig. 9). The microstructure near the punched edge is mainly

composed of a C-depleted initial martensite phase and a C-enriched strain-induced martensite

phase. The two phases have a large hardness difference due to their different C

concentrations, and the strain is localized in the soft C-depleted initial martensite [22, 23, 36].

The cracks are generated preferentially at the hard C-enriched strain-induced martensite, then

propagate along interphase boundaries.

The pronounced effect of TQ on HER in the Q&P processed medium Mn steel

prepared by punching can be explained by the fracture mechanism of the multi-phase steels.

Variation in the C concentration between the initial martensite and strain-induced martensite

results in a large hardness difference between the two phases. Thus, the amount of interfacial
21
area affects the dependence of HER on TQ. The severe strain caused by punching near the

edge results in almost full transformation of the retained austenite, and the amount of strain-

induced martensite increased as TQ increased, because the increase in TQ caused increase in

retained austenite fraction and decreased stability. In the elongated edge microstructure (Fig.

9), the amount of interphase boundary is proportional to the initial retained austenite fraction.

This observation explains the negative correlation between retained austenite fraction and

HER in the Q&P-processed medium Mn steel considered here.

5. Conclusions

The evolution of the hole expansion ratio (HER) of a quenching and partitioning

(Q&P) processed 0.22C-3.79Mn-1.48Si-0.98Cr (in wt. %) steel was investigated as a

function of quenching temperature TQ. Punched and wire-cut specimens with five TQ ranging

from 90 C to 170 C were subjected to hole expansion tests. The HER of the Q&P-processed

medium Mn steel increased as TQ decreased and it is more pronounced in the punched

specimens. HER did not show a clear correlation with the tensile properties, but HER

increased as retained austenite fraction decreased. The high fraction and low stability of

retained austenite induced by quenching at high TQ resulted in an extremely low HER in the

punched specimen. At the very edge of the punched hole, the amount of retained austenite

that transformed by punching increased as TQ increased. The large difference in hardness

between the high-C strain-induced martensite and the low-C martensite matrix leads to the

formation of cracks at the boundary area. The crack nucleation site density increases with TQ

because the amount of strain-induced martensite increases.

22
Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the POSCO Technical Research

Laboratories (South Korea).

Data availability
The raw/processed data required to reproduce these findings cannot be shared at this time as
the data also forms part of an ongoing study.

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