1995 Volume 35 Issue 12 Pages 1509-1517
The response of a Nb-V microalloyed steel to thermal-mechanical treatment is examined. Constant strain rate, isothermal compression tests of axially symmetrical samples, to a strain of unity, are used to determine the metal's response at high temperatures. Four-stage, constant true strain rate compression of the samples is used to simulate partially the process of strip rolling. The loading is interrupted at various strains for ever shorter intervals. The resulting true stress-true strain curves are used to examine the steel's response to interrupted loading. The ability of the microalloying components to retard to dynamic restoration processes, after an interruption, is observed. Microstructural observations indicate that the most important process parameter is the total strain.
