Correlation of Fractographic Features with Mechanical Properties in Systematically Varied Microstructures of Cu-Strengthened High-Strength Low-Alloy Steel

Fracture is often the culmination of continued deformation. Therefore, it is probable that a fracture surface may contain an imprint of the deformation processes that were operative. In this study, the deformation behavior of copper-strengthened high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) 100 steel has been investigated. Systematic variation of the microstructure has been introduced in the steel through various aging treatments. Due to aging, the coherency, size, shape, and distribution of the copper precipitates were changed, while those of inclusions, carbides, and carbonitrides were kept unaltered. Two-dimensional dimple morphologies, quantified from tensile fracture surfaces, have been correlated to the nature of the variation of the deformation parameters with aging treatment.