Quenching and partitioning response of vanadium microalloyed TRIP-assisted steel

Environmental and safety regulations of automotive sector have led to the development of new steels which are both high strength and ductile. For instance, quenching and partitioning (Q&P) steels have gained attention due to their excellent ductility and strength properties. Although these steels have been studied extensively, the use of vanadium microalloying together with low carbon has received less attention. The present work investigates the effect of intercritical two-step Q&P heat treatment on 0.08 wt-% carbon containing vanadium microalloyed TRIP-assisted steel. Gleeble thermomechanical simulator was utilized to perform heat treatments with varying intercritical annealing and quenching stop temperatures. The specimens were subjected to microanalysis and mechanical properties investigations. Results indicated the possibility to increase the ductility and local formability of the steel with interrupted quenching and subsequent partitioning. The results also showed that it was possible to retain austenite to ambient temperature by implementing the heat treatment.