High cycle fatigue performance, crack growth and failure mechanisms of an ultrafine-grained Nb+Ti stabilized, low-C microalloyed steel processed by multiphase controlled rolling and forging

An effort has been made to examine the high cycle fatigue (HCF) properties including crack propagation characteristics and related fracture mechanisms of submicron-grained (SG) Nb + Ti stabilized low C steel processed through advanced multiphase-controlled rolling (MCR) and multiaxial forging (MAF). The HCF and other mechanical properties have been correlated with microstructural features characterized by light optical (LOM), transmission electron (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), aided with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). TEM analysis near the fracture zones of the fatigue tested samples and corresponding fractographic analysis corroborated well in explaining the improved fatigue life of the SG steel. The fatigue strength was found to have a linear relationship with the tensile strength in both types of processed samples. The fatigue strength of the forged specimens was estimated to be nearly twice than that of the untreated annealed steel, demonstrating significantly different fracture characteristics. Intergranular fracture is found to be dominant in the rolled/forged specimens, in comparison to the transgranular fracture observed in the as-received steel. Such variances in fatigue strength and fracture characteristics have been endorsed to their microstructural constituents. Superior combinations of yield strength (YS), tensile strength (UTS), elongation (% El.) and high cycle fatigue strength (σf) (YS = 1027 MPa, %El. = 8.3%, σf = 355 MPa) were obtained in multiphase-controlled 15-cycle multiaxially forged (MAFed) specimens (processed in intercritical α+γ phase regime). An enhancement of the fatigue strength can be ascribed to the formation of evenly dispersed nano-sized fragmented cementite (Fe3C) particles (~35 nm size) present in the SG ferritic matrix (average ~280 nm size). The fine dislocation substructures/cells together with the nano-sized Fe3C particles could efficiently block the initiation and propagation of cracks thereby enhancing the fatigue endurance limit of the steel. Superior mechanical properties together with high fatigue resistance in the SG material render the present steels highly beneficial for high-strength structural applications. •Mechanism of nano-grain formation analyzed in light of DIFT/DRX mechanisms.•Analyzed the high cycle fatigue performance, crack growth and failure mechanisms.•Quantitative measurements grain size/distribution investigated through EBSD/TEM.•Nano size Fe3C effectively block the cr