Recrystallization and mechanical properties of microalloyed cold-rolled steel

Cold-rolled microalloyed steels have proven themselves in many applications. Here microalloying fulfills different metallurgical functions that can be used to produce high-strength or very mild deep-drawing steels. This article studies the recrystallization behaviour of microalloyed steels during anneals performed in the laboratory and in the production shop. The delay in recrystallization compared with unalloyed steels can be explained by the amount and distribution of precipitated carbonitrides and also by dissolved microalloying elements. The mechanical properties of the cold-rolled, high-strength steels are determined mainly by grain refinement and, depending upon the annealing process, to a smaller extent by precipitation hardening. With complete fixation of all the interstitial atoms and, at the same time, minimization of the amount of precipitates very mild special deep-drawing steels can be made.