Composition and crystallographic nature of precipitates in microalloyed advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) greatly influence their microstructure and mechanical behavior. Second-phase precipitation in a high-Mn twinning-induced plasticity (TWIP) steel single microalloyed with V and Ti under uniaxial hot-tensile condition is experimentally and theoretically studied using high-resolution this purpose, carbon extraction replica technique, image treatment, and computer simulation are used to determine the crystallographic features of particles and compared with experimental measurements. Results show particle morphologies depending on crystallographic orientation, namely, hexagonal-type for TWIP-V steel and rectangular-type for TWIP-Ti steel. Measurements on particle size range from 10 to 190 nm in both steels. HRTEM digital image processing allows correcting the obtained Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) diffraction patterns, where interplanar distance measurements indicate the presence of VC and TiC compounds. In the case of the modeled particles, it is possible to identify the NaCltype crystal structure, which are correctly relate with experimental morphologies. Finally, theoretical simulations based on the multislice approach of the dynamical theory of electron diffraction allow modeling HRTEM images. Thus, results indicate that current characterization and simulation procedure are helpful in recognizing crystallographic nature of precipitates formed in the studied TWIP steels.

Peer Reviewed