Mechanical properties and microstructure of TRIP steels produced using TSCR process

C-Si-Mn TRIP steels were produced using the thin slab casting and rolling (TSCR) process under simulation in laboratory. The results of tensile tests show that the yield strength, tensile strength, and the total elongation of the experimental TRIP steels are 430 MPa, 610 MPa, and 28.4%, respectively. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were employed to identify the microstructures of the TRIP steels. The final microstructures consist of ferrite, bainite, and retained austenite. The results of quantitative color metallography show that the fraction of the retained austenite is about 5.8%.