Applicability of Voce equation for tensile flow and work hardening behaviour of P92 ferritic steel

Detailed analysis of true stress (σ)-true plastic strain (ε) data indicated that tensile flow behaviour of P92 ferritic steel can be adequately described by Voce equation at strain rates ranging from 3.16 × 10−5 to 1.26 × 10−3 s−1 over a temperature range 300-923 K. The steel exhibited two-stage work hardening in the variations of instantaneous work hardening rate (θ = dσ/dε) with stress. At all the strain rates, the variations in σ-ε, θ-σ and work hardening parameters associated with Voce equation with temperature exhibited three distinct temperature regimes. At intermediate temperatures, the variations in σ-ε, θ-σ and work hardening parameters with temperature and strain rate exhibited anomalous behaviour due to the occurrence of dynamic strain ageing in the steel. The shift in θ-σ towards low stresses, and rapid decrease in flow stress and work hardening parameters with increasing temperature and decreasing strain rate suggested dominance of dynamic recovery at high temperatures.