ISSN 00360295, Russian Metallurgy (Metally), Vol. 2014, No. 4, pp. 314–319. © Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2014.

Original Russian Text © V.F. Terent’ev, S.V. Yashchuk, S.A. Korableva, D.V. Prosvirnin, A.B. Nedbailo, O.N. Baklanova, I.G. Rodionova, 2013, published in Deformatsiya i
Razrushenie Materialov, 2013, No. 2, pp. 42–47.

APPLIED PROBLEMS
OF STRENGTH AND PLASTICITY

Fatigue Characteristics of Auto Body Sheet Steels

V. F. Terent’eva, *, S. V. Yashchukb, S. A. Korablevaa, D. V. Prosvirnina, A. B. Nedbailoa,
O. N. Baklanovab, and I. G. Rodionovab
a
Baikov Institute of Metallurgy and Materials Science, Russian Academy of Sciences,
Leninskii pr. 49, Moscow, 119991 Russia
*email: fatig@mail.ru
b
Bardin Central Research Institute for the Iron and Steel Industry,
ul. Vtoraya Baumanskaya 9/23, Moscow, 105005 Russia
Received November 9, 2012

Abstract—The static and cyclic mechanical properties of a dualphase steel and a TRIP steel having a com
parable yield strength are studied. The effect of deformation and subsequent aging on the fatigue strength of
the dualphase steel is investigated, and the fractographic features of the fatigue fracture are analyzed.

DOI: 10.1134/S0036029514040168

INTRODUCTION (see, e.g., [8–11]). For example, the authors of [8]

Owing to high strength properties and specific plas
ticity, socalled dualphase (ferritic–martensitic–bai
nitic) steels and multiphase transformationinduced
plasticity TRIP steels (with retained austenite) are
successfully used in the production of deepdrawing
parts [1–7]. The hardening with the absorption of a
high fraction of energy that occurs in these steels dur
ing deformation makes them optimal for the use in an
auto body, since it favors a decrease in the impact
energy during an accident (Fig. 1).
Since steels undergo cyclic loading during opera
tion, it is important to know the cyclic strength char
acteristics of the steels along with the mechanical
properties that are measured during static deforma
tion. Such characteristics were studied in many works
showed that the lowcycle fatigue life of TRIP steel
TRIP590 is higher than that dualphase steel DP590
despite the fact that they have comparable strength
characteristics (Table 1). In the case of testing steels
with different mechanical properties (dualphase
DP590 and TRIP780) in the lowcycle fatigue range,
it was found that the difference in their fatigue lives is
insignificant at high loading amplitudes [9]. However,
as the strain amplitude decreases, the fatigue life of the
TRIP steel, which had higher strength and ductile
properties in those tests (Table 2), is longer.
The purpose of this work is to compare the static
mechanical properties and the highcycle fatigue
resistances of a dual phase and TRIP steel having
comparable yield strengths.

Bumper bar Alike reinforcement

DP 780–1000 DP 450–500
Body roof arc
DP 450/500
Reinforcement
of the central
pillar
DP 500/600
Front TRIP 600–800
spar
DP 600–780
TRIP 800–1000
Sill
DP 600 Front
DP–TRIP lower Back spar
crossmember DP 450/500
DP 500/600

Fig. 1. Examples of using a dualphase steel and a multiphase TRIP steel in the body of a modern car.

314
 FATIGUE CHARACTERISTICS OF AUTO BODY SHEET STEELS 315

Table 1. Chemical composition and mechanical properties of TRIP590 and DP590 steels [8]
Content, wt % σu, σ0.2,
Steel
C Mn Si Cr Mo V Ni Cu Ti Al MPa MPa

TRIP590 0.11 1.55 1.05 0.1 0.03 0.008 0.08 0.1 – – 635.6 421
DP590 0.11 1.43 0.4 0.21 – 0.01 0.03 0.01 0.02 0.02 601 400

EXPERIMENTAL Table 2. Mechanical properties of TRIP780 and DP590

steels [9]
Specimens in the form of 1.2mmthick cold
rolled sheets made of DP600 steel and TRIP700 TRIP Steel σu, MPa σ0.2, MPa δ, %
steel were subjected to static and cyclic deformation by TRIP780 1045 590 28.5
tension (Table 3).
DP590 770 500 19.4
The structure of the specimens was studied with an
Axiovert 40MAT (Carl Zeiss) optical microscope and
a JSM 6610LV (JEOL) scanning electron microscope. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Phases were identified by electronmicroscopic dif
fraction analysis of thin foils in transmission geometry The structure of the DP600 steel consists of ferrite
on a JEM200CX (JEOL) transmission electron and martensite, which is mainly located along the
microscope. The content of retained austenite was boundaries of ferrite grains (Fig. 3a), and the structure
determined using a Geigerflex (Rigaku) Xray diffrac of the TRIP700 steel consists of ferrite, bainite, and
tometer and CoKα radiation. retained austenite (Fig. 3b). Bainite has a characteris
tic lath structure, and the thickness of cementite
The mechanical properties were determined on the lamellae is ~30–100 nm (Fig. 4a). Austenite is repre
same planar specimens during static tension and cyclic sented by individual, rather large regions (Fig. 4b),
deformation (Fig. 2). Static tensile tests were carried and its content is 13–15%.
out on Instron 3380 tensiletesting machine, and
fatigue tests were performed on an Instron 8801 servo
hydraulic machine at a frequency of 40 Hz during
repeated tension at a cycle asymmetry R = 0.1 and (a)
107 loading cycles.
It is known that the body parts made of DP steels
undergo thermal hardening during the application of a
lacquer coating [10]. According to standards DIN
EN10325 and SAE J2340, this hardening is estimated
from the results of testing a coldrolled sheet during
static tension by 2% followed by aging at a temperature
of 170–175°C for 20–30 min. Therefore, some speci
mens made of DP600 steel were subjected to prelimi 20 µm
nary 2% strain followed by aging at 170°C for 20 min.
Apart from preliminary 2% strain required by the stan (b)
dards, some samples of DP600 steel were preliminarily
deformed by 10%, since this plastic deformation is
possible during the production of real parts.

20 R5 20 1
7
20

20
30 20 µm
70

Fig. 2. Geometry of the specimen for static tensile and Fig. 3. Structures of (a) DP600 and (b) TRIP700 steels in
cyclic strength tests. the rolling plane.

RUSSIAN METALLURGY (METALLY) Vol. 2014 No. 4

316 TERENT’EV et al.

Table 3. Chemical compositions of the DP600 and TRIP700 steels studied in this work (wt %)

Steel C Mn Si Cr Mo Ni Cu Al N P S

DP600 0.078 1.64 0.26 0.44 0.127 0.029 0.053 0.047 0.007 0.010 0.006
TRIP700 0.177 1.54 0.32 0.02 – 0.03 0.02 1.35 N.d. 0.075 0.007

Table 4. Mechanical properties of the DP600 and TRIP700 steels studied in this work

Steel Sheet thickness, mm σ0.2, MPa σu, MPa σ0.2/σu δ4, % σR, MPa σR/σu

TRIP700 1.2 465 789 0.59 36.2 530 0.67

DP600 1.0 450 640 0.7 31.0 480 0.75

Both steels have a comparable yield strength, and
the ultimate tensile strength and the relative elonga
tion of the TRIP700 steel is higher (Table 4). This dif
ference in the mechanical properties during static tests
causes different cyclic strengths of the steels. For
example, the fatigue limit of the TRIP700 steel is σR =
530 MPa and that of the DP600 steel is 480 MPa,
which are higher than the yield strengths of these steels
(Fig. 5). The ratio σR/σu, which characterizes the
fatigue fracture resistance, is higher in the DP600
steel; nevertheless, it is also rather high in the
TRIP700 steel (Table 4). The finite life of the
TRIP700 steel is higher at a comparable level of
stresses (see Fig. 5). Deformation by 10% and subse
quent aging increase the fatigue life and the fatigue
700
Stress, MPa

(a) 600
1
2

500

450
103 104 105 106 107
Number of loading cycles

Fig. 5. Fatigue curves of (1) DP600 and (2) TRIP700

1 μm steels.

(b)
650
Stress, MPa

600
2
550 1

500

450
103 104 105 106 107
Number of loading cycles
1 µm

Fig. 6. Fatigue curves of the DP600 steel (1) in the as

received state and (2) after deformation and aging: (䊉) as
Fig. 4. Fine structure of the TRIP700 steel: (a) bainite and received state, (䊊) preliminary 10% deformation and
(b) retained austenite (A). aging, and (䉭) preliminary 2% deformation and aging.

RUSSIAN METALLURGY (METALLY) Vol. 2014 No. 4

 FATIGUE CHARACTERISTICS OF AUTO BODY SHEET STEELS
Crack nucleation Zone of accelerated crack
zone growth and static fracture
500 µm (a)
Zone of stable crack
growth
(d)
50 µm
Fig. 7. Fracture surfaces of the TRIP700 steel at σ = 540 MPa. The arrows indicate the direction of fatigue crack propagation.
limit of the DP600 steel as compared to the as
received state (Fig. 6). A lower effect is detected in the
case of deformation by 2%. These results agree with
the data from [11, 12].
Figure 7a shows the general appearance of the frac
ture surface of the TRIP700 steel in the asreceived
state with the main zones of fatigue crack propagation.
At the stage of crack nucleation and stable growth, we
detected a ductile fibrous fracture surface with crack
growth directed along small ridges (Figs. 7b, 7c). At
the stage of accelerated crack growth, small secondary
cracks appear across the direction of main crack prop
agation against the background of ductile fracture
(Figs. 7d, 7e). The static final fracture is ductile dim
ple fracture (Fig. 7f).
Figure 8 shows the fatigue fracture surface of the
DP600 steel in the asreceived state. Figure 8a pre
sents the main fatigue fracture zones. The zones of sta
ble growth and accelerated fatigue crack growth are
clearly visible in Fig. 8b. In the zone of stable crack
growth, we observed a rather ductile fracture surface
with a complex relief, which reflects the dualphase
structural state of the material. Secondary microc
racks nucleate at this stage (Figs. 8c, 8d). Intense sec
ondary cracking takes place at the stage of accelerated
propagation of a fatigue crack (Fig. 8e). As in the
RUSSIAN METALLURGY (METALLY) Vol. 2014
317
(b) (c)
50 µm 10 µm
(e) (f)
20 µm 50 µm
TRIP700 steel, the static final fracture is ductile dim
ple fracture (Fig. 8f).
Figure 9a shows the general appearance of the
fatigue fracture surface of the sample of the dualphase
steel that was preliminarily deformed by tension by
10% and then aged at 170°C. Figure 9b depicts the
zone of initial crack growth. At the early stage of crack
growth, we detected a complex ductile fracture surface
relief with secondary microcracking regions (Fig. 9c).
Accelerated crack growth is related to the formation of
fishscale relief, and cracking occurs along fishscale
boundaries (Fig. 9d). The fishscale surfaces have
fatigue grooves and the intergroove distance is ~0.2–
0.4 μm (Fig. 9e). The final fracture is also ductile dim
ple fracture (Fig. 9f). These specific features of the
fatigue fracture of the preliminarily deformed DP600
steel are associated with its embrittlement as a result of
deformation aging.
CONCLUSIONS
(1) The cyclic strength characteristics of the
TRIP700 steel are higher than those of the dualphase
DP600 steel due to a higher ultimate tensile strength
and a higher relative elongation at approximately the
same yield strength.
No. 4
318 TERENT’EV et al.

(a) (b) (c)

Zone of accelerated crack
growth and static fracture

500 µm Zone of stable fatigue

crack growth
100 µm 10 µm
(d) (e) (f)

Secondary
cracking

20 µm 50 µm 20 µm
Fig. 8. Fracture surfaces of the DP600 steel in the initial state at σ = 500 MPa. The arrows indicate the direction of fatigue crack
propagation.

Zone of accelerated crack growth

and static fracture (a) (b) (c)

Zone of stable
crack growth

500 µm
Crack nucleation
zone

100 µm 20 µm
(d) (e) (f)

10 µm 2 µm 50 µm

Fig. 9. Fatigue fracture surfaces of the DP600 steel at σ = 523 MPa after 10% deformation followed by aging. The arrows indicate
the direction of fatigue crack propagation.

RUSSIAN METALLURGY (METALLY) Vol. 2014 No. 4

 FATIGUE CHARACTERISTICS OF AUTO BODY SHEET STEELS
(2) Preliminary deformation and subsequent aging
lead to an increase in the fatigue life and the fatigue
limit of the dualphase DP600 steel at 107 loading
cycles.
(3) In the asreceived state under cyclic deforma
tion conditions, the steels under study exhibit similar
mechanisms of ductile propagation of a fatigue crack.
The crack propagation mechanism in the DP600 steel
after preliminary deformation and subsequent aging is
related to quasibrittle fracture.
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Translated by K. Shakhlevich
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