Characterization and Modeling of Hot Deformation Behavior of a Copper-Bearing High-Strength Low-Carbon Steel Microalloyed with Nb

This study investigates hot deformation behavior of a newly developed Cu-bearing high-strength low-carbon steel microalloyed with Nb (Nb-HSLC). A computational method based on experimental data was employed to design the chemical composition of the alloy. Compression tests were carried out in the temperature range of 850-1100 °C as well as strain rates of 0.001-10 s−1 using BAHR Dil 805 A/D thermo-analyzer equipment. The Arrhenius-type constitutive equations were used to model the hot working behavior of the designed steel. Effects of friction and temperature rise during deformation were corrected to obtain the actual stresses. The results showed that the peak flow stress was increased with increasing Zener–Hollomon parameter. The obtained flow curves at strain rates lower than 0.1 s−1 and temperatures above 950 °C represented the typical dynamic recrystallization (DRX) behavior, while the flow curves at temperatures lower than 950 °C at all strain rates were associated with continuous strain hardening. This feature is in good agreement with the precipitation temperature range of Nb(C, N) particles, i.e., 800-1000 °C. Moreover, the flow curves showed the serrations during hot deformation at strain rates of 0.001 and 0.01 s−1, indicating that the dynamic strain aging (DSA) phenomenon occurred at low strain rates. The best fit between “peak stress” and “deformation conditions” was obtained by a hyperbolic sine-type equation (R2 = 0.993). Therefore, the average activation energy was determined as 348 kJ mol−1. The agreement between the achieved model and experimental flow data was verified using the results of additional tests at a strain rate of 5 s−1. The maximum difference between the measured and predicted “peak stresses” was calculated as 5 Mpa.