This paper examines how the initial austenite grain size in quench and partitioning (Q-P) processes influences the final mechanical properties of Q-P steels. Differences in austenite grain size distribution may result, for example, from uneven heating rates of semi-finished products prior to a forging process. In order to quantify this influence, a carefully defined heat treatment of a cylindrical specimen made of the Q-P-capable 42SiCr steel was performed in a dilatometer. Different austenite grain sizes were adjusted by a pre-treatment before the actual Q-P process. The resulting mechanical properties were determined using the upsetting test and the corresponding microstructures were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). These investigations show that a larger austenite grain size prior to Q-P processing leads to a slightly lower strength as well as to a coarser martensitic microstructure in the Q-P-treated material.

A balance between strength and ductility has been one of the most important considerations in the steel industry. Austenitic steel or multi-phase steel with retained austenite has plasticity-enhancing mechanisms, which can make it achieve high strength and good formability. Due to the occurrence of twinning-based mechanisms in high Mn steels, they have improved strength without sacrificing ductility. However, high Mn steels with extraordinary mechanical properties has not been used in mass production because of its high material cost together with welding problems and so on. As a consequence, many researchers have attempted to decrease the Mn concentration of high Mn twinning-induced plasticity steels without significant sacrifice of the mechanical properties. In the present work, a novel medium Mn steel with high C is designed with the aim of obtaining comparable mechanical properties as high Mn TWIP steel. In addition to Mn, C is also common effective austenite stabilizing element. C and Mn both increase the SFE of austenite. It should be possible to substitute at least some of the Mn in high Mn steels with C and still retain the TWIP effect. If the reduction in Mn content is not compensated for by the addition of other alloying elements, the microstructure will additionally contain some ferrite or martensite. The problem with C concentration is that it will result in the formation of carbide during the cooling process. As long as the carbide formation is suppressed, the formation of ferrite/martensite in medium Mn steels can be inhibited by an increase in the C concentration. In such cases, a soft and formable austenitic microstructure can be achieved by quenching from high austenitization temperatures to retain austenite with appropriate mechanical stability. The precipitation and dissolution of cementite in austenitic medium Mn high C steels capable of deformation-induced twinning were analyzed based on the associated length changes. Al addition was found to significantly retard the kinetics of cementite precipitation, indicating its usefulness in the design of cementite-free austenitic medium Mn steels with high C concentrations. Furthermore, Al addition changes the morphology of intragranular cementite from plate-shaped to equiaxed. The tensile properties of alloy were also examined in the present study. The present contribution discusses the mechanical properties of a bulk medium Mn high C steel with special alloying additions to oppose the precipitation of cementite. In particular, it aims to justify the mechanical properties based on crack nucleation and growth mechanisms. The reported mechanical properties enable a comparison with those of the well-known high Mn and Hadfield steels.