Improvement of EUROFER's mechanical properties by optimized chemical compositions and thermo-mechanical treatments

Strong effects of the heat-treatments on the toughness and strength were observed. As expected, hardening the materials beyond the conventional treatment (980 °C/30 min + 750 °C/2 h) showed a major increase in tensile strength and decrease in toughness. Moderate variations in the alloy compositions open the possibility for extended temperature windows for these unconventional heat treatments (e.g. higher tempering temperature). Thermo-mechanical treatments are effective to improve hardening and other properties by modifications of the distribution of secondary phases. As expected, the different heat treatments also showed the well-known effects on the mechanical properties (e.g. hardness and strength). When compared, the effects of heat treatments on the mechanical properties are far beyond the influence of minor changes in the alloy compositions.