Microstructural Inheritance in Thick Slabs of Low-Carbon Microalloyed Steel and Its Impact on the Quality of Heavy Plates
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The quality of heavy plates produced from low-carbon steel is directly linked to the structural characteristics inherited from the initial continuously cast thick slabs. This study explores how different casting technologies affect the morphology and distribution of allotriomorphic ferrite along prior austenite grain boundaries (PAGBs) within these slabs. Using quantitative microstructural analysis based on advanced computer vision techniques (OpenCV), the research identifies significant variations in ferrite boundary thickness and volume fraction associated with different casting methods. These microstructural differences strongly correlate with variations in Charpy V-notch impact energy (KVZ20) and susceptibility to microcrack formation during subsequent rolling processes. The results obtained allow us to evaluate the influence of the cast structure on the formation of the initial structural characteristics of the material, especially on the formation of microcracks of the slab microstructure and their propagation during further processing.
Source: Alloys
Authors: Andrei Filatov, Eugene Goli-Oglu, Vitaliy Naumenko, Alexander Kazarin
Institution: DanSteel (Denmark)
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,207
OpenAlex ID: W4415489850