Susceptibility of High-Manganese Steel to High-Temperature Cracking

Tests were carried out on two high-Mn steels: 27Mn-4Si-2Al-Nb with Nb microaddition and 24Mn-3Si-1.5Al-Nb-Ti with Nb and Ti microadditions. High-manganese austenitic steels, due to their good strength and plastic properties belong to the AHSS (Advanced High-Strength Steel) group and are used in the automotive industry. The main difficulties faced during the casting of the steel and hot working are hot cracks, which can appear in the surface of the ingot. Cracks on the edges of the sheet after hot rolling are the reason for cutting the edges of the sheet and increasing production costs and material losses. The main reason for the formation of hot cracks is the decrease in metal ductility in the high-temperature brittleness range (HTBR). The width of the HTBR depends on mechanical properties and microstructural factors, i.e., non-metallic inclusions or intermetallic phases at austenite grain boundaries. In this paper, a hot tensile test was performed. The research was performed on the GLEEBLE 3800 thermomechanical simulator. This test allows us to determine the width of the high-temperature brittleness range (HTBR), the Nil Strength Temperature (NST), the Nil Ductility Temperature (NDT), and the Ductility Recovery Temperature (DRT). Hot ductility was determined from the value of the reduction in area R(A). The obtained results make it possible to determine the temperature of the beginning of hot working from the tested high-Mn steels. Fractographic research enabled us to define mechanisms of hot cracking. It was found that hot cracks form as a result of disruptions in the liquid film on crystals’ boundaries.