A thermodynamic-based model to predict the fraction of martensite in steels with undercooling has been developed. The model utilizes the thermodynamic driving force to describe the transformation curve and it is able to predict the fraction of athermal martensite at quenching to different temperatures for low alloy steels. The only model parameter is a linear function of the martensite start temperature (M (s)), and the model predicts that a steel with a higher M (s) has a lower difference between the martensite start and finish temperatures. When the present model is combined with a previously developed thermodynamic-based model for M (s), the model predictions of the full martensite transformation curve with undercooling are in close agreement with literature data.

As part of an ongoing development of third-generation advanced high-strength steels with acceptable cost, austenite reversion treatment of medium Mn steels becomes attractive because it can give rise to a microstructure of fine mixture of ferrite and austenite, leading to both high strength and large elongation. The growth of austenite during intercritical annealing is crucial for the final properties, primarily because it determines the fraction, composition, and phase stability of austenite. In the present work, the growth of austenite from as-quenched lath martensite in medium Mn steels has been simulated using the DICTRA software package. Cementite is added into the simulations based on experimental observations. Two types of systems (cells) are used, representing, respectively, (1) austenite and cementite forming apart from each other, and (2) austenite forming on the cementite/martensite interface. An interfacial dissipation energy has also been added to take into account a finite interface mobility. The simulations using the first type of setup with an addition of interfacial dissipation energy are able to reproduce the observed austenite growth in medium Mn steels reasonably well.

Many previous studies suggest that austenite stability increases with decreasing grain size, i.e. the martensite start temperature, M_s, decreases. Therefore, the influence of small austenite grain size would be high for many modern steels containing fine austenite. Models from literature deviate severely from each other for grain sizes below 1 μm where there is a lack of experimental data. Besides, the experimental data are mostly obtained from a fully austenitic microstructure with equiaxed grains. This raises concerns about the applicability of these models to design medium Mn steels, where the austenite stability is essential for elongation via transformation-induced plasticity. The present work concerns the influence of grain size on martensitic transformation for thin-film austenite in a medium Mn steel. After IA, austenite grains exhibit two morphologies, thin-film like and globular, while the former is dominant. The globular austenite is less stable and responsible for the M_s measured by dilatometry. Similar to particles, the austenite grains are isolated and dispersed, and autocatalysis from surrounding austenite is minimized. Therefore in this work an approach to describe the transformation in small particles has been adopted, where the number fraction of partly or fully transformed austenite grains (F) is phenomenologically formulated as a function of temperature and grain size. Experimental data from the present work and from literature have been used to derive a model of M_s and grain size for thin-film austenite in medium Mn steels, using the cross-sectional area of austenite grain as a variable. The current model provides a practical and useful way of determining austenite stability from 2-dimensional micrograph, and can be used in designing medium Mn steels with optimized austenite stability.

Medium Mn steels have attracted worldwide interests recent years due to their excellent mechanical properties and low cost. These steels contain large fraction (~30%) of metastable retained austenite and exhibit good elongation due to transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP). In order to obtain the highest elongation, the mechanical stability of austenite, quantified using M_s^σ, needs to be optimized. M_s^σ is defined as the highest temperature at which martensite can form under stress without austenite yielding by slip. The present work aims to formulate a model of M_s^σ which can be used to design medium Mn steels with optimized elongation. In the present work, an Fe–0.18C–5.08Mn (mass %) steel was intercritically annealed at 650 °C. Based on tensile tests at different temperatures using a single specimen method, the M_s^σ temperatures were experimentally determined to about 0 °C regardless of intercritical annealing time between 15 min and 3 h. Microstructure observations showed that large austenite grains with a globular shape are more transformed than thin-film ones, and thus the former probably governs the determined M_s^σ. M_s^σ was further predicted at the crossing point of yielding by martensite formation and by austenite slip; the former was modeled by expanding an existing model of martensite start temperature and the latter by a constitutive model. The predicted M_s^σ showed reasonable agreement with the determined values. The model also indicated that a large and a small austenite grain have similar M_s^σ, which could partly explain why the determined M_s^σ is rather constant regardless of IA time.

This work studies the microstructure and tensile properties of a cold-rolled Fe–0.204C–4.86Mn (mass %) steel after short intercritical annealing (IA) times, i.e. 3 and 10 min. The short IA time is applied to represent the process characteristics of the industrial continuous annealing line. The microstructure evolution is studied using scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and the tensile properties are obtained using uniaxial tensile tests. The experimental results show that IA temperature (600–700 °C) has strong, while IA time has less, influence on the final microstructure and tensile properties. The fractions of retained austenite are much higher after IA at 650 and 675 °C (~ 10 vol. %) than the other IA temperatures, and thus result in improved elongation (~ 20–30 %). Simulations using the DICTRA software and constitutive modeling are further performed to assist the understanding of the microstructure evolution and stress-strain curves.