Influence of Mn and Si contents on structure and mechanical properties of ferritic-pearlitic HSLA steels

Laboratory melts of microalloyed low carbon steels with an increased silicon content of about 1 % and manganese contents between 0.3 and 1.3 % were thermomechanically rolled in a laboratory two-high rolling stand to plates of about 10 mm in thickness. The influence of chemical composition and finish rolling temperature (FRT) on the ferrite-pearlite structure of the plates (tensile and Charpy impact tests) was investigated. The choice of the temperature range of finish rolling with respect to the γ/α transformation start temperature strongly influences the ferrite-pearlite structure and the mechanical properties. The most fine-grained and homogeneous ferrite-pearlite structure and the best combination of strength and toughness have been obtained with steels containing about 1 % Mn and 1 % Si rolled with a finish rolling temperature of about 850°C