Hot ductility behavior of a low carbon advanced high strength steel (AHSS) microalloyed with boron

The current study analyses the influence of boron addition on the hot ductility of a low carbon advanced high strength NiCrVCu steel. For this purpose hot tensile tests were carried out at different temperatures (650, 750, 800, 900 and 1000 °C) at a constant true strain rate of 0.001 s−1. Experimental results showed a substantial improvement in hot ductility for the low carbon advanced high strength steel when microalloyed with boron compared with that without boron addition. Nevertheless, both steels showed poor ductility when tested at the lowest temperatures (650, 750 and 800 °C), and such behavior is associated to the precipitation of vanadium carbides/nitrides and inclusions, particularly MnS and CuS particles. The fracture mode of the low carbon advanced high strength steel microalloyed with boron seems to be more ductile than the steel without boron addition. Furthermore, the fracture surfaces of specimens tested at temperatures showing the highest ductility (900 and 1000 °C) indicate that the fracture mode is a result of ductile failure, while in the region of poor ductility the fracture mode is of the ductile–brittle type failure. It was shown that precipitates and/or inclusions coupled with voids play a meaningful role on the crack nucleation mechanism which in turn causes a hot ductility loss. Likewise, dynamic recrystallization (DRX) which always results in restoration of ductility only occurs in the range from 900 to 1000 °C. Results are discussed in terms of boron segregation towards austenitic grain boundaries and second phase particles precipitation during plastic deformation and cooling.