Surface Oxide Formation for Differentiated New Steel Grades

新合金的开发为钢铁提供了通往新市场的途径，但也带来了挑战，因为这些开发通常是渐进的、耗时的。快速合金原型和先进表征的新方法可以更快地开发和引入颠覆性的新牌号，这是EPSRC在“繁荣伙伴关系”议程下最近推出的提案中确定的未来研究的关键领域。由于汽车轻量化是传统燃烧汽车减排和电动汽车增程的关键，基于C-Mn-Si-Cr成分空间的新钢种提供了下一代增强延展性的超高强度冷轧和镀锌汽车钢。了解在加工过程中发生的氧化是保证扁钢表面质量的关键。添加到钢中的合金元素既影响铁氧化物的形成动力学，也影响高温下（亚）表面复合氧化物的形成动力学，并且在加工过程中引入的微观结构变化也改变了氧化物动力学。该项目的总体目标是制定一项使用WMG小型快速合金加工（RAP）路线的协议，以模拟加工路线中的氧化条件。氧化动力学和机制将研究使用一系列先进的电子和离子显微镜技术。所获得的数据和见解将直接提供给正在进行的（氧化物）相稳定性建模活动，并将考虑实施塔塔钢铁小规模实验路线中开发的方法。

New alloy developments provide routes to new markets for steel, but also pose challenges, as these developments are often incremental and time-consuming. New methodologies in rapid alloy protoyping and advanced characterisation enables a faster route to developing and introducing disruptive new grades, which was identified to be a key area for future investigation in a recently launched EPSRC proposal under the "Prosperity Partnership" agenda. As automotive light weighting is key for emission reduction in conventional combustion vehicles and range extension in electric vehicles, new steel grades based on the C-Mn-Si-Cr compositional space provides the next generation enhanced ductility ultra-high strength cold rolled and galvanised automotive steel. Knowledge of oxidation occurring during processing is crucial to guarantee the surface quality of flat steels. The alloying elements added to the steel affect both the kinetics of iron oxide formation and the formation of complex oxides in the (sub)surface at high temperatures and changes introduced in the microstructure during processing also modify the oxide kinetics. The overall aim of this project is to develop a protocol for using the small-scale Rapid Alloy Processing (RAP) Route at WMG to imitate the oxidation conditions in the processing route. Oxidation kinetics and mechanisms will be investigated using a range of advanced electron and ion-microscopy techniques. The data and insights obtained will feed directly into ongoing modelling activities on (oxide) phase stability and consideration will be given to implementing the methods developed into the Tata Steel small-scale experimental route.