Structural characterization of “carbide-free” bainite in a Fe-0.2C-1.5Si-2.5Mn steel

Low-alloyed, low C containing carbide-free bainitic steels are attractive candidates for applications in the automotive industry due to their well-balanced combination of high strength and ductility achieved in an economic way. In this work, their complex microstructure consisting of a mixture of bainitic ferrite, austenite with different morphologies and stabilities, martensite, M/A constituent and a few carbides has been investigated with metallographic and high-resolution techniques. After specific isothermal heat treatments in a dilatometer, a combination of LePera and Nital etching was applied to distinguish between bainite and martensite. Site-specific atom probe tips were prepared by means of scanning electron microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction and focused ion beam, revealing that “carbide-free” bainite consists of C depleted bainitic ferrite, C enriched retained austenite and occasional ε-carbides. Furthermore, it was found that the M/A constituent is highly dislocated and mainly martensitic. Its C content is increased compared to the nominal composition, but below the values obtained for retained austenite, explaining the lower transformation resistance.