TRIP assisted press hardened steel by the anisothermal bainitic ferrite transformation

•New manufacturer friendly TRIP assisted steel chemistry.•New economical press hardening process.•New TRIP assisted Press Hardened Steel parts exhibit uniform austenite distribution.•Stress induced transformation of austenite in cold formed regions of parts is avoided.•22 % increase to energy absorption under axial crushing compared to cold formed parts. A new steel chemical composition is combined with a new press hardening process, in which die-quenching is interrupted by opening the forming tool to permit slow cooling of the hot formed part through the anisothermal bainitic ferrite transformation. This promotes carbon partitioning to austenite before the forming tool is re-closed and die-quenching is resumed to near-ambient temperature. The final microstructure is predominantly bainitic ferrite with dispersions of martensite and up to 11 % retained austenite. Retained austenite can undergo stress induced transformation to martensite in an automobile crash event. The steel exhibits up to 25 % elongation and 930 MPa tensile strength. In contrast to traditional cold formable Transformation Induced Plasticity assisted steels, where retained austenite is consumed during work hardening of cold forming, here, the desired microstructure is achieved after hot forming meaning the retained austenite is more uniformly distributed within the formed part, which enhances energy absorption. The new steel chemical composition is carefully designed to provide optimal microstructural evolution within the constraints of the new press hardening process, yet relatively lean and manufacturer friendly. The new press hardening process is energy efficient as secondary heating is not required since retarded cooling through the bainitic ferrite transformation is provided by residual heat accumulation of the newly developed titanium alloy forming tool. Development of the new technology is demonstrated by press hardening experiments, tensile testing, microstructural analysis, transversal & axial crush testing of formed parts and numerical simulation of crush testing, including a new modelling technique that more accurately simulates deformation of hot versus cold formed parts. Results show a 22 % increase to energy absorption under axial crushing compared to traditional cold formed Transformation Induced Plasticity assisted steels owing to greater work hardening capacity in formed radii of the part, which are shown to be exposed to the highest stresses during crushing.