Autores: Paul, G.; Grobterlinden, R.;
Aldazábal Mensa, Javier; Garcia, O.; Dickert, H.H.; Katsamas, A.I.; Kamoutsi, E.; Haidemenopoulos, G.N.; Hebesberger, T.; Satzinger, K.
Resumen: Bainite is nowadays playing a major role in the microstructure and mechanical properties in a variety of
industrially-produced steel grades. Multiphase transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) steels for
automotive applications, ultra-low carbon bainitic (ULCB) steels for pipeline applications are some
examples of the increasing involvement of bainite as a microstructural constituent in steels.
Nevertheless, optimization of the production and exploitation of bainite-involving steel grades and,
more importantly, optimization of the design of new alloy compositions and/or processing routes,
necessitate the clarification of the effect of chemical composition and heat-treatment conditions on the
evolution of the bainitic transformation. This in turn creates a necessity for the development of
appropriate models, with the highest possible degree of accuracy and applicability.
However, because of the great morphological variety under which bainite can exist, and because of the
complex situation of transforming into bainite not all controlling processes of the bainitic
transformation are understood and ¿ until today ¿ are discussed with controversy and disagreement. As
a consequence of these difficulties associated with the bainitic transformation, such modelling tools of
practical generality and applicability have not been developed.
The projects major objective was to achieve the development of a physically-based approach, or of a
combination of appropriate physical approaches to describe the overall, macroscopic kinetics of the
bainitic transformation in dual-phase, TRIP and complex-phase steels, with the highest possible degree
of qualitative and quantitative accuracy, and with the widest possible field of applicability with respect
to alloy compositions and cooling conditions.
