Influence of Si and Al contents and isothermal treatment condition on the microstructure and tensile properties in ultra-high strength Fe-0.2C-2.0Mn martensite-bainite complex phase steels

This study investigated the influence of partial replacement of Si by Al on the microstructure and tensile properties of ultra-high strength steels with martensite-bainite complex microstructure produced by austenitization and subsequent isothermal heat treatment around Ms temperature. When the isothermal heat treatment was done below the Ms temperature, the fraction of martensite increased with the lower isothermal temperature, but the fractions of constituent phases in the final microstructure were not significantly affected by the partial replacement of Si by Al. Nevertheless, the increase in Al content in the complex phase steel accelerated the bainite transformation, which is thought to be associated with the increase of the free energy difference between FCC and BCC. The enhancement of the bainite transformation not only effectively suppressed the martensite formation upon final cooling when the isothermal temperature was above the Ms temperature but also helped refine the final microstructure when subjected to isothermal heat treatment below the Ms temperature. The yield strengths of the investigated complex phase steels were little influenced by the partial replacement of Si with Al, as long as the fractions of the constituent phases were comparable. This possibly originates with the solid solution hardening and the microstructure refinement with Al addition.