Influence of P on hot ductility of high C, Al, and Nb containing steels

Hot ductility curves for high carbon Nb and Nb free steels have been determined immediately after casting at two P levels, similar to0-01%, and similar to0-045%. High strain rates of 0.1-0.55 s(-1) were generally used but some limited low strain rate testing at 7 x 10(-3) s(-1) was carried out on Nb containing steels. Nb containing steels showed, as expected, worse ductility than the Nb free steel but high P level was detrimental to ductility for both steels and ductility in general was very poor. Failure was intergranular with the presence of films of a P rich phase at the boundaries in the case of the Nb free steels and in addition to this, in Nb containing steel there was a Nb rich phase. The films were thicker and more continuous in the higher P steels. It is suggested that the P rich films are probably the low melting point phase Fe3P or Fe-3(Mn)P, which can remain liquid down to temperatures as low as 950degreesC. Some back diffusion of P into the grain interior is possible if the strain rate is reduced and/or at high testing temperatures during the 5 min hold prior to testing. This allowed some improvement in ductility to occur in the lower P containing steels by reducing the amount of the low melting point phase at the boundaries.