PNNL

Abstract

Compared to other advanced high-strength steels, TRIP (Transformation-Induced Plasticity) steels exhibit better ductility at a given strength level and can be used to produce complicated automotive parts. This enhanced formability comes from the transformation of retained austenite to martensite during plastic deformation. In this study, as a first step in predicting optimum processing parameters in TRIP steel productions, a micromechanical finite element model is developed based on the actual microstructure of a TRIP 800 steel. The method uses microstructure-based representative volume element (RVE) to capture the complex deformation behavior of TRIP steels. The mechanical properties of the constituent phases of the TRIP 800 steel and the fitting parameters of the martensite transformation kinetics are determined using the synchrotron-based in-situ high-energy X-ray diffraction (HEXRD) measurements of a uniaxial tensile test. The experimental results suggest that the HEXRD technique provides a powerful tool for characterizing the phase transformation and the microstress of each phase of TRIP steels during deformation. The computational results suggest that the response of the RVE well represents the overall macroscopic behavior of the TRIP 800 steel under deformation. The methodology described in this study may be used in studying the effects of the various processing parameters on the macroscopic behaviors of TRIP steels.