Microstructure and mechanical property of cold rolled low carbon steel after prolonged annealing treatment

Abstract

The effects of ferrite–pearlite and ferrite–martensite starting microstructures on ferrite grain sizes and carbide particle sizes after cold rolling and prolonged annealing treatment have been investigated. Ferrite–martensite starting microstructures showed finer grain and particle sizes and improved tensile properties after cold rolling annealing cycle compared to ferrite–pearlite starting microstructures. A ‘fibrous’ martensite morphology developed by intermediate quenching treatment is more beneficial in that respect compared to the ‘blocky’ martensite morphology obtained from the step quenching treatment.

Keywords:

• Cold rolling
• Prolonged annealing
• Ferrite grain size
• Carbide size
• Carbide coarsening

The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, and Tata Steel, Jamshedpur, for the research funding and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur for the provision of research facilities.