Unraveling the effects of strain‒induced precipitation on continuous cooling ferrite transformation in titanium‒molybdenum microalloyed steel

Strain‒induced precipitation is a characteristic physical‒metallurgical phenomenon during hot‒rolling in microalloyed steel production that strongly affects the overallthermomechanical control process. In this study, the strain‒induced precipitation behavior in titanium‒molybdenum microalloyed steel was comprehensively investigated, and its complex effects on the austenite/ferrite transformation during continuous cooling were analyzed for the first time, based on stress relaxation and multi‒aspect characterization methods. The stress relaxation results revealed that the fastest strain‒induced precipitation occurred at 900 °C. The precipitates were identified as FCC structured (Ti, Mo)C particles with a coherent or semi‒coherent cubic‒cubic orientation relationship to the austenite matrix. The strain‒induced precipitation proved to increase the ferrite transformation temperature and proportion, significantly refine and homogenize the transformed grains. The intermittent quenching at 0.5 C/s further revealed that the (Ti, Mo)C particles with cubic‒cubic orientation relationship to austenite matrix exerted a dual pinning effect: by pinning dislocations, these particles facilitated diffusion‒controlled ferrite nucleation and growth both at austenite grain boundaries and within grains; by pinning migrating phase interfaces, the particles inhibited the coarsening of ferrite grains. Coupled with compressive testing and strengthening contribution analysis, the strain‒induced precipitation was shown to weaken precipitation strengthening but enhance grain refinement strengthening, thereby providing a novel approach to achieving an optimal balance between microstructural homogeneity and mechanical properties.