Abstract
Hot-rolled plates of both acicular ferrite (AF) and ferrite-pearlite (FP) pipeline steels were reheated at approximately 600°C, named as non-quench aging in this paper. The experimental result indicated that the non-quench aging caused different effects in mechanical properties for different microstructural types of pipeline steels. AF pipeline steels could be greatly strengthened by non-quench aging while FP pipeline steels could not be. Role of non-quench aging on mechanical properties between AF and FP pipeline steels was analyzed. Strengthening for AF pipeline steels by a subsequent simple non-quench aging without any other change in chemical composition, TMCP and rolling equipment, etc., provides a lower economical cost approach for the development of high strength pipeline steels.
