Empirical Relationships for the Impact of Nb and C Content on the Mechanical Properties of Hot Rolled Microalloyed Steels

Abstract

There currently is a strong interest in using ‘as-hot rolled’ steels instead of ‘heat treated’ steels within the field of microalloyed steels with superior strength and improved ductility. However, mechanical and microstructural characterization of these steels is less elaborated. The present work is an effort in that direction, focusing on the evaluation of the impact of a variable Nb and C content on the microstructure and mechanical properties for seven hot rolled microalloyed steels and deriving an empirical relation between the mechanical properties and the Nb/C ratio.