Galvanized Steel Sheet Microstructure for Strength and Formability

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current techniques for manufacturing high-strength galvanized steel sheets struggle to achieve a balance between high yield strength and excellent workability, which is essential for automobile parts, particularly for skeleton parts around the cabin, where both collision safety and fuel efficiency are concerned.

Innovation Solution

A high-strength galvanized steel sheet with a specific chemical composition and microstructure, including a base steel sheet with controlled area fractions of martensite, pearlite, tempered martensite and carbide-containing bainite, retained austenite, and ferrite, along with a galvanized layer, is manufactured using a process involving hot rolling, annealing, and galvanizing treatments to achieve the desired properties.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If the yield strength of steel sheet is increased to improve collision safety, then the strength increases, but the workability deteriorates making part forming more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveyield strengthVSAvoidworkability
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the microstructural parameters by controlling the area fractions of different phases (martensite ≤30%, pearlite ≤1%, tempered martensite + carbide-containing bainite 30-99%, retained austenite 1-20%, ferrite + non-carbide-containing bainite ≤45%) and crystal orientations to achieve both high yield strength (850 MPa or more) and excellent workability with uniform elongation of 9.0% or more

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The invention creates a composite microstructure consisting of multiple phases (martensite, pearlite, tempered martensite, carbide-containing bainite, retained austenite, and ferrite) with specific area fractions, where each phase contributes different properties that collectively achieve both high strength and good workability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The resulting steel sheet exhibits a yield strength of 850 MPa or more and uniform elongation of 9.0% or more, along with a hole expansion ratio that indicates excellent workability, making it suitable for use in automobile parts to enhance collision safety and fuel efficiency.

Implementation Method 1

a hot rolling process of performing hot rolling a slab

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHot rolling:

Implementation Method 2

cooling and coiling

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCooling: Cooling

Implementation Method 3

heating the held steel sheet to an annealing temperature of 750° C. to 940° C. and holding the steel sheet at the annealing temperature for 10 s to 600 s

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAnnealing: Annealing

Implementation Method 4

cooling the annealed steel sheet to a primary cooling stop temperature, which is from Ms to 550° C., under a condition in which cooling is performed at a primary average cooling rate of 3° C./s or higher

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectControlled cooling: Cooling

Implementation Method 5

holding the cooled steel sheet at a galvanizing treatment temperature, which is from Ms to 580° C., for 10 s to 300 s while performing a galvanizing treatment

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectGalvanizing:

Data Source

PatentUS12258644B2High-strength galvanized steel sheet and method for manufacturing the same
Publication Date: 2025.03.25 JFE STEEL CORP

AI summary

A high-strength galvanized steel sheet includes a base steel sheet and a galvanized layer on a surface thereof. The base steel sheet has a predetermined chemical composition and a microstructure in which an area fraction of martensite is 30% or less, an area fraction of pearlite is 1% or less, a total area fraction of tempered martensite and carbide-containing bainite is 30% or more and 99% or less, an area fraction of retained austenite is 1% to 20%, and a total area fraction of ferrite and non-carbide-containing bainite is 45% or less in the steel sheet microstructure in a predetermined region and in which an area fraction of retained austenite grains having two or more crystal orientations is 40% or less in all the retained austenite grains in a predetermined region.