Development of Improved S960 Hot Rolled High Strength Steel
with Improved Toughness and Ductility
PhD CASE Award
Funding:
Supervisor:
Fees covered by EPSRC in addition to a stipend of circa £14,000 with industrial top
up of £3,000 per annum. Funding for three and a half years only.
Professor Claire Davis
Project Overview:
There is a market requirement for a high strength, hot rolled steel with high levels of Charpy
toughness and ductility, particularly for yellow goods such as cranes and earth movers.
An important step in developing the commercial strip steel product is gaining an understanding of
the link between composition/processing/microstructure and properties.
The microstructures in these steels are complex mixtures of bainite and martensite, and require SEM
(and possibly more advanced techniques) to allow full quantification.
Additional heat treatments after rolling (tempering) have been shown to improve the strengthductility balance, but the mechanism behind this phenomenon is not clear. Therefore there is a need
for quantification of the microstructural changes associated with these heat treatments, and an
understanding of the relationship between ductility and microstructure.
In addition, the Charpy impact toughness has been marginal in terms of meeting customer
requirements for thicker strip material; it is important to identify the optimum microstructure for
good Charpy toughness. This will involve establishing the best balance between microstructural
components such as bainite and martensite for good Charpy toughness, and also examining the role
of Ti (particularly large TiN particles) in brittle fracture nucleation.
Work will also be required to establish the role of processing conditions on microstructural
development, in particular how processing conditions such as coiling temperature and finish rolling
temperature influence transformation behaviour.
Entry Requirements:
Due to funding regulations application is restricted to UK students only.
Applicants must be UK residents and should have a 1st or 2.1 degree in a relevant science or
engineering subject, such as materials, physics, mechanical engineering, or maths
To Apply:
To apply please complete our online enquiry form