Phases quantification in DP600 steel welded by GTAW process using SEM and atomic force microscopy

• Published in: Materials research (São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil) São Paulo, Brazil), 2017-10, Vol.20 (5), p.1161-1165
• Main Authors: Medina, G.Y. Pérez, Delgado, E. Hurtado, Pérez, A. F. Miranda, Ferreira, H. Lopez
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: AFM; AHSS; Atomic force microscopy; Automobile industry; Automotive bodies; Automotive engineering; Bainite; Base metal; Conductors; DP steels; Dual phase steels; Duplex stainless steels; ENGINEERING, CHEMICAL; Gas tungsten arc welding; GTAW; Heat affected zone; High strength steels; Image analysis; Iron constituents; Manufacturability; Martensite; MATERIALS SCIENCE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY; Materials selection; METALLURGY & METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING; Morphology; Optical microscopy; Phases; Scanning electron microscopy; SEM; Weight reduction
• ISSN: 1516-1439; 1980-5373; 1980-5373
• DOI: 10.1590/1980-5373-mr-2016-0172

The automotive industry is constantly under several challenges in many aspects, such as development of new materials and improvement their manufacturability. In order to achieve light weight, reduced emissions and ensure conductor safety, advanced high strength steels (AHSS) are able to fulfill these requirements. Dual phase steels (DP) are well suited for light weighing car body constructions. The gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process is focused in literature as an alternative choice for joining AHSS steels; this study is held to disclose the exhibited microstructural constituents. In addition, quantitative determinations of the volume % of phases in the various weld regions were made. The relative amounts of lower bainite (LB), upper bainite (UB), and polygonal ferrite (PF) in the heat affected zone (HAZ) were determined by image analysis from optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was found that GTAW promoted the development of significant amounts of LB in the HAZ (50.89 %). In contrast atomic force microscopy (AFM) leads to quantify the different phases by the morphology, height and roughness, it was found that martensite (M) dropped down to 7.5% in the intercritical zone (IZ) although PF increases to 92.5% compared with the base metal (BM).