Effect of Nb on the Hot Deformation Behavior and Martensitic Crystallographic Characteristics of HSLA Steel
摘要
The Ti-(Nb)-Mo steel was subjected to high-temperature compression testing using the Gleeble−3500 thermal simulation test machine. The deformation temperature ranged from 900 to 1100 °C, with strain rates varying between 0.01 and 1.0 s−1. A strain-compensated constitutive equation was developed based on the traditional constitutive model, and the microstructure after deformation was characterized using EBSD. The hot deformation behavior and recrystallization mechanisms of the experimental steel were systematically studied. The crystallographic characteristics of martensitic variants were quantitatively analyzed using the MTEX toolbox in MATLAB software. The flow stress curve exhibited classic dynamic recrystallization (DRX) features under elevated temperature and low strain rate conditions. However, at higher strain rates, the curve showed typical dynamic recovery (DRV) characteristics. Notably, Nb microalloying increased the hot deformation activation energy from 413.1 to 434.0 kJ/mol and elevated the critical stress, thereby hindering the onset of DRX. Microstructural analysis indicated that decreasing the deformation temperature or increasing the strain rate inhibited DRX, leading to an increased proportion of subgrain boundaries (SGB). Crystallographic analysis further revealed that the CP group predominated in recrystallized grains, while the Bain group was dominant in non-recrystallized grains. Additionally, the proportion of small-angle variants in recrystallized grains was significantly higher than in unrecrystallized grains. The selectivity of martensitic variants was notably enhanced by raising the deformation temperature and lowering the strain rate.