Unraveling the significance of cobalt on transformation kinetics, crystallography and impact toughness in high-strength steels

Yishuang Yu; Jingxiao Zhao; Xuelin Wang; Hui Guo; Zhenjia Xie; Chengjia Shang

doi:10.1007/s12613-024-2935-3

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Yishuang Yu, Jingxiao Zhao, Xuelin Wang, Hui Guo, Zhenjia Xie, and Chengjia Shang, Unraveling the significance of cobalt on transformation kinetics, crystallography and impact toughness in high-strength steels, Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater.,(2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-024-2935-3

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Yishuang Yu, Jingxiao Zhao, Xuelin Wang, Hui Guo, Zhenjia Xie, and Chengjia Shang, Unraveling the significance of cobalt on transformation kinetics, crystallography and impact toughness in high-strength steels, Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater.,(2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-024-2935-3

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Research Article

Unraveling the significance of cobalt on transformation kinetics, crystallography and impact toughness in high-strength steels

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Corresponding authors:
Zhenjia Xie E-mail: zjxie@ustb.edu.cn

Chengjia Shang E-mail: cjshang@ustb.edu.cn
Received: 29 January 2024; Revised: 13 May 2024; Accepted: 15 May 2024; Available online: 16 May 2024

Abstract

Abstract

This work reveals the significant effects of cobalt (Co) on the microstructure and impact toughness of as-quenched high-strength steels by experimental characterizations and thermo-kinetic analyses. The results show that the Co-bearing steel exhibits finer blocks and a lower ductile–brittle transition temperature than the steel without Co. Moreover, the Co-bearing steel reveals higher transformation rates at the intermediate stage with bainite volume fraction ranging from around 0.1 to 0.6. The improved impact toughness of the Co-bearing steel results from the higher dense block boundaries dominated by the V1/V2 variant pair. Furthermore, the addition of Co induces a larger transformation driving force and a lower bainite start temperature (B_S), thereby contributing to the refinement of blocks and the increase of the V1/V2 variant pair. These findings would be instructive for the composition, microstructure design, and property optimization of high-strength steels.
- high-strength steel;
- cobalt;
- transformation kinetics;
- crystallography;
- impact toughness

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