Abstract
The computer simulation model of microstructural evolution on the basis of chemical thermodynamics and classical nucleation and growth theory has been developed. The metallurgical phenomena in thermomechanical treatment of steel, such as austenite grain growth, recrystallization and growth, carbonitride precipitation and austenite to ferrite phase transformation can be predicted by the model. The influences of steel chemistry and thermomechanical condition on the transformed microstructure of 0.10C-1.5Mn-0.35Nb steel (high C-high Mn steel) and 0.06C-1.25Mn-0.035Nb steel (low C-low Mn steel) are evaluated by computer simulation. With the increase of C and/or Mn concentrations, the volume fraction of second phase increases and the ferrite grain size is refined C-high Mn steel, the transformed microstructure consists of ferrite and pearlite phases at lower cooling rates and/or larger effective austenite interfacial area per unit volume, SV. The volume fraction of second phase increases with the increase of cooling rate and/or the decrease of SV value. The second phase of the steel at higher cooling rates is bainite. The transformed microstructure of low C-low Mn steel consists of ferrite and bainite phases. The influences of the rolling condition and the cooling rate on the transformed microstructure are smaller in low C-low Mn steel. However, the transformed microstructures is apparently influenced by the start temperature of accelerated cooling.
