Thermomechanically Rolled Medium-Mn Steels Containing Retained Austenite/ Walcowane Termomechanicznie Stale Średniomanganowe Zawierające Austenit Szczątkowy

Abstract

Abstract Chemical composition of four medium-Mn steels containing a various Mn content (3 and 5%) have been proposed in the present work. The two steels are base steels whereas the other two contain Nb microaddition. Thermomechanical rolling tests of 3.3 mm sheets have been carried out using a semi-industrial hot strip rolling line. Detailed investigations of the identification of structural constituents using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy techniques have been performed. X-ray method has been applied to determine an amount of retained austenite and its C content. Significant microstructural parameters were revealed using an EBSD technique. It was found that the Mn addition affects strongly a microstructure type, stability of retained austenite and mechanical properties determined with a static tensile test. The steels containing 3% Mn are characterized by a good combination of strength and ductility whereas the tensile strength up to 1300 MPa is possible to obtain for the higher Mn content steels.