Criterial Parameters for Achieving the BH Effect in Ultralow-Carbon Steels for Deep Drawing

Key technological parameters of the stable production of interstitial free (IF) grade steel sheet with the bake hardening (BH) effect have been studied. The features of ultralow-carbon IF grade steels and IF steels with the BH effect, as well as the process flowchart for hardening IF-BH steel during hot drying of a car body after painting are described. Data concerning the chemical composition of IF and IF-BH steels produced at Russian and foreign enterprises are presented. The causes of slip band defects in steel sheet occurring when the yield plateau is observed in the tensile diagram of steel samples are analyzed. Requirements for the shelf life of IF-BH steel grades are presented and analyzed. A calculation formula of effective carbon content in steel is proposed based on the content of total carbon, niobium, titanium and nitrogen in steel. The range of effective carbon content in steel required for achieving the optimal BH effect magnitude is presented based on the papers published earlier. The industrial IF-BH steel production results have been analyzed for Russian enterprise conditions. In addition, the following criteria are recommended: the optimum range of carbon content in solid solution, the recommended maximum total concentrations of carbon and nitrogen in steel, and the BH effect magnitude that provides a high yield of IF-BH steel sheet fit for production. The calculations of various IF-BH steel microalloying with titanium and niobium have been performed. Criteria have been formulated that for obtaining a given BH effect magnitude in cold-rolled ultralow-carbon steels. A two-stage scheme for microalloying with titanium and niobium is proposed. The grain size influence in sheet steel upon the presence and BH effect magnitude, as well as upon the presence or absence of a yield plateau observed in the sheet metal’s tensile diagram in the initial state, is described.