Abstract
The hot ductility of C–Mn–Al and C–Mn–Nb–Al steels with and without calcium additions have been examined over the temperature range 700–1000°C both after solution treating at 1330°C followed by cooling to the test temperature and directly after casting. Calcium additions invariably improved hot ductility. For hot rolled plate reheated to 1330°C and cooled to the test temperature, calcium is beneficial to hot ductility because it reduces the amount of sulphur able to redissolve and precipitate in a fine form at the new γ-grain boundaries produced on solution treating. For the C–Mn–Al steels, strain concentration occurred in the thin films of softer ferrite surrounding the γ-grains causing voiding around the sulphide inclusions that link up to cause intergranular failure. The removal of the sulphides by calcium addition therefore accounts for the improvement in hot ductility. Similar behaviour was observed for the C–Mn–Nb–Al steels, but for temperatures above the Ae3 temperature calcium containing steels continued to give improved hot ductility over calcium free steels and this is believed to be due to the fewer sulphides present at the boundaries allowing an earlier onset of dynamic recrystallisation. For steels subjected to direct casting, interdendritic failure as well as intergranular failure by microvoid coalescence occurs. Calcium additions reduce the total amount of sulphur in the steel so that the volume fraction of sulphides precipitated at the interdendritic and γ-boundaries is low.
MST/962
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