Application of hot stamping process by integrating quenching & partitioning heat treatment to improve mechanical properties

In order to improve the ductility of hot stamping products, the quenching & partitioning heat treatment is integrated into the traditional hot stamping process. The feasibility of the new process is investigated by both thermal simulation through Gleeble 3500 system and hot stamping experiments with a special experimental tool firstly introduced. The microstructure observations show that the new process induces dual-phase microstructures of martensite and residual austenite for the final part, which improves the elongation effectively and maintains the high-strength at the same time. The product of tensile strength and plasticity of the test material B1500HS based on the presented quenching & partitioning process with appropriate process parameters is 24% larger than that of the traditional hot stamping. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd.