Inside an annealing furnace. (Image courtesy of ThyssenKrupp Electrical Steel.)

Alireza Rahnama, WMG research fellow, has developed a new processing route which allows low density steel-based alloys to be produced with maximum strength, whilst remaining durable and flexible something which has been largely impossible until now.

Two lightweight steels were tested -Fe-15Mn-10Al-0.8C-5NiandFe-15Mn-10Al-0.8C for their potential strength and ductility.

During production, two brittle phases can occur in these steels:kappa-carbide (k-carbide)andB2 intermetallic which make the steels hard but limits their ductility, making them difficult to roll.

Through simulation and experimentation, the WMG researchers found that at certain high annealing temperatures, these brittle phases can become much more controllable, allowing the steels to retain their ductility.

Between 900C to 1200C, thek-carbidephase can be removed from production, and theB2 intermetallicbrittle phase can become manageableforming in a disk-like, nano-sized morphology, as opposed to a coarser product which forms at lower temperatures.

Current processes for strengthening lightweight steels make them less flexibleand therefore less marketablebut thanks to Rahnamas research, this could become a problem of the past.

The breakthrough could also lead to a revolution in safer, greener, more fuel-efficient cars. Vehicles made of stronger and lighter materials are safer for drivers, emit less CO2 and consume less fuel - and more malleable steels will allow manufacturers to form car parts into desirable, streamlined shapes.

Alloys with higher strength and ductility could alleviate some of these concerns by reducing weight and improving energy efficiency. Lightweight steels are one of the candidates to address these concerns, said Rahnama.

Most metallurgical mechanisms for increasing strength lead to ductility loss, an effect referred to as the strength-ductility trade-off, he continued. This paper studies the kinetics and thermodynamics of microstructural evolution of lightweight steels through simulations and experiments and proposes a mechanism to achieve higher strength and larger ductility; a method that can be readily adopted by industry.

The research,Effect of Ni alloying on the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of two duplex light-weight steels during different annealing temperatures: experiment and phase-field simulation is published inthe journal Acta Materialia.

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Breakthrough in Lightweight Steel Production Enables Control of Brittle Phases - ENGINEERING.com