Determination of the Hall-Petch equation parameters for low-density austenitic steels of the FeMnAlC system

• Grant number: 23/10947-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2024
• End date: December 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Physical Metallurgy
• Principal Investigator: Lucas Barcelos Otani
• Grantee: André Machado Muniz
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Advanced high-strength steels are mainly focused on structural applications, with a special focus on the automotive industry. The potential reduction in plate thickness through increased mechanical resistance leads to greater energy efficiency and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions generated by motor vehicles. Low-density steels configure compositions that are in the second and third generation of advanced steels, so that the addition of Al and C leads to a reduction in the density of the alloy. The presence of induced plasticity effects, such as TRIP and TWIP, stand out for compositions with completely austenitic microstructure, so that these mechanisms have the potential to generate excellent combinations of mechanical properties. Grain size reduction is one of the main mechanisms for increasing the strength of metals and alloys, then the Hall-Petch equation is the most used to describe this effect. In this way, the present project aims to evaluate the influence of grain size on the mechanical behavior of low-density steels with different C contents. For this, ingots will be forged, and heat treated in different conditions to obtain different grain sizes. The evaluation of the grain size will be done by image analysis and the mechanical behavior focusing on the yield stress will be observed from tensile tests.