Effect of Si content on fracture behaviour change by strain rate in Si steels

Fracture behaviour transitions due to change in the strain rate in steels with various Si content ranging from 2% to 5 wt% were studied. Room-temperature tensile tests were conducted over wide range of strain rates ranging from 10^-3 s^-1 to 10³ s^-1. Concerning of the steels with low Si content (no more than 3%), the nominal stress - nominal strain curves represented both uniform and local elongations at all strain rates. On the other hand, in 4% Si steel at a strain rate higher than 10 ₁ s^-1, the tensile sample broke down without local elongation (necking). The stress at breaking was found to be nearly equal to its work hardening rate. The strain rate at which fracture behaviour transition took place in 5% Si steel (10^-1s^-1) was lower than that in 4% Si steel. TEM observations clarified the existence of deformation twins in the sample that fractured without necking. These results indicated that Si addition is subject to the brittle fractures and that the fracture mechanism transition is closely related with the deformation twinning behaviour.