Quenching and Partitioning:

Science and Technology

by

John Speer,1 David Matlock,1 Emmanuel De Moor1

and David Edmonds2

1Colorado School of Mines and 2University of Leeds

July 23, 2013

 Acknowlegements
INSPIRATION FROM GIANTS OF THE LITERATURE:

-  TRIP (Olson, Cohen et al.)

-  Bainite (Bhadeshia, Edmonds, Christian et al.)
-  Martensite and Tempering (Krauss, Cohen et al.)
-  Thermodynamics and Diffusion (Hillert, Aaronson,
Ågren et al.)

COLLABOATORS AND STUDENTS:

-  too numerous to mention !
A Little Background…
 Q&P - A New Concept for
Control of Retained Austenite

Quenched Hot-Rolling
and Partitioned
AT

TEMPERATURE
R.O.T.
TEMPERATURE

Cooling

PT,t
2-step Ms
Ms CT=QT=PTi
1-step Mf Coil
QT Cooling
Mf

TIME TIME

Speer et al., 2003 Thomas et al., 2008, 2011

 Interesting Levels of Austenite
Carbon Enrichment May be
Possible

a b
γ γ α−II γ −II
µC = µC
G α α γ
µC = µC G α
α γ
µ Fe = µ Fe
α−I γ −I
µC = µC
γ α −I α− II γ −I γ −II
xEQ Fe xCCE xCCE xCCE xCCE
α
Fe xEQ C C

Speer et al., 2003

 Process Design Methodology and
Ideal Quench Temperature

1 16
MQT

Carbon Content, wt. %

0.8
Austenite Fraction

12
γQT
0.6
Cγ
8
0.4

MFRESH 4
0.2 γFINAL

0 0
0 100 200 300 400
Quench Temperature (QT), 0C Clarke, 2006. (0.19C-1.59Mn-1.63Si)
 Key Assumptions for Simple Model

1 16
MQT

Carbon Content, wt. %

0.8 -  Ideal partitioning
Austenite Fraction

12
γQT
0.6 -  Suppression of carbides
Cγ
8 -  Immobile α/γ interfaces
0.4
-  No bainite formation
MFRESH 4
0.2 γFINAL

0 0
0 100 200 300 400
Quench Temperature (QT), 0C Clarke, 2006. (0.19C-1.59Mn-1.63Si)
Parallel Concepts Applied
to Medium-Mn Steels
 Predicted Partitioning Behavior (Medium-Mn Steel)
1.0

A3
0.8
Phase Fraction

Step 2
0.6 maximum predicted γret fresh martensite due to
insufficient manganese
Step 1
enrichment
austenite formed
0.4 from intercritical annealing Step 3
austenite stabilized
by manganese enrichment
0.2
A1

0.0
Annealing Temperature

E. De Moor, et al., 2011.

Retained Austenite vs. Annealing Temp.

50
Intercritical  = Dashed
Retained  = Solid
Austenite Amount (Vol pct.)
40 7.1-Mn XRD
7.1-Mn Neutron

30
Prediction

20

10

7.1-Mn
0
400 450 500 550 600 650 700 750
Annealing Temperature (ºC)

P. J. Gibbs, et al., 2011.

 Relevance to AHSS Needs and
Development Philosophy

Vehicle performance and

weight reduction are
driving steel research !
 3rd Generation AHSS

The Miracle of Steel

- Anil K. Sachdev, General Motors, 2013
How do we get there ?

Matlock & Speer, 2006.

 A  Moving  Target  
50
Jun-Fonstein
45 2011 De Moor et al.
40 1000MPa, Clarke
30%CMnSi De Moor, Kwak, Lee et al.
Li et al.
35 Rizzo2010
et al. General Motors
Elongation, %

30 x Santofimia et al.
Wang et 1500MPa,
al.-ind. trial 20%
25

20 x
15

10

0
800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000 2400

Tensile Strength, MPa

US – DOE Targets (2012) are
even greater (30%/1200MPa
and 25%/1500MPa)
x  
 Specimen Geometry Effects
800

Subsized Samples
~12 mm gage length
600
Stress (MPa)

E8 Samples

400 ~50 mm gage length

200

0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4
Strain

G.A. Thomas, M.S. Thesis, 2009.

 0.3 3

Austenite Carbon Content, wt.%

Ferrite Carbon Content, wt.%
QT=320 C, PT=350 C
0 0
0.0001 s QT=320 0C, PT=3500C
0.0001 s
0.1 s
0.1 s
1s
0.2 2 1s

5s

5s 1000 s
5000 s
0.1 1
10 s
500 s 10 s
100 s
100, 500, 1000, 5000 s

0 0
0 0.4 0.8 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4
Distance, µm Distance, µm

Local Fraction of Stable Austenite

1.0
QT=3200C, PT=3500C
0.0001 s
0.1 s
0.8
Partitioning Kinetics
1s
5s

DICTRA® 0.6 10 s

(Fe-.25C, 350ºC) 0.4 500 s

100 s

5000 s 1000 s
0.2

Clarke, 2006. 0.0

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4
Distance, µm
Partitioning Kinetics and Quench
Temperature ?
0.24
Partitioning Time, s Fe - 0.25%C
(2003) PT=3500C
0.20
Final Austenite Fraction
0.0001 Wα=2µm
0.1
1
0.16 5
10
100
0.12 500
1000
5000
0.08

0.04

0.00
0 100 200 300 400 500
Quench Temperature, 0 C Clarke, 2006.
 Application of Q&P…

B-pillar Reinforcement L/R

Gauge: 2.0 mm B-Pillar Inner
Gauge: 1.2 mm

Side Member Front Floor LH Door Panel Inner L/R

Gauge: 1.8 mm Gauge: 1.0 mm

Photographs courtesy of L. Wang, Baosteel

Some Curiosities, Challenges
and Opportunities
Structure/Property Relationships Not Fully Understood…

35000

30000

25000
TS * TE, MPa%

20000

0.2C-1.7Mn-1.5Si-0.02Nb Jun
15000
0.2C-1.6Mn-1.6Si Clarke
0.2C-3Mn-1.6Si De Moor
10000 0.3C-3Mn-1.6Si De Moor
0.3C-5Mn-1.6Si De Moor
5000 0.4C-1.3Mn-1.3Si-1Ni-0.6Cr Li
0.2C-1.8Mn-1.5Si Wang - Baosteel
0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

fγret, %
Partitioning Temperature Effects in AISI 9260
QT 150ºC, PT 250ºC QT 190ºC, PT 400ºC

Transition Carbides Retained Austenite

Temperature

Si Cementite

Si

Transition
Carbide

Time He, et al. 2006

Partitioning Temperature Effects in AISI 9260
QT 150ºC, PT 250ºC QT 190ºC, PT 400ºC

Transition Carbides Retained Austenite

Temperature

Si Cementite

Si

Transition
Carbide

Time He, et al. 2006

γ/α Interface: Stationary or Mobile ?

~ 0.3C, 14Ni ~ 0.3C, 8Mn

(a) (a) (b)

Figure
Figure 1. XRD results for Steel N. (a) Austenite 1. XRD
fractions vs.results
Pt (b) for
Estimated Thomas,
Steel M.austenite
(a) Austenite et al.vs.
carbonfractions
content 2013.
vs. Pt
Pt.(b)
 Confirmation via EBSD Phase Maps
10 µm

Austenite
Ferrite

~ 0.3C, 14Ni
(a) Steel N 875 °C+WQ (b) Steel N 875 °C+WQ+400 °C 60s (c) Legend
e 1. EBSD image quality + phase maps of steel N. (a) as quenched, partitioned at 400 °C for (b) 60 s (c) legend.
10 µm

~ 0.3C, 8Ni
(a) Steel M 875 °C+WQ (b) Steel M 875 °C+WQ+400 °C 60s (c) Legend G.A.  Thomas,  2012.  
 Austenite Growth…

As-Quenched Partitioned (400 °C, 60 s)

Thomas,  et  al.,  2013.  

 Time/Temperature Equivalence …
500
45
Annealed
0o
C (conventional) Q&P
40 40
450 0o 0o
C
C
35
0o 350
C oC
400
30
IP Temperature (Celsius)

0o 300
C oC
350 25
0o 250
isothermal
C oC

300 20 200
0o oC
C

250 150 o
Hot-rolled Q&P
150
oC C

100 o Characteristic Diffusion Distance

200 C (Carbon in Austenite)
1 00 o
C Hollomon-Jaffe

150
0 1 2 3 4
10 10 10 10 10
IP Time (seconds)
non-isothermal
 Summary
Q&P science and technology continue
to advance.

Challenges & opportunities remain in

both domains !

Feng, 2010

820oC-180s IAT, QT=200oC, PT/t=400oC-10s