Effects of quenching and partitioning process on mechanical properties of TRIP780 steel

A transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) steel was applied to test its mechanical properties in quenching and partitioning (Q&P) process. A series of Q&P experiments followed by tensile tests, Charpy impact tests, fracture morphology analyses and microstructure observations were conducted. The experimental results showed that the Q&P treatment could increase the mechanical properties of TRIP steel evidently. The strength of tested TRIP780 after Q&P process reaches more than 1500 MPa with elongation of 17.8%, which is obviously greater than that of 22MnB5 after hot stamping. The microstructure observations indicate that the good combination of high strength and plasticity of TRIP steel after Q&P process is attributed to the multi-phase microstructure of hard martensite matrix and soft retained austenite.