The Influence of Microstructure on the Mechanical Properties and Fracture Behavior of Medium Mn Steels at Different Strain Rates

Abstract

The primary task of automotive industry materials is to guarantee passengers’ safety during a car crash. To simulate a car crash, the influence of strain rates on mechanical properties and fracture behavior of medium Mn steels with different Si content (0Si without δ-ferrite and 0.6Si with about 20% δ-ferrite) was conducted using the uniaxial tensile test. The results show that ultimate tensile strength is higher, whereas total elongation is lower in 0Si than in 0.6Si. As the strain rate increases, ultimate tensile strength and total elongation decrease in both 0Si and 0.6Si; nonetheless, total elongation of 0.6Si decreases faster. Meanwhile, the area reduction of 0.6Si increases as the strain rate increases. The microcrack′s number on a rolling direction (RD)-transverse direction (TD) surface is considerably increased; nonetheless, the microcrack′s size is restrained in 0.6Si compared with 0Si. Microcracks start at γ(α′)/α-ferrite interfaces in both 0Si and 0.6Si, whereas little nucleation sites have also been found at (γ(α′)+α-ferrite)/δ-ferrite boundaries in 0.6Si. Meanwhile, δ-ferrite reveals a higher capacity for microcrack arrest. As the strain rate decreases, increased lower crack growth results in fine and even dimples on fractographs with abundant second cracks on fractographs; meanwhile, the small microcrack′s number increases, while the large microcrack′s number decreases on an RD-TD surface.