Simultaneous improvement of strength and ductility in Fe–Mn–Al–C steel realized by cold rolling plus aging treatment
In the Fe–Mn–Al–C low-density steels, aging treatment is generally employed to strengthen the steels through the formation of κ-carbides, which however results in a reduced strain-hardening rate and ductility due to the shearable nature of the κ-carbides. Here, we report an aging-induced unprecedent...
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Elsevier
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Journal of Materials Research and Technology |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2238785425009767 |
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| author | Ziyuan Gao Qing Yin Qingfeng Kang Hui Wang Haifeng Xu Zhengdong Liu Wenquan Cao |
| author_facet | Ziyuan Gao Qing Yin Qingfeng Kang Hui Wang Haifeng Xu Zhengdong Liu Wenquan Cao |
| author_sort | Ziyuan Gao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the Fe–Mn–Al–C low-density steels, aging treatment is generally employed to strengthen the steels through the formation of κ-carbides, which however results in a reduced strain-hardening rate and ductility due to the shearable nature of the κ-carbides. Here, we report an aging-induced unprecedented improvement in both the strength and ductility of a cold-rolled Fe–Mn–Al–C steel. Specifically, the aging treatment at 550 °C for 10 h results in an increment in ultimate tensile strength from 1176 MPa to 1251 MPa and uniform elongation from 5.00 % to 12.11 % compared to the cold-rolled specimen at 30 % rolling reduction. Microstructural examination revealed that the aging treatment resulted in preferential precipitation of κ-carbides within the existing dislocation structures formed during cold-rolling. The pinning effect of the κ-carbides suppressed the activity of dislocation cross-slip and prevented the further development of these dislocation structures that could lead to the local strain softening. Moreover, new slip bands were generated owing to the shearing of κ-carbides, stimulating the activation of dislocation planar slip. These combined mechanisms enhanced the dislocation storage capacity in cold-rolled specimens, thereby improving both strain-hardening rates and uniform elongation. Additionally, the influence of cold-rolling reduction on the aging-induced variation in the strain-hardening behavior was also explored. This study provides a novel strategy to simultaneously enhance the strength and ductility of the cold-rolled Fe–Mn–Al–C low-density steel by simple aging treatment. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-98eff2fe796b42e391f57dcfe0da1a4a |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2238-7854 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Materials Research and Technology |
| spelling | doaj-art-98eff2fe796b42e391f57dcfe0da1a4a2025-08-20T03:18:18ZengElsevierJournal of Materials Research and Technology2238-78542025-05-01364536454610.1016/j.jmrt.2025.04.156Simultaneous improvement of strength and ductility in Fe–Mn–Al–C steel realized by cold rolling plus aging treatmentZiyuan Gao0Qing Yin1Qingfeng Kang2Hui Wang3Haifeng Xu4Zhengdong Liu5Wenquan Cao6Special Steel Department, Central Iron and Steel Research Institute (CISRI), Beijing, 100081, ChinaJiangyin Xingcheng Special Steel Works, Co., Ltd., Jiangsu, 214400, ChinaSpecial Steel Department, Central Iron and Steel Research Institute (CISRI), Beijing, 100081, ChinaSpecial Steel Department, Central Iron and Steel Research Institute (CISRI), Beijing, 100081, ChinaSpecial Steel Department, Central Iron and Steel Research Institute (CISRI), Beijing, 100081, ChinaSpecial Steel Department, Central Iron and Steel Research Institute (CISRI), Beijing, 100081, ChinaSpecial Steel Department, Central Iron and Steel Research Institute (CISRI), Beijing, 100081, China; Corresponding author.In the Fe–Mn–Al–C low-density steels, aging treatment is generally employed to strengthen the steels through the formation of κ-carbides, which however results in a reduced strain-hardening rate and ductility due to the shearable nature of the κ-carbides. Here, we report an aging-induced unprecedented improvement in both the strength and ductility of a cold-rolled Fe–Mn–Al–C steel. Specifically, the aging treatment at 550 °C for 10 h results in an increment in ultimate tensile strength from 1176 MPa to 1251 MPa and uniform elongation from 5.00 % to 12.11 % compared to the cold-rolled specimen at 30 % rolling reduction. Microstructural examination revealed that the aging treatment resulted in preferential precipitation of κ-carbides within the existing dislocation structures formed during cold-rolling. The pinning effect of the κ-carbides suppressed the activity of dislocation cross-slip and prevented the further development of these dislocation structures that could lead to the local strain softening. Moreover, new slip bands were generated owing to the shearing of κ-carbides, stimulating the activation of dislocation planar slip. These combined mechanisms enhanced the dislocation storage capacity in cold-rolled specimens, thereby improving both strain-hardening rates and uniform elongation. Additionally, the influence of cold-rolling reduction on the aging-induced variation in the strain-hardening behavior was also explored. This study provides a novel strategy to simultaneously enhance the strength and ductility of the cold-rolled Fe–Mn–Al–C low-density steel by simple aging treatment.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2238785425009767Low-density steelsCold rollingAging treatmentShearable precipitateDislocation slip band |
| spellingShingle | Ziyuan Gao Qing Yin Qingfeng Kang Hui Wang Haifeng Xu Zhengdong Liu Wenquan Cao Simultaneous improvement of strength and ductility in Fe–Mn–Al–C steel realized by cold rolling plus aging treatment Journal of Materials Research and Technology Low-density steels Cold rolling Aging treatment Shearable precipitate Dislocation slip band |
| title | Simultaneous improvement of strength and ductility in Fe–Mn–Al–C steel realized by cold rolling plus aging treatment |
| title_full | Simultaneous improvement of strength and ductility in Fe–Mn–Al–C steel realized by cold rolling plus aging treatment |
| title_fullStr | Simultaneous improvement of strength and ductility in Fe–Mn–Al–C steel realized by cold rolling plus aging treatment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Simultaneous improvement of strength and ductility in Fe–Mn–Al–C steel realized by cold rolling plus aging treatment |
| title_short | Simultaneous improvement of strength and ductility in Fe–Mn–Al–C steel realized by cold rolling plus aging treatment |
| title_sort | simultaneous improvement of strength and ductility in fe mn al c steel realized by cold rolling plus aging treatment |
| topic | Low-density steels Cold rolling Aging treatment Shearable precipitate Dislocation slip band |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2238785425009767 |
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