MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF A HIGH Si AND Mn STEEL HEAT TREATED BY ONE-STEP QUENCHING AND PARTITIONING

In recent decade, there has been increasing interest in applying quenching and partitioning (Q&P) as a novel heat treatment for obtaining excellent combinations of mechanical strength and ductility in steel components. This process leads to microstructures containing martensite and carbon-enriched retained austenite in which martensite acts as a strengthening phase while retained austenite significantly contributes to the elongation due to the transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) effect during the deformation. In this research, Q&P heat treatments in which the partitioning step is performed at a temperature equal to the quenching temperature were applied to a high Si and Mn steel, and the mechanical properties of the treated specimens were evaluated and discussed. According to the final results, considerable balances of strength and ductility were obtainable in Q&P treated specimens for application in the automotive industry such as B-pillar reinforcement, inner B-pillar, front floor side member, inner door panel, etc.