Thermomechanical processing of low carbon bainitic steels is used to obtain a bainitic microstructure with good strength and toughness by continuous cooling after forging without the need of further heat treating, hence reducing manufacturing costs. However, hot forging parameters can significantly influence the microstructure in the forged material. A series of heat treating and forging experiments was carried out to analyze the effect of austenitizing time and temperature on the grain growth and the effect of forging temperature on the Prior Austenite Grain Size (PAGS) and continuously cooled microstructure. The forged microstructures were characterized by optical microscopy, microhardness tests, and X-ray diffraction. The results indicate that at 1200 °C austenitizing temperature abnormal grain growth takes place. Forging temperature significantly affects the PAGS and the subsequently formed microstructure. At high forging temperature (1200 °C), an almost fully bainitic microstructure was obtained. As the forging temperature was reduced to 1100 and 1000 °C, the PAGS refined, while the polygonal ferrite faction increased and the amount of retained austenite decreased. Further evaluations showed that a decrease in the forging temperature results in a higher carbon concentration in solution in the retained austenite leading to a stabilization effect.

Thermo-mechanical treatments using continuous cooling after forging are an established method for producing bainitic steels, mainly because of the elimination of energy intensive additional heat treatment processes. The cooling is usually employed in an uncontrolled manner in the industrial sector, which can be detrimental to the resulting microstructural morphology and, consequently, to the final product properties. In this study, a new controlled two-step cooling route based on the principles of bainitic displacive growth was designed and applied in a 0.18C (wt-%) steel. Inverse finite element method was used on the cooling data to obtain the evolution of temperatures for the samples during cooling, allowing to assess point to point cooling rates. Investigations via X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy analysis and hardness testing revealed a variation of bainitic morphology, namely, the transition from granular bainite to lath-like bainite with relatively high hardness and constituents/phase boundaries than the pre-treated microstructure.

The current investigation was conducted on gres porcelain stoneware, a robust, impermeable and aesthetically pleasing type of ceramic mainly used for flooring, characterizing its resistance to bending and low-velocity impact, both representative efforts to which flooring tiles are constantly subjected as a consequence of the fall of objects and microsubsidences. The mechanical characterization was made through experimental tests following an adapted low-velocity impact testing routine, and the model was by validated numerical simulation through the explicit code software LS-DYNA based on the Johnson–Holmquist constitutive material model. Specimens were tested before and after an annealing cycle industrially used to allow porcelain folding. The thermal treatment demonstrated to infer a decrease in mechanical resistance on the material, understood as a consequence of its elevated maximum temperature and fast cooling rate. The numerical model calibrated successfully allows predicting the behavior of gres porcelain before and after annealing against low-velocity impact.

Palletized products are one of the most common means of goods transportation. However, recent studies show that there is still room for improvements in the packaging technology that can represent less expenses with wrapping material and also a smaller amount of damaged products. After all, an insufficient packaging might not support the stresses inferred to the pallet and lead it to tear apart during transport, representing a financial loss; on the other hand, an overdone packaging means an unnecessary material cost. Given the current overview, it becomes clear that packaging optimization techniques are a prolific area of study for generating money saving, improving safety and reducing merchandise losses, being potentially profitable for all those involved in the supply chain. In order to figure out how to improve this process, it is necessary to understand all technical branches embraced by the subject; thus, the present work thoroughly lists the most important factors to be considered in palletized products transportation through a state-of-the-art review.

New processing routes and alternatives have been studied in the manufacture of automotive parts aiming for lower energy consumption and less environmental impact. In this context, continuous cooling bainitic steels have emerged to address this demand by eliminating the quenching and tempering treatments. In substitution to heat treatments to improve wear resistance on the surface, plasma nitriding is a candidate. However, the effects on the core of bainitic microstructures over long time processes at subcritical temperatures are limited and should be further investigated. Especially in case of unexpected effects on the core of steels depending on time and temperature, compromising performance in service. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of two plasma nitriding conditions at 500 ºC on the core of DIN 18MnCrSiMo6-4 continuous cooling bainitic steel, for 20 h and 30 h of treatment. For this purpose, characterization techniques, such as optical microscopy and SEM were applied to evaluate microstructural changes on the core followed by the Vickers hardness test to estimate possible softening effects. The research found a decrease of austenite fraction in the nitride conditions in comparison to the initial microstructure of the bainitic steel, a reduction of dislocation density of ferrite measured by Williamson–Smallman relation and the hardness dropped about 10% after 20 h and 20% after 30 h of treatment. The conclusion pointed out alteration on the core for the plasma nitriding treatments for long time cycles at a temperature of 500 °C, similarly to effects observed in tempering treatments.