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Microstructure and Phase Transformations in High-Strength Bainitic Forging Steel

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Abstract

In this work, the microstructural evolution and the phase transformations on a 0.22 wt.% carbon bainitic forging steel are investigated using a deformation dilatometer. The microstructure evolution was characterized using light microscope (LM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). It was tried to predict the phase transformations via a continuous cooling transformation (CCT) diagram calculated by JMatPro using the results of prior austenite grain size measurement. In addition, critical temperatures were calculated using Thermo-Calc, JMatPro, and empirical formulations. Based on the dilatometric tests, hardness, and microstructural investigation, a deformation-CCT diagram was plotted. It was found that a bainitic microstructure can be obtained at cooling rates from 0.15 to 8 K/s. The microstructures varied from a mixture of bainite and blocky martensite/austenite islands at lower cooling rates to a bainitic ferrite with martensite at higher cooling rates. Finally, an industrially hot-forged sample cooled at 1 K/s was investigated. The microstructural evolution showed a microstructure of carbide-free bainitic ferrite along with film and island of retained austenite.

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Acknowledgments

This research was financially supported by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) under research Project Number 3180102. The authors gratefully acknowledge collaboration with KANCA and BorgWarner Turkey. Further we thank Dr. C. Şimşir for accessing a deformation dilatometer, Prof. Dr. B. Ögel for XRD measurements, and A. Özcan for Rietveld Refinement during the course of this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Kocaeli University, Kocaeli, Turkey

    Ersoy Erişir & Sibel Ün

  2. ÇEMTAŞ Çelik Makina Sanayi ve Ticaret A. Ş, R&D Center, Bursa, Turkey

    İsmail İrfan Ayhan, Caner Güney, Emre Alan & Nurten Başak Dürger

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  1. Ersoy Erişir
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Correspondence to Ersoy Erişir.

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Erişir, E., Ayhan, İ.İ., Güney, C. et al. Microstructure and Phase Transformations in High-Strength Bainitic Forging Steel. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 30, 3458–3467 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-021-05689-1

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