Effect of Heating Rate on the Austenite Formation in Low-Carbon High-Strength Steels Annealed in the Intercritical Region

Austenite formation during intercritical annealing was studied in a cold-rolled dual-phase (DP) steel based on a low-carbon DP780 composition processed in the mill. Two heating rates, 10 and 50 K/s, and a range of annealing temperatures from 1053 K to 1133 K (780 °C to 860 °C) were applied to study their effects on the progress of austenitization. The effect of these process parameters on the final microstructures and mechanical properties was also investigated using a fixed cooling rate of 10 K/s after corresponding annealing treatments. It was found that the heating rate affects the austenite formation not only during continuous heating, but also during isothermal holding, and the effect is more pronounced at lower annealing temperatures. Faster heating delays the recrystallization kinetics of the investigated steel. The rate of austenite formation and its distribution are strongly influenced by the extent of overlapping of the processes of recrystallization and austenitization. It appeared that the heating rate and temperature of intercritical annealing have a stronger effect on the final tensile strength (TS) of the DP steel than holding time. Both higher annealing temperatures and long holding times minimize the strength difference caused by a difference in heating rate.