Effect of composition and pre-deformation on age hardening response in a copper-containing interstitial free steel

The effect of composition and a wide range of pre-deformation on the ageing response of a promising high strength copper-containing interstitial free steel has been studied. It has been observed that higher amount of copper and the addition of Ni, P and B improve the hardening potential and accelerate the copper precipitation kinetics. Pre-deformation also affects the copper precipitation in a similar way. It has been shown that the fastest precipitation kinetics and the dominance of recovery over ageing in a pre-deformed material correspond to a critical amount of pre-deformation.