Physical metallurgy of multi-phase steel for improved passenger car crash-worthiness

The dynamic testing of high strength automotive steel grades is of great practical importance if their crash-worthiness is to be evaluated. During forming operations, steels are processed in a controlled dynamic manner. In collisions, the deformation is different in the sense that the deformation is not controlled, i.e. both strain and strain rate are not predetermined. No clear standard testing procedures are currently available to test high strength steels dynamically, in order to evaluate their performance during car crashes. High tensile strength TRIP-aided steels have been developed by the steel industry because of their promising high strain rate performance. The present contribution focuses on the effect of the strain rate and temperature on the mechanical behaviour of the low alloy high strength TRIP steel. The tests were carried out on the separated phases in order to determine their specific high strain rate deformation response. The temperature-dependence of the transformation rate of the retained austenite is presented. It is argued that the adiabatic conditions present during high strain rate deformations have a beneficial effect on the behaviour of TRIP steel.