Delamination toughening assisted by phosphorus in medium-carbon low-alloy steels with ultrafine elongated grain structures

The effect of phosphorus (P) on delamination toughening was examined for 0.4%C-1%Cr-0.7%Mn-0.2%Mo steels (mass%) comprised of ultrafine elongated grain (UFEG) structures with strong <110>//rolling direction (RD) fiber textures. The UFEG structures evolved through the plastic deformation of tempered martensitic structures by multi-pass caliber rolling at a temperature of 773 K (warm tempforming, WTF). The addition of P, up to 0.093% (mass%), had little influence on the evolution of the UFEG structure and the strength of the steels. Although the tensile ductility and upper-shelf energy showed a slight tendency to decrease as the P concentration increased from 0.001% to 0.093%, the delamination perpendicular to the notch orientation of the impact specimens was pronounced over a wider temperature range. As a result of delamination, the 0.093% P-doped steel exhibited a significant inverse temperature dependence of toughness at temperatures from 250 K to 350 K. The delamination toughening was dominated by the UFEG structure, and further assisted by the phosphorus segregation. It was considered that the formation of distinct P segregation bands, which presented a structure consisting of brittle and ductile layers, may be especially effective in accelerating delamination and improving toughness in the P-doped steel with an UFEG structure.