The effects of non-isothermal deformation on martensitic transformation in 22MnB5 steel

In the present paper, the effects of process parameters on phase transformations during non-isothermal deformations are described and discussed. Non-isothermal high temperature compressive deformations were conducted on 22MnB5 boron steel by using deformation dilatometry. Cylindrical samples were uniaxially deformed at different strain rates ranging from 0.05 to 1.0 s−1 to a maximum compressive strain of 50%. Qualitative and quantitative investigations were carried out using surface hardness mapping data as well as dilatation curves. It was observed that a higher initial deformation temperatures resulted in a higher martensite fraction of the microstructure, while a variation in the martensite start temperature was negligible. Another conclusion was that by applying larger amounts of strain as well as higher force levels, not only the martensite start temperature, but also the amount of martensite was reduced. Moreover, it was concluded that using surface hardness mapping technique and dilatometry experiments were very reliable methods to quantify and qualify the coexisting phases.