Influence of austenitizing parameters on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-Si coated press hardened steel

Highlights: • Smaller PAGS is generally beneficial for mechanical performance of Al-Si coated PHS. • Tensile fracture/ductility is independent of austenitizing conditions of these PHS. • Quasi-cleavage occurs under plane strain in PHS austenitized at high temperatures. • Bendability/toughness decreases for Al-Si coated PHS austenitized at high temperatures. • Both Al-Si coating and martensite microstructure affect fracture behavior. -- Abstract: The influence of the austenitizing parameters on the microstructure and mechanical behavior of Al-Si coated press hardened 22MnB5 steel was evaluated in this study. Increasing the austenitizing temperature and hold time resulted in microstructural homogenization, an increase in the prior austenite grain size (PAGS), and increased thickness of the substrate-coating interdiffusion layer. The mechanical properties were evaluated using smooth-sided tensile testing, double edge-notch tensile testing, and free bend testing. Refinement of the PAGS was, in general, beneficial for the mechanical performance of the press hardened steel (PHS); i.e. strength, notch displacement, maximum bending load, and bend angle at maximum load all generally increased with decreasing PAGS. The stress and strain state experienced during each type of test influenced the sensitivity of mechanical and fracture behavior of the PHS to austenitizing conditions. Furthermore, the thickening of the substrate-coating interdiffusion layer, composed of brittle intermetallic phases, at higher austenitizing temperature negatively influenced bendability of the PHS. Ductile fracture was commonly observed in the steel matrix composed of a lath martensitic structure. However, quasi-cleavage fracture was observed for the martensitic matrix with the largest PAGS, which implies a loss of toughness, possibly because of the increased substructure size.