Bainitic Steels, their Characteristics and Applications

Abstract. Excellent combination of mechanical properties makes bainitic steels very attractive for commercial application. The most potential benefit of bainitic steels is found in the lightweight design of car bodies. The chemical composition, productions process and the austenite state control the properties of those steels. To reach the target of the correct component design it is important to focus on transformation kinetics. High carbon steels have been investigated, which contain approximately 0.5% C, 1.5% Si, 1.5% Mn, 0.9% Cr and 1.5% Cu. It’s expected to form a carbide free bainitic microstructure due to the Si addition. The residual austenite in the microstructure of high carbon bainitic steels ensures the forming ability besides the high strength. Maximum tensile strength is 1650 MPa and elongation is around 30%. Those steels can be used to produce large scale components.