The purpose of this diploma work was to compare reactions of two HB400 wear-resistant steel grades to static recrystallization between a double-pass compression test. In the theoretical part we met the basic qualities of high-strength low-alloy steels (HSLA) and ultra high strength steels (UHSS), microalloying systems of these steels and the effects of certain alloying elements. We further described the processes of steel strengthening and predominantly processes of softening, which occur between and after plastic deformation. To understand the effects of deformation conditions and microalloying elements we carried out the experiments on a thermomechanical simulator Gleeble 1500D. We arranged the information we got from our measurements and constructed true stress – true strain curves (flow curves) for the double-pass compression tests. We then determined the maximal stress of the first deformation and the yield stress of the first and second deformation. From here we determined the softening fracture and drew the evolution of the degree of softening in dependence with the common logarithm of time. We varied the time of the isothermal holding between the first and second deformation, and the temperature, at which the test took place.
In addition to the two-stage tests we carried out a metallographic analysis of the samples on a light microscope. This offers additional information on the samples, which help us interpret the others results in an easier manner. We also made an analysis of the average grain size for different times of isothermal holding at a temperature of 950 °C for both samples. Lastly, we carried out Vickers hardness tests.
It turns out that the softening kinetics are comparable for both steels, however the hardness is higher in the steel with added titanium, molybdenum and higher boron content. Because the samples were air cooled, the visibility of primary austenite grains was bad. This made primary grain size analysis impossible and therefore, we rather did a ferrite grain size analysis. In the final microstructure we have ferrite and perlite, but in some cases we have mostly bainite.
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