AISTech 2016

Engineering Steels at the Nanoscale for Improved Performance (Room Ballroom B)

16 May 16
8:00 AM - 8:30 AM

Tracks: Howe Memorial Lecture, J. Keith Brimacombe Memorial Lecture

The increasing demand for improved performance in steel has led to a number of developments that largely focus on microstructure control through advanced alloy design and thermomechanical processing. At the same time, there has been a marked increase in our capacity to characterize the microstructure over a wide range of scale lengths. This paper will focus on the control of microstructure at the ultrafine to nanoscale and the associated characterization. Specific examples will include a study of strain-induced precipitation for control of the austenite, interphase precipitation for high-strength, ultrafine and nanoscale microstructures through transformation control and the use of solute atoms for strengthening. The advanced characterization methods employed include high-resolution TEM, atom probe tomography and SANS. The areas of application for these steels are largely focused on the automotive sector, although there is potential for this knowledge to be applied to other structural steels.