Abstract:
A cold-rolled and heat treated steel sheet, has a composition comprising 0.1%≤C≤0.4%, 3.5%≤Mn≤8.0%, 0.1%≤Si≤1.5%, Al≤3%, Mo≤0.5%, Cr≤1%, Nb≤0.1%, Ti≤0.1%, V≤0.2%, B≤0.004%, 0.002%≤N≤0.013%, S≤0.003%, P≤0.015%. The structure consists of, in surface fraction: between 8 and 50% of retained austenite, at most 80% of intercritical ferrite, the ferrite grains, if any, having an average size of at most 1.5 μm, and at most 1% of cementite, the cementite particles having an average size lower than 50 nm, martensite and/or bainite.
Abstract:
A cold-rolled and heat-treated steel sheet having a microstructure consisting of, in surface fraction: between 10% and 30% of retained austenite, the retained austenite being present as films having an aspect ratio of at least 3 and as Martensite Austenite islands, less than 8% of the Martensite Austenite islands having a size above 0.5 μm, at most 1% of fresh martensite, at most 50% of tempered martensite, and recovered martensite containing precipitates of at least one element chosen among niobium, titanium and vanadium. A method for manufacturing the cold-rolled and heat-treated steel sheet is also described.
Abstract:
A method for manufacturing a steel product, comprising the steps of: providing a heated steel starting product at a temperature comprised between 380° C. and 700° C., having a metastable fully austenitic structure, with a composition comprising, in percent by weight: 0.15%≤C≤0.40%, 1.5%≤Mn≤4.0%, 0.5%≤Si≤2.5%, 0.005%≤Al≤1.5%, with 0.8%≤Si+Al≤2.5%, S≤0.05%, P≤0.1%, at least one element chosen among Cr and Mo, such that: 0%≤Cr≤4.0%, 0%≤Mo≤0.5%, and 2.7%≤Mn+Cr+3 Mo≤5.7%, and optionally one or several elements chosen among: Nb≤0.1%, Ti≤0.1%, Ni≤3.0%, 0.0005%≤B≤0.005%, 0.0005%≤Ca≤0.005%, the balance of the composition consisting of iron and unavoidable impurities resulting from the smelting; subjecting said starting product to a hot forming step at a temperature comprised between 700° C. and 380° C., with a cumulated strain εb between 0.1 and 0.7, in at least one location of said heated steel starting product, to obtain a fully austenitic hot-formed steel product; then quenching the hot-formed steel product by cooling it down, at a cooling rate VR2 superior to the critical martensitic cooling rate, to a quenching temperature QT lower than Ms in order to obtain a structure containing between 40% and 90% of martensite, the rest of the structure being austenite; then maintaining at, or reheating the product up to a holding temperature PT between QT and 470° C. and holding it at said temperature PT for a duration Pt between 5 s and 600 s.
Abstract:
The present invention provides a method for the fabrication of a martensitic steel sheet with a yield stress greater than 1300 MPa. The method includes the steps of obtaining a semi-finished steel product, the composition of which includes, whereby the contents are expressed in percent by weight: 0.15%≦C≦0.40%, 1.5%≦Mn≦3%, 0.005%≦Si≦2%, 0.005%≦Al≦0.1%, S≦0.05%, P≦0.1%, 0.025%≦Nb≦0.1%, and optionally: 0.01%≦Ti≦0.1%, 0%≦Cr≦4%, 0%≦Mo≦2%, 0.0005%≦B≦0.005%, 0.0005%≦Ca≦0.005%. The remainder of the composition is iron and the inevitable impurities resulting from processing. The semi-finished product is reheated to a temperature T1 in the range between 1050° C. and 1250° C., then the reheated semi-finished product is subjected to a roughing rolling at a temperature T2 in the range between 1050 and 1150° C., with a cumulative rate of reduction εa greater than 100%, to obtain a sheet with a not totally recrystallized austenitic structure with an average grain size less than 40 micrometers and preferably less than 5 micrometers. The sheet is then cooled to prevent a transformation of the austenite at a rate VR1 greater than 2° C./s to a temperature T3 in the range between 970° C. and Ar3+30° C., is then subjected to a finishing hot rolling at the temperature T3 of the cooled sheet, with a cumulative rate off reduction εb greater than 50% to obtain a sheet, then the sheet is cooled at a rate VR2 which is greater than the critical martensitic quenching rate. Steel sheets are also provided.