High Strength Low Alloy Steel (HSLA)

Ultra Low Carbon Steel

Advance High Strength Steel

By

Panya Buahombura
School of Metallurgical Engineering
Suranaree University of Technology
 Outline
• Overviews
• Low carbon structural steel
• High strength low alloy steel (HSLA)/Micro-alloy steel
and Thermo-mechanical control process (TMCP)
• Low carbon strip steel
• Ultra-low carbon steel
- Interstitial Free (IF) Steel
- Bake Hardening (BH) Steel
• Advance high strength steel or Multi-phases steel
- Dual Phase (DP) Steel
- Transformation Induced Plasticity (TRIP) Steel
Overviews
 Overviews: Low carbon structural steel
and low carbon strip steel
• High strength low carbon steels

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• High strength low carbon steels  strengthening
mechanism 
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• High strength low carbon steels !"
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• High strength low carbon steels ก

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• Physical metallurgy ก()ก high strength low carbon
steels 
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 Steel
C, Si (up to 0.40%), Mn (up to 1.20%), S, P Nb, Ti, V, Al, Cr, Ni, Mo, Co, Cu, Mo, W, Mn, Si and etc.

Plain Carbon Steel Alloy Steel

Low-C steel Medium-C steel High-C steel Low alloy steel High alloy steel
C ≤ 0.2% C = 0.2 – 0.5 % C > 0.5% Alloy elements ≤ 10% Alloy elements > 10%
Flat products (rolled) Machine parts Tool steels (some data: ≤ 5%) (some data: > 5%)
Structural (rolled) (Heat treatable) (Wear, Abrasion, Heat resisting,
Corrosion applications)

Applications
- Body parts in automotive industry
- Construction of building, bridge, pipeline, etc.

High strength low carbon steels

- Cold-reduced products: YS > 220 MPa, TS > 330 MPa
- Hot rolled products: YS > 280 MPa, TS > 370 MPa

Strengthening Mechanisms
- Solid solution strengthening
- Precipitation strengthening
- Dislocation strengthening (Work hardening)
- Transformation strengthening (Heat treatment)
- Refining the ferrite grain size (Grain size effects)

Produced lighter wt. and higher strength

General Steel Production Process
General Steel Production Process
Iron and Steel Making Process
Semi Finished Products
Overview
Overview
Overview
Relation between tensile strength and elongation of HSS
Currently, high strength steel
products whose microstructure
is reinforced for greater
strength have been used.
(DP steel, TRIP steel)

Conventional high strength sheet

steel for automobiles used to be
solid solution-hardened steel or
precipitation-hardened steel with
micro-alloy added.
Chemical compositions (mass%) and mechanical
properties of the steels

Yield Tensile Elon-

Type of steel C Si Mn Ti strength strength gation
(Mpa) (Mpa) (%)

A Mild steel 0.05 0.01 0.24 - 241 384 43

B Solid solution 0.08 0.02 1.46 - 370 487 30
hardened steel

C DP steel 0.05 0.89 1.25 - 432 618 27

D Precipitation 0.09 0.01 0.80 0.07 539 636 22

hardened steel

E TRIP steel 0.15 1.48 0.99 - 510 644 37

Overview
Overview
 Strengthening Mechanisms
• Refining the ferrite grain size
(Grain size effect)
• Solid solution strengthening
• Precipitation strengthening
• Dislocation strengthening/Work hardening
• Transformation strengthening
Refining the ferrite grain size
(Grain size effect)
Refining the ferrite grain size
(Grain size effect)
Solid solution strengthening
Precipitation strengthening
Low Carbon Structural Steel
 Overview: Low Carbon Structural Steel
• Predominantly C-Mn steels (Ferrite-Pearlite
microstructures)
• Used in large quantities in civil and chemical engineering
• General Y.S. up to 500 N/mm2 (low alloy grades which
quenched & tempered, Y.S. up to 700 N/mm2)
• Applications: building, bridges, pressure vessels, ships,
offshore oil & gas platforms, pipeline (for weldability and
toughness which required low-carbon)
• Early 1950s, designed of structural steel with concept of
refinement of ferrite grain → increase Y.S. & toughness
of ferrite-pearlite steels (Al-grain refined compositions →
Y.S. up to 300 N/mm2 which have good impact property
and good welding characteristics)
 Overview: Low Carbon Structural Steel
• For higher strength steel, required precipitation
strengthening by small addition of Nb, V, Ti to
structural steel → Y.S. up to 500 N/mm2 (known
as “Micro-alloy steel” or “HSLA steel”)
• After 1950s and 1960s, new technique to
produce structural steel → “Control Rolling”
(fine-grained in as rolled conditions which
eliminating of normalizing heat treatment)
• 1970s and 1980s, Control Rolling + Controlled
Cooling → “TMCP”
• Improving history of structural steel for: Strength,
Toughness, Weldability
 High Strength Low Alloy Steel (HSLA)
And
Thermo-mechanical Processing (TMCP)
 High Strength Low Alloy Steel (HSLA)
(Precipitation strengthened/Grain refined steel)
• Addition of micro-alloy (carbide, nitride or carbo-nitride
forming elements) such as Nb, V, Ti in structural steel
and strip steel grades, the materials are known as
“High Strength Low Alloy (HSLA) steel”
• At slab soaking temperature ~ 1200 ºC
- undissolved particles (such as TiN, NbC and AlN)
restricts the size of austenite grain (affect to inhibit
recrystallization during hot rolling → produces fine
austenite grain size → induces fine ferrite grain size)
- a proportion of micro-alloys are dissolved to solid
solution (affect to precipitate in later process in form of
fine carbide/carbonitride/nitride at austenite-ferrite
interface on cooling to room temperature)
 High Strength Low Alloy Steel (HSLA)
(Precipitation strengthened/Grain refined steel)
• Hot rolled materials can be strengthened by separate
mechanisms of grain refine & precipitation strengthening
• Magnitude of effects depend on:
- type and amount of elements added
- base compositions
- soaking temperatures
- finishing and coiling temperatures
- cooling rate to room temperature
• Strength increment up to 300 N/mm2 and Y.S. ~ 500-600
N/mm2 can be produced in hot rolled state
• Y.S. ~ 350 N/mm2 are produced in cold-rolled strip
containing 0.06-0.10 %Nb
 High Strength Low Alloy Steel (HSLA)
(Precipitation strengthened/Grain refined steel)
• Precipitate ) Ti 
 *กก
growth
)ก
 austenite + ,# > 1250 ºC
• Precipitate ) Nb 
 *กก
growth
)ก
 austenite + ,# 1150 ºC
• Precipitate ) Al 
 *กก
growth
)ก
 austenite + ,# 1100 ºC
• Precipitate ) V 
 *กก
growth
)ก
 austenite + ,# 1000 ºC

ก&กก
-#(
.)/.
&ก0 ก HSLA steel

precipitation strengthening .& ferrite grain refining
 High Strength Low Alloy Steel (HSLA)
(Precipitation strengthened/Grain refined steel)
 High Strength Low Alloy Steel (HSLA)
(Precipitation strengthened/Grain refined steel)
 High Strength Low Alloy Steel (HSLA)
(Precipitation strengthened/Grain refined steel)
Precipitation-Time-Temperature (PTT) Diagram )
Nb(CN)  austenite &ก%ก

&) 50% )


 )1 'ก




• Nb(CN) ก# dynamic

precipitation (+ ,#
~ 900 ºC
• %Mn (-#()1 %& ก
ก#
precipitation !& (shift
PTT curve  ))

• Ps : Precipitation start
• Pf : Precipitation finish
 High Strength Low Alloy Steel (HSLA)
(Precipitation strengthened/Grain refined steel)
Precipitation-Time-Temperature (PTT) Diagram
) Ti(CN)  austenite
• Ti(CN) ก# dynamic
precipitation (+ ,#
~ 1025 ºC (.'%&'
No-recrystallization
temperature (Tnr) 
ก Nb(CN))
• %Mn (-#()1 %& ก
ก#
precipitation !& (shift
PTT curve  )
!กก ก
+) HSLA
steel (ก
'#$'% Nb)
 High Strength Low Alloy Steel (HSLA)
Recystallization-Time-Temperature (RTT) Diagram
) Nb microalloyed steel .& plain carbon steel
a) . recystallization rate 
Nb microalloyed steel .& plain
carbon steel

b) .%&ก
) Nb (, &ก4+( 5
solute atom (solute effect only) ('
recystallization rate (7(%&" ก
ก#
recystallization !&) (
ก ก
+
) plain carbon steel

c) . /ก
ก#ก
precipitation ) Nb(CN) 
%&'ก
/))ก
ก# recystallization !&
Rs: Recystallization start, Rf: Recystallization finish
Ps: Precipitation start, Pf: Precipitation finish
(C): for plain carbon steel
(S): for Nb microalloyed steel (solute effect only)
(Nb): for Nb microalloyed steel (precipitation effect)
 High Strength Low Alloy Steel (HSLA)
(Precipitation strengthened/Grain refined steel)

• Nb #$#-&'+ ,#(ก
'ก
%&ก  (No-recrystallization
temperature; Tnr) ก(
Controlled rolling/Thermo-mechanical processing
(TMCP)
1. Outline process
SRT ~ 1200-1250 ºC

Roughing rolling
FT ~ 1000 ºC

Hold/Delay

No-recystallization temperature (Tnr)

normalizing ~ 920 ºC
Finishing rolling
(Below Tnr) Austenite-elongated grain
(pancake structure)
Controlled rolling/Thermo-mechanical processing
(TMCP)
2. Slab Reheating

• Importance of slab reheating stage

- control amount of micro-alloying element taken into
solution
- starting grain size
• Re-solution temperature of micro-alloy precipitates
- VC: complete solution ~ 920 ºC (normalizing temp.)
- VN: at somewhat higher temperature
- Nb(CN), AlN and TiN: around 1150-1300 ºC
- TiN (most stable compound) little dissolution at normal
slab reheating temperature (SRT)
Controlled rolling/Thermo-mechanical processing
(TMCP)
2. Slab Reheating
• Un-dissolved fine carbo-nitride (CN) particles
- maintain fine austenite grain size at slab reheating
stage
• Micro-alloying elements taken into solution (which can
be influence in later stage in process)
- control of recrystallization
- precipitation strengthening
• Multiple micro-alloy additions for above dual
requirements
Controlled rolling/Thermo-mechanical processing
(TMCP)
3. Rolling
• Three distinct stages during controlled rolling.
- Deformation in the recrystallization (austenite phase)
temperature range just below SRT
- Deformation in temperature range between
recrystallization temperature and Ar3
- Deformation in 2 phase (austenite-ferrite) temperature
range between Ar3 & Ar1
• At temperature just below SRT
- rate of recrystallization is rapid
- provided the strain per pass exceeds a minimum critical
level
- recrystallization is retarded by presence of solute atom Al,
Nb, Ti, V (solute drag) → strain induced precipitation →
form fine carbonitride during rolling process
Controlled rolling/Thermo-mechanical processing
(TMCP)
3. Rolling
- rolling temperature decrease, recrystallization more
difficult and reach a stage “recrystallization stop
temperature (Trs or No-recrystallization temperature; Tnr)”
(the temperature at which recrystallization is complete after
15 s. after particular rolling sequence)
- Nb is powerfull retardation effect which depend on
solubilities in austenite
- Nb lease soluble
- largest driving force for precipitation
- creating greater effect in increasing of recrystallization
temperature than Al and V
• At temperature between recrystallization temperature & Ar3
- temperature below 950 ºC
Controlled rolling/Thermo-mechanical processing
(TMCP)
3. Rolling
- strain induced precipitation of Nb(CN) or TiC is sufficient
rapid to prevent recrystallization before the next pass
(deformed-austenite providing nucleation sites of carbo-
nitride precipitation and pins the substructure which inhibits
recrystallization)
- finishing rolling below recystallizaion stop temperature
- can be obtain elongated-pancake morphology in the
austenite structure
• At temperature between Ar3 & Ar1
- further grain refinement
- mixed structures of polygonal-ferrite (transformed from
deformed-austenite) and deformed-austenite during rolling
process
Controlled rolling/Thermo-mechanical processing
(TMCP)
4. Transformation to ferrite
• Mean ferrite grain size relate to:
- thickness of pancake-austenite grain
- alloying elements depress the austenite to ferrite
transformation which decrease ferrite-grain size
- cooling rate from austenite or austenite-ferrite region
(accelerate cooling)
→ increase strength
→ achieve strength level by lower alloy content
- direct quenching
→ refine ferrite-grain
→ formation of bainite and martensite (required
tempering)
Controlled rolling/Thermo-mechanical processing
(TMCP)
Controlled rolling/Thermo-mechanical processing
(TMCP)
Low Carbon Strip Steel
 Overview: Low Carbon Strip Steel
• The first hot strip mill was commissioned in 1923 in
USA
- revolutionized steel industry and market for
strip products
- made available wide steel strip in lower price &
superior properties than the old process (hand-
operated mills) which resulted in dramatic growth of
automotive industry (major product develop in strip
area)
• Produced both hot rolled and cold rolled conditions
- hot rolled materials can be produced in
thickness ~ 2.0 mm (in present down to 1.0-1.2 mm)
- main demand → cold rolled and softened in BA
and CA furnace
 Overview: Low Carbon Strip Steel
• Main properties:
- high level of cold formability
- strip is produced with C < 0.05%, Mn < 0.20%
• High strength steel for automotive industry
- down-gauging of body panel, reduce vehicle
weigth, improve fuel consumption, corrosion in
vehicle (increase in use of Zn-coated steel ~ 70% of
strip required of most motor car)
• Building industry
- organic-coated
- galvanized sheet for architectural roofing,
cladding
Process route Basic oxygen steelmaking (BOS)

Secondary steelmaking (e.g. vacuum degassing)

Al-killed steel (significant effect for good formability)

Ingot casting
Continuous casting

AlN dissolved into solid solution and remain At 1200-1250 ºC

in this state after completion of hot rolling
Slab soaking
F.T. 870-910 ºC

Hot rolling

C.T. 710 ºC for CA: cool very slowly and have opportunity to precipitated of AlN C.T. 560-710 ºC

C.T. 560 ºC for BA: cool quickly and precipitated of AlN is suppressed and Hot coiling
remain in solid solution on cooling to ambient temperature

Hot rolled strip Pickling

Thickness > 2 mm
Reduction ~ 65%

Cold rolling

C.T. 560 ºC C.T. 710 ºC

Batch annealing Continuous annealing Tin plate production Zinc coating

Temper rolling (Skin-passing)

~ 2% Deformed: For control of shape, surface texture, luder lines
 Sheet Formability
• Draw-ability
→ rm-value or r-bar value or Lankford value
(plastic strain ratio) which represents plastic
anisotropy of the material
• Stretch-ability
→ n-value (strain hardening exponent or work-
hardening coefficient) Specimen: JIS 5L; Thickness: 0.8 mm
Formability of high-strength strip steels
Formability of high-strength strip steels
Specimen: JIS 5L; Thickness: 0.8 mm
 Batch Annealing (BA)
• SRT ,, FT , 
ก
/'&( CT '(" (~560 ºC)
SRT ,, FT , -(  Al, N &&,#('#( .&" /
/, CT '("-(กก  Al, N ,  solid solution
ก precipitate ! 
)1!0 ) batch annealing

~ 700 ºC
 Batch Annealing (BA)
• Deep drawing characteristic of low-carbon strip
are influenced signification by “crystallographic
texture”
- good drawability → strong {111} cube and
reduction of {100} cube
- rimming steel: rm-value ~ 1.0-1.2
- Al-killed steel: rm-value ~ 1.8
• Addition of Al is beneficial to
- formability → due to generate of a favorable
texture
- large ferrite-grain size
 Batch Annealing (BA)
• Al must be present in steel in solid solution prior to
annealing (BA) which will be coiled at low temperature
(560 ºC) in order to avoid the precipitation of AlN
• Heat treatment cycle in batch annealing
- very slow heating and cooling rate
- heated slowly to about 700 ºC (close to Ac1) which
recrystallization of cold worked structure will take
place in temperature range 500-550 ºC
- during initial heating process, AlN precipitate on the
deformation sub-grain boundary which retard the
recrystallization process, inhibiting the nucleation of
new grains an thereby producing a large grain size
(ASTM ~ 5-6, grain size ~ 40-60 micron)
 Batch Annealing (BA)
- AlN also induces the formation of a strong {111}
texture which depend on heating rate and
proportions of Al and N (highest rm-value are
produced in steels containing 0.025-0.04 %Al and
0.005-0.01 %N
• Cooling rate:
- slow → Carbon in solid solution is precipitated,
therefore BA of Al-killed steel is characterized by:
- strong {111} texture
- large ferrite grain size
- low solute Carbon and Nitrogen content
- can adjusted to retain some Carbon in solid
solution which offer to bake hardening process
 Continuous Annealing (CA)
• SRT '(" -(  AlN && .&, CT , (~710 ºC) -(  AlN 9'.&ก
9')1 (&
#+ nitrogen free)
ก1" continuous annealing .&' over-aging -(& carbon #
  solid solution

700-850 ºC (Holding for 40 sec.)

400-450 ºC (Holding ~ 3 min)

Heating up time < 1 min

 Continuous Annealing (CA)
• First application of CA by Armco Steel
Corporation in USA for hot dip galvanized steel
in 1936 (later apply for aluminized steel, tinplate,
stainless steel and non-oriented Si steel)
• CA advantages:
- more uniform properties
- cleaner surface
- shorter production times
but still lack of cold forming properties and
resistance to aging when compare to BA
• Early 1970s, Japanese steel-maker incorporated
and over aging treatment in the CA process and
then improved the properties
 Continuous Annealing (CA)
• Heat treatment cycle of CA
- rapid heating (less than 1 min), short soaking
time (at 700-850 ºC for 40 sec) rapid cooling and
then overaging (by holding at 400-450 ºC up to 3
min)
- process completed in 4-8 min
• Due to fast heating rate in CA, N would be
remained in solid solution and lead to increase
strength, reduced formability an susceptibility to
strain aging
• In order to reduce level of N in solid solution, HB
materials for CA will coiled at high temperatures
(up to 710 ºC) to cool slowly in coil form and
precipitate AlN and remove N from solid solution
 Continuous Annealing (CA)
• Due to rapid cooling rate that has little time for
carbide precipitation and growth, therefore, over-
aging stage (holding at 400-450 ºC up to 3 min)
will combine into the cycle in order to reduce C
content to low level
• Carbon content proper for BA and CA:
- BA about 0.04-0.05%
- CA about 0.02-0.03%
Ultra Low Carbon Steel
• Interstitial Free (IF) Steel
• Bake Hardening (BH) Steel
 Ultra Low Carbon Steel
(Solid solution strengthened steel)
• Re-phosphorized steel
- addition P up to 0.10 max. (normally 0.005-0.01%)
- strengthening effect ~ 10 N/mm2 per 0.01%P
- Y.S. in range 220-260 N/mm2
- rm-value ~ 1.6
• IF steel (Interstitial-Free Steel)
- good cold formability
- low level of C & N content (add Ti and Nb)
• IF-HSS steel
- strengthen IF steel with small additions of P, Mn, Si
- maintained rm-value ~ 2.0
- T.S. similar to Al-killed and Re-phosphorized grade
 Interstitial Free (IF) steel
• Free of interstitial Carbon and Nitrogen atoms
• IF steel used for producing of auto-body
• The presence of interstitial atoms (C and N), lead to the
discontinuous yield behavior of steel by appearance of
“Luder bands”
• Luder bands are usually not hidden by coating and
painting
• Conventional method of avoiding luder bands is by skin-
pass or temper rolling with ~2% strain (by creating new
unlocked dislocations in each of grain in steel structure)
• Skin-pass process does not preclude the return of
discontinuous yield phenomenon if steel contains an
excessive amonut of interstitial elements
 Interstitial Free (IF) steel
• Interstitial atoms are attracted by elastic strains
surrounding the dislocations, and subsequently arrive at
the dislocation core
• The return of the yield point caused by the segregation of
carbon and nitrogen atoms to the dislocation core is know
as “strain aging”
• Strain aging produces 2 kinds of changes in mechanical
properties of steel:
- Strain age-hardening: increasing of Y.S. and T.S.
- Strain age-embrittlement: increasing of impact transition
temperature
Stretcher strain/Luder band/Yield point elongation
Strain aging
Interstitial Free (IF) steel
Interstitial Free (IF) steel
Interstitial Free (IF) steel
Interstitial Free (IF) steel
 Bake-hardened (BH) steel
• Bake-hardening process
Cold forming (auto-body) → Painting → Heat-treating (at 170 ºC
for 20 min) → Increasing of Y.S. due to aging effect (~ 40-50
N/mm2)
• Supply to cold-reduced conditions with Y.S. 250 N/mm2 max.
• BH strengthening increase with increasing solute carbon (C
content of base steel is reduced to below 0.02%)

• &กก
)1
, .&" -.&"
ก
(+ ,# 170 ºC  5& 20 
-(  C diffuse ) ))ก


&(() dislocation (
ก N 7(

 diffuse (+ ,#) " 
(" )1
, 
 !' " 

.)/.
,)1
Advance High Strength steel or Multi-phases steel
• Dual Phases (DP) Steel
• Transformation Induced Plasticity (TRIP) Steel
Advance High Strength steel or Multi-phases steel
Advance High Strength steel or Multi-phases steel
Advance High Strength steel or Multi-phases steel
 Dual Phases (DP) Steel
• After 1970s, major interest was generated in USA in low
alloy steel that were heat treated to form a mixed
microstructures of ferrite and martensite → “Dual Phase
Steel”
• Low Y.S., high work-hardening rate and high n-value
(strain hardening exponent) and elongation
• Discovered of DP steel; “Rashid”, found mixtures of ferrite
& martensite could be produced in 0.15% CNbV by
annealing in the intercritical (two phase ferrite+austenite
region, between Ac1 and Ac3), carbon can diffuse from
ferrite to austenite that level higher than nominal base
composition which increase hardenability of austenite
(martensite can form on cooling to ambient temperature)
→ mixtures of soft ferrite & hard martensite
 Dual Phases (DP) Steel
• T.S. of DP steel depend on martensite content (typically
~ 15%) which can develop T.S. in excess of 800 N/mm2
• High n-value, low rm-value (~1.0)
• DP steel can be produced in hot-rolled and cold-rolled
(by continuous annealing furnace) product by apply rapid
cooling rate from intercritical annealing temperature to
form martensite structure
• Addition of Si, Mn and Cr sometime incorporated in DP
in order to provide sufficient hardenability to ensure the
formation of matensite
• Trend of DP steel → expensive and large-scale usage
Dual Phases (DP) Steel
Dual Phases (DP) Steel
Transformation Induced Plasticity (TRIP) Steel
Transformation Induced Plasticity (TRIP) Steel

Si (ferrite stabilizer): retard the precipitation of Fe3C

(Carbon more dissolved in austenite)

Mn: austenite stabilizer and reduce transformation

temperature
Transformation Induced Plasticity (TRIP) Steel
Transformation Induced Plasticity (TRIP) Steel
Others High Strength Strip Steel
 Work-hardened Steel

• Limited potential in area of high strength strip steel

• Due to cold work increasing strength but major
loss in ductility
• Use in moderate forming requirement
• Ductility of work-hardened steel can be improved
by heat treatment that produce recovery (recovery
annealed) or partial recrystallization
 Transformation-strengthened Steel

• Can be produced structures as acicular ferrite,

bainite or martensite which depending upon
composition of the strip and cooling rate from
austenitic region
• Y.S. up to 1400 N/mm2
• Limited in cold formability and softening can
occur in heat affected zone (HAZ) after welding
• Currently produced in very limited amounts