Mechanisms of tensile improvement in caliber-rolled high-carbon steel

Abstract

The microstructural evolution and tensile characteristics of caliber-rolled plain carbon steels were quantitatively investigated and compared with those of the as-received plain carbon steels. The caliber-rolled steels exhibited a similar microstructure consisting of an ultrafine-grained ferritic matrix and dispersed fine cementite particles. In contrast to the general trend of caliber-rolling processes showing significant reductions in elongation while retaining a high strength, the present caliber-rolled high-carbon steel exhibited simultaneously improved strength and elongation. This distinctive tensile enhancement of the caliber-rolled high-carbon steel was attributed to the increased strain hardening rate caused by the high fraction of submicron cementite particles and to the transition of the fracture mode from a brittle state to a ductile state.