Mechanical behaviour during hot strain reversal in a microalloyed steel

Abstract

The mechanical behaviour of a Nb-microalloyed steel under non monotonie conditions has been studied using double hit hot torsion tests involving changes in the twist direction. For strain reversal conditions, a clear mechanical transient has been observed. This transient has been characterized by a steep hardening region just after reversal which takes place up to a stress level near the one reached before reversing, then a region showing a low strain hardening rate and finally, a region extending up to the convergence of monotonie and reversal behaviours. Testing temperatures and strain rates have ranged from 950°C to 1200°C and from 0.01s^-1 to 0.1s^-1, respectively. Applied prestrains before reversal have varied from 0.03 to 0.25 in order to avoid the occurrence of dynamic recrystallization during previous strain. Lastly, some relationships have been established between the deformation conditions and the parameters defining the transient. These parameters depend mainly on the prestrain.