Effect of austenite grain size on isothermal bainite transformation in low carbon microalloyed steel

Abstract

The effect of austenite grain size on isothermal bainite transformation in a low carbon microalloyed steel was studied by means of optical microscopy, SEM and TEM. Two widely varying austenite grain sizes, a fine average grain size (∼20 μm) and a coarse average grain size (∼260 μm), were obtained by different maximum heating temperatures. The results showed that the morphology of isothermal microstructure changes from bainite without carbide precipitation to bainitic ferrite with a decrease in holding temperature. Coarse austenite grain can retard the kinetics of bainite transformation and increase the incubation time of bainite transformation by reducing the number of nucleation site, but it does not influence the nose temperature of the C curve of bainite start transformation, which is ∼534°C.