Industrialisation 3G AHSS (Advanced High Strength Steels)

• Develop new steel grades combining high strength and ductility

• Car weight reduction  consumption reduction

Aim of this project (collaboration AM Mazière, AM Gent&Liège, CRM)

• Up to 20% car weight reduction with cold stamped structural AHSS parts

50 % of the steel grades used in your car did not exist 10 years ago!
Quench and Partitioning: a very complex
thermal cycle
Dilatometry: determination of the industrial
process windows (AM Kessales)
1.5 Mn – Bainitic formation
Dilatometry: determination of the industrial
process windows (AM Kessales)
3.5 Mn – Pure Q&P
 EBSD: a powerful tool for the
characterization of multiphase Av IQ: distinguish ferrite (orange),
microstructures
Index Quality Phase (yellow = austenite FCC)
tempered (black) and fresh martensite
(yellow)

HF980, ST=810 °C QT=180 °C, PT= 440 °C

P. Huyghe, M. Caruso et al. "On the relationship between the multiphase microstructure and the mechanical properties of a 0.2 C quenched and partitioned steel."
Materials Science and Engineering: A 701 (2017): 254-263
 EBSD for energy applications
Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) mechanisms of Characterisation of a crept Nickel superalloy
sigmatized Super Duplex Stainless Steel [C. Park, 2013]
 Synchrotron HE X-ray diffraction: in depth
understanding of the metallurgical phenomena
• High resolution X-ray diffraction in ID11 at ESRF (Grenoble) 65 keV
λ=0.19Å

65keV => Attenuation length=0.65mm

P. Huyghe, M. Caruso et al. "Into the quenching & partitioning of a 0.2 C steel: An in-situ synchrotron study." Materials Science and Engineering: A 743 (2019): 175-184.
Synchrotron HE X-ray diffraction: in depth
understanding of the metallurgical phenomena
Intensity
[counts] BCC

BCC

FCC BCC
FCC FCC FCC
6: 25ƒC

5: 400ƒC; 120 s

4: 400ƒC; 20 s

3: 400ƒC; 0 s

2: QT= 360ƒC

1: 900ƒC

5,5 6,5 7,5 8,5 9,5 10,5

2θ [ƒ]
Synchrotron HE X-ray diffraction: in depth
understanding of the metallurgical phenomena
Substrating thermal Determination C content
contribution
Synchrotron HE X-ray diffraction: in depth
understanding of the metallurgical phenomena
Conclusions

• Demonstrated nature of C partitioning from martensite to austenite

• Fast partitioning kinetics, compatible with typical industrial CAL
layout
• C mass balance: at RT 55% of initial C in γ, the remaining amount
trapped in ferrite phases
• Actual γ C content lower than predicted by CCE model (1.0%)
Simulation on CRM pilot scale facilities
MDA: a flexible tool
Simulation on CRM pilot scale facilities
Typical thermal schedule on an industrial QP cycle
T (°C)

870 °C
2-5 °C/s
~2 °C/s 750 °C

700 °C 300 °C/s  High cooling rate

600 °C
50 °C/s
 Strict control QT
~50 °C/s
350 °C
350 °C
300 °C/s

250 °C
200°C
~15 °C/s

Preheating DFF Twice/ Ageing/

DFF RTF Soaking SCR
Slow cooling
Howac/ partitioning t (s)
 CRM pilot scale facilities vs industrial trials
1300 18

1200 16

14
1100
12

Elongation (MPa)
1000
Stress (MPa)

10

900 8

6
800
4
700 YS (ST=860°C) TS (ST=860°C)
UE (ST=860°C) TE (ST=860°C)
YS (ST=880°C) TS (ST=880°C) 2 UE (ST=880°C) TE (ST=880°C)
YS Kessales TS Kessales TE Kessales
600 0
200 220 240 260 280 300 320 340 360 200 220 240 260 280 300 320 340 360
Quenching temperature (°C) Quenching temperature (°C)