A Comparison of Low-Temperature Deformation Behavior and Fracture in Low-Carbon Steel Specimens Obtained by Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing and Conventional Casting and Normalization

In the present work, the microstructure, phase composition, and temperature dependence of the mechanical properties and fracture micromechanisms of low-carbon steel produced by conventional casting and electron beam additive manufacturing have been studied. Regardless of the manufacturing method, the phase composition of steel consists of ferrite with an insignificant fraction of carbides (pearlite grains in both types of steel and single coarse precipitates in the additively fabricated one). It was shown that the studied steels are characterized by a strong temperature dependence on yield strength and ultimate tensile strength. At T = 77 K, both types of steel are characterized by high strength properties, which decrease with increasing test temperatures up to 300 K. In addition, all deformation curves are characterized by the presence of a yield drop and yield plateau over the entire temperature range under study (77 K–300 K). A decrease in test temperature from 300 K to 77 K leads to a change in the fracture micromechanism of the steels from a dimple fracture to a cleavage one. Despite the similar deformation behavior and strength properties, the additively fabricated steel possesses lower elongation to failure at 77 K due to an insignificant fraction of coarse precipitates, which assists the nucleation of brittle cracks.