Influence of thermo-mechanical processing and different post-cooling techniques on structure and properties of an ultra low carbon Cu bearing HSLA forging

An ultra low carbon Cu bearing HSLA steel, micro alloyed with Nb and Ti was forged in two stages and subsequently cooled at different cooling rates. Variation in microstructures and the mechanical properties at different cooling rates have been studied. Volume fraction of bainitic phase has been found to vary with different cooling rates. Maximum strength was achieved in this steel at an intermediate cooling due to precipitation hardening of very fine microalloying carbides, carbonitrides and epsilon-Cu precipitates. Finer polygonal ferrite and granular bainite structure obtained at the slowest cooling rate resulted in high impact toughness values at ambient and sub ambient temperatures. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.