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The increasing demand for the improved quality metallic materials to meet the modern technological
requirements has led researchers to investigate their
processing methods in order to modify the microstructure responsible for the properties of the material. A
recently developed class of steels known as dual phase
steels are characterized by a microstructure consisting
basically of a ductile ferrite phase and high strength
reinforcing martensite phase, low yield stress, superior
strain hardening rate, high tensile strength, good ductility, and good formability. ~ 4 In spite of these characteristics of combining antagonistic properties like
strength and ductility, the development of dual phase
steels has been received attention only in the two last
decades which explain the lack of information about
their mechanical behavior, especially concerning
fatigue behavior: s Therefore, the aim of the present
work is to sludy the fatigue behavior of dual phase
low carbon steels with a special emphasis on the
fatigue mechanisms stages, plastic strain, crack
nucleation, and propagation.
MATERIALS AND EXPERIMENTAL
PROCEDU RES
The material used in this investigation was received as
3 mm thick plain carbon sheet steel with the following
chemical composition in weight: 0.11% C; 0.39% Mn;
0.14% Si; 0.01% P: 0.01% S, 0.02% A1; 0.02% Cu.
All specimens were normalized at 950C for 60 rain
and separated in lots. A group of these specimens was
retained and designated as steel N. One class of dual
phase microstructure was obtained by the reheating of
the specimens at intercritical temperatures of 720C,
Figure I
529
dllllCllSJons
ill n111~
530
(a)
(b)
(c)
Figure 2 Optical micrographs: (a) TS-760 200 x: (b) TD-760--200 x: (c) ferrite-pcarlitc 200
In order to check the cyclic hardening phases occurrence, particularly of one ferrite phase, and slip bands
development were realized fatigue tests in specimens
with a surface polished and slightly etched by nital
2~, for each kind of dual-phase microstructure. Tile
same fatigue tests equipment was used with a low
loading level of 392 MPa, that corresponds closely to
0.9 of yield point, and with high loading level of 490
MPa, that corresponds closely to 1.1 of yield point.
The tests were stopped periodically to permit the phase
microhardness measurements and also examination of
the polished surface.
To observe the microstructure features related to the
fatigue microcracks, a nucleation scanning electronic
microscope was used.
531
Microstructural parameters and tensile properties of dual-phase steels and ferrite-pearlite steel
N
TS-720
TS-760
TS-800
TD-720
TI)-760
TD-80(/
133
23
734
173
53
0.49
37
592
171
58
0.30
47
483
171
63
0.24
22
729
189
44
(t.54
36
594
It~.!
50
IL33
47
478
1~)6
52
0.20
340
390
44
37
46
408
568
17
14
33
410
603
17
15
35
416
632
19
16
35
430
641
19
16
35
443
667
20
17
37
453
7~1
23
20
38
Microstructurul parameters
Martensite volumetric fraction (%)
Martensite microhardness (HV)
Ferrite microhardness (HV)
Martensite connectivity
Carbon content martensite (%)
Tensile properlie~
Yield stress IMPa)
Tensile strength fMPa)
Total elongation (9/)
Uniform elongation t~7~)
Area reduction ('4)
Figure 3
Load
levels
(MPa)
490
441
392
1.00
1.00
1.00
] S 720 TS-760
TS-800 TD-720
TD-760 TD-800
1.64
1.72
1.80
2,97
3,17
3.38
4.04
4.46
6.18
2.18
2.03
2.36
3.34
3.64
4.65
5.04
5.36
8.29
Figure 4
532
(a)
(b)
Figure5 Fatigue microcracks nucleation: (a) in the grain boundaries by coalescence of voids; (b) arised in slip bands
ent microstructural conditions of steel and strength
levels, corresponding at 104-10 ~ cycles.
Fatigue life is higher in dual phase steels than in
the ferrite-pearlite steel. This can be attributed to a
strengthening due to the martensite. Both TS and TD
dual phase conditions presented an increasing fatigue
life with an increasing intercritical temperature in conformity with monotonic properties. The grain size of
the TD condition is larger than that of TS condition
in function of applied heat treatment type. Despite this,
the yield strength, tensile strength and fatigue life of
TD are better, showing the ferrite-martensite interaction effects on grain size effects.
Percentage increase of fatigue life in dual phase
condition compared with the ferrite-pearlite steel is
summarized in Table 2 for the two load levels. This
increase varied from 64% to 404% at high load level
fatigue tests and from 80% to 729% at low load level
fatigue tests.
Experiments involving microhardness and superficial
analysis showed that, at selected stress amplitude, strain
hardening develops at the ferrite in the fatigue specimens. The results showed that while the martensite
microhardness was unchangeable in all conditions, the
ferrite microhardness changed notably with the cyclic
deformation. This variation consisted in a last growth
of ferrite microhardness during the first cycles of loading, reaching a maximum, followed by a softening,
returning to initial levels. Figure 4 shows a typical
curve, ferrite microhardness vs cycles numbers for
loading levels of 392 MPa. The curves were similar
for all microstructure conditions.
Slip bands then appear to be located in the ferrite,
next to the ferrite-martensite interlace in which the
hardness is greater and also the dislocations density.
Slip bands and cracks developed earlier in the fatigue
specimen TS than in the specimen TD, but the propagation stage is later in TD than in TS, resulting in a
higher fatigue life. The crack propagation stage represents about 50% of fatigue life in the TD specimen
and about 40% in the TS specimen.
The microcracks nucleation stage was analyzed in a
533
for
t No.
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