M. Pernach

Experimental and Numerical Simulations of Phase Transformations Occurring During Continuous Annealing of DP Steel Strips

Due to their exceptional strength properties combined with good workability the Advanced High-Strength Steels (AHSS) are commonly used in automotive industry. Manufacturing of these steels is a complex process which requires precise control of technological parameters during thermo-mechanical treatment. Design of these processes can be significantly improved by the numerical models of phase transformations. Evaluation of predictive capabilities of models, as far as their applicability in simulation of thermal cycles thermal cycles for AHSS is considered, was the objective of the paper. Two models were considered. The former was upgrade of the JMAK equation while the latter was an upgrade of the Leblond model. The models can be applied to any AHSS though the examples quoted in the paper refer to the Dual Phase (DP) steel. Three series of experimental simulations were performed. The first included various thermal cycles going beyond limitations of the continuous annealing lines. The objective was to validate models behavior in more complex cooling conditions. The second set of tests included experimental simulations of the thermal cycle characteristic for the continuous annealing lines. Capability of the models to describe properly phase transformations in this process was evaluated. The third set included data from the industrial continuous annealing line. Validation and verification of models confirmed their good predictive capabilities. Since it does not require application of the additivity rule, the upgrade of the Leblond model was selected as the better one for simulation of industrial processes in AHSS production.

Experimental Validation of the Carbon Diffusion Model for Transformation of Ferritic-Pearlitic Microstructure into Austenite during Continuous Annealing of Dual Phase Steels

Modeling of the transformation of the starting ferritic-pearlitic microstructure into austenite during heating in continuous annealing process was the objective of the work. Kinetics of this transformation was predicted by solving Avrami equation as well as carbon diffusion equation with a moving boundary. Mathematical and numerical models describing austenitic phase transformation were created for the 1D and 2D domains. Developed models were solved using the Finite Difference, as well as the Finite Element Method. Results of the numerical simulations include austenite volume fraction and carbon segregation profiles in the austenite. The former were compared with the experimental data obtained in laboratory simulations of the continuous annealing. Developed and validated model was applied to simulation of the austenitic transformation during annealing of DP steels.

Through Process Modelling of Rolling and Controlled Cooling of TRIP Assisted Bainitic Steel Rods and Prediction of the Retained Austenite in Products

Simulation of the rolling and controlled cooling sequence for bainitic steel rods was the general objective of the paper. The main focus was put on exploring possibility of prediction of the retained austenite occurrence in TRIP assisted bainitic steels. Existing discrete phase transformation models require long computing times and their application to optimization of industrial processes is limited. Therefore, a model based on the modified JMAK equation was proposed. The occurrence of the retained austenite was predicted by carbon distribution calculations in the austenite during bainite transformation. This model was implemented into the FE software for simulation of cooling of rods. The model was verified by comparison of results with the physical simulations during rolling in the pilot mill and during cooling. The first part of the paper contains thermal-mechanical-microstructural simulations of rod hot rolling process. The objective of this part was to determine temperature and grain size distribution at the rod cross section at the beginning of phase transformations. FE simulations of the cooling were performed next. Correlation between cooling parameters and the volume fraction of the retained austenite in rod was determined.