This study investigated the microstructure and mechanical properties of hot-rolled and cold-rolled medium-Mn transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) steel. The experimental steel, processed by quenching and tempering (Q & T) heat treatment, exhibited excellent mechanical properties for hot-rolled and Q & T steels (strength of 1050–1130 MPa and ductility of 16–34%), as well as for cold-rolled and Q & T steels (strength of 878–1373 MPa and ductility of 18–40%). The mechanical properties obtained after isothermal holding at 775 °C for one hour for cold-rolled/Q & T steel were superior to that of hot-rolled/Q & T steel. Excellent mechanical properties were attributed to the large amount of retained austenite, which produced a discontinuous TRIP effect. Additionally, the differences in mechanical properties correlated with the morphology, stability and content of retained austenite. The cold-rolled sample, quenched from 650 °C (CR 650°C) had extensive TRIP effects in the middle and late stages of the deformation, leading to better mechanical properties. The fracture modes of the hot-rolled sample, quenched from 650 °C, and the cold-rolled sample quenched from 650 °C, were ductile fractures, resulting in excellent ductility.

This study investigates the strengthening mechanism and carbide precipitation behavior of medium Mn steel with Nb-Mo microalloy after cyclic quenching and austenite reverse transformation treatment. The results show that the Nb/Mo element not only precipitates (Nb,Mo)C in the grains, hindering the movement of dislocations and increases the strength, but also segregates at the austenite/ferrite grain boundary, thus delaying the transformation from austenite to ferrite. In addition, a large amount of nano-scale cementite is retained after cyclic quenching and austenite reverse transformation, which has a positive effect on the proportion of retained austenite in medium Mn steel. Moreover, the carbides with small size and low Mn content are dissolved, and the decomposed C and Mn content are beneficial to the nucleation of austenite during the intercritical annealing process at a temperature of 690 °C.

This study investigated the microstructure–tensile properties relationship and the retained austenite room temperature stability of a Nb and Mo micro-alloyed medium manganese transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) steel. A number of findings were obtained. Most importantly, the steel after being processed by quenching and tempering (Q & T) exhibited excellent tensile properties, i.e., the strength of 878–1373 MPa, the ductility of 18–40% Mo, and Nb microalloying served to control the fraction of retained austenite and to improve tensile strength by fine grain strengthening. Excellent tensile properties were attributable to the large amount of retained austenite which produced a discontinuous TRIP effect. This effect led to the production a large amount of martensite which relieved the stress concentration, contributing to the coordinated deformation between the phases and thus improving the deformability of the steel. Additionally, the differences in Mn and C contents led to varying degrees of austenite stability and the length of the Lüders band decreased as the intercritical annealing temperature increased. The micro-alloyed medium manganese steel experimented on our study showed considerable improvement in tensile properties in comparison with the 5Mn-0.1C medium manganese steel in previous studies.

This study investigated the austenite stability and deformation behavior of cyclic quenching-austenite reverse transformation processed Fe-0.25C-3.98Mn-1.22Al-0.20Si-0.19Mo-0.03Nb medium Mn steel. A number of findings were obtained. Most importantly, the extent of the TRIP effect was mainly determined by an appropriately retained austenite stability rather than its content. Simultaneously, chemical elements were the key factors affecting austenite stability, of which Mn had the greatest impact, while the difference of retained austenite grain size and Mn content resulted in different degrees of retained austenite stability. Additionally, there were still large amounts of strip and granular-retained austenite shown in the microstructure of the CQ3-ART sample after tensile fracture, revealing that the excessively stable, retained austenite inhibited the generation of an extensive TRIP effect.

In the context of obtaining an excellent elongation and tensile-strength combination in the third generation of advanced high strength steel, we emphasized the practical significance of adjusting the retained austenite fraction and stability in medium-Mn steel to obtain better mechanical properties. A novel cyclic quenching and austenite reverse transformation (CQ-ART) was used to obtain a large retained austenite content in Fe-0.25C-3.98Mn-1.22Al-0.20Si-0.19Mo-0.03Nb (wt.%) Nb–Mo micro-alloyed medium-Mn steel. The results show that after twice cyclic quenching and ART, the alloy exhibited optimum comprehensive properties, characterized by an ultimate tensile strength of 838 MPa, a total elongation of 90.8%, a product of strength and elongation of 76.1 GPa%, and the volume fraction of austenite of approximately 62 vol.%. The stability of retained austenite was significantly improved with the increasing of the number of cyclic quenching. Moreover, the effects of CQ-ART on the microstructure evolution, mechanical properties, C/Mn partitioning behavior, and austenite stability were investigated. Further, the strengthening effect of microalloying elements Nb–Mo was also discussed.