Effect of ultrafast heating on the properties of the microconstituents in a low-carbon steel

The effect of ultrafast heating on the microstructure and properties of a low-carbon steel is studied at the microscale. Ultrafast heating results in the formation of a complex multiphase microstructure containing mainly martensite and retained austenite grains embedded into a ferritic matrix. The ferritic matrix exhibits a microstructure consisting of recovered and recrystallized grains. The recrystallized grains are softer and display pop-in events during nanoindentation, while the harder recovered grains show uniform deformation behavior