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Effect of austenite stability on the fracture micromechanisms and ductile-to-brittle transition in a medium-Mn, ultra-fine-grained steel for automotive applications

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Abstract

This work reports on the tensile and Charpy impact behaviour of a high-strength, ultra-fine-grained, medium-manganese steel with a ferrite + austenite microstructure. The mechanical stability of austenite was varied by varying the test temperature, while keeping all other microstructural features constant. By lowering the tensile test temperature, austenite decomposition into martensite occurred earlier, inducing strong work hardening, decreasing tensile elongation and triggering ferrite–martensite interfacial decohesion. Under impact testing, the material exhibited a broad transition in absorbed energy and in thickness reduction at fracture initiation. A continuous transition in fracture mechanism, from fully ductile to fully interfacial fracture, occurred with lowering the test temperature. Besides chemically induced weakening of ferrite–austenite interfaces, the temperature-dependent mechanical stability of retained austenite, as well as the strength of the ferrite phase, is thought to control local stresses at interfaces between ferrite and freshly formed martensite. It thus drives the extent of interfacial microcrack initiation and propagation before blunting and development into voids.

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Acknowledgements

The authors greatly acknowledge the French Agence Nationale de la Recherche for financial support within the framework of the ANR 13- RMNP-0002 “MeMnAl Steels”. This project was also supported by the competitive cluster “Materalia”. Technical help from J.C. Hell (XRD) and B. Bomprezzi (impact tests) from ArcelorMittal and A. Meddour from the Centre des Matériaux is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MINES ParisTech, PSL University, Centre des Matériaux, UMR CNRS 7633, B.P. 87, 91003, Evry cedex, France

    Quentin Tonizzo, Matthieu Mazière & Anne-Françoise Gourgues-Lorenzon

  2. ArcelorMittal Global R&D - Maizières, Voie Romaine, 57283, Maizières-lès-Metz, France

    Astrid Perlade

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  1. Quentin Tonizzo
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  2. Matthieu Mazière
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  3. Astrid Perlade
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  4. Anne-Françoise Gourgues-Lorenzon
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Correspondence to Anne-Françoise Gourgues-Lorenzon.

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Tonizzo, Q., Mazière, M., Perlade, A. et al. Effect of austenite stability on the fracture micromechanisms and ductile-to-brittle transition in a medium-Mn, ultra-fine-grained steel for automotive applications. J Mater Sci 55, 9245–9257 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-020-04470-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-020-04470-4

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