The Effect of Boron, Manganese and Sulfur on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Pipe Steel 17G1SU

The paper presents the results of the effect of boron, manganese and sulfur on the microstructure and mechanical properties of pipe steel 17G1SU. It was shown that the microstructure of boron-free steel sample containing 1.4% Mn and 0.01% S consists mainly of ferrite and a small amount of perlite. Samples microalloyed by boron are represented by a dispersed ferritic-bainitic structure. A decrease in ferrite grain size from 8.7 μm, in a comparative sample without boron containing 1.4% Mn and 0.010% S to 5.8 μm in a sample of steel containing 0.006% B, 1.6% Mn and 0.011% S, shows increasing the dispersity of the ferritic-bainitic structure. A decrease in the manganese content to 1.4, sulfur to 0.004% and an increase in boron concentration to 0.0011%, despite an increase in grain size to 6.8 μm, retain a fine-grained structure. The effect of boron, manganese, and sulfur content on the microhardness of the structural phases of the studied pipe steel samples is noted. The smallest microhardness of ferrite and perlite is observed in the base sample without boron, reaching 180 and 214 HV10, respectively. The microalloying of pipe steel containing 1.6% Mn, 0.011% S with boron is accompanied by an increase in the microhardness of the bainitic phase to 314 HV10, which increases to 400 HV10 with an increase in boron concentration to 0.011%, and a decrease in the content of manganese and sulfur to 1.4 and 0.003%. In this case, the microhardness of the ferrite phase, reaching an increase to 260 HV10, is practically independent of the content of boron, manganese, and sulfur. The mechanical properties of the experimental metal rolling with a thickness of 10 mm provide the production of rolled steel of strength class X80, without heat treatment, regardless of the content of boron, manganese, and sulfur, as a result of the formation of a finely dispersed ferrite-bainitic structure.