Influence of Cu on strength and elongation of dual phase steel

This study aim is to determine Cu on tensile properties of dual phase steel. 0.1% C steel (Base steel) and 1% Cu bearing Base steel (Cu steel) are applied as specimens. The temperatures of dual phase for heat treatment were determined using JMatPro 4.1 software. Specimens were austenised at 1273K for 1.8ks and followed by water quenching. Then, specimens were heat treated at specific temperatures in order to obtain 20 vol.% and 80 vol.% of martensite. Hardness increases with increasing temperature for both steels. In annealed samples, hardness of Cu steel is higher than that of Base steel. Moreover it is found that the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of Cu steel were higher than those of Base steel. The vol.% of martensite is around 80 vol.%, total elongation for Base steel and Cu steel are 15% and 19%, respectively. Therefore, the addition of Cu can improve hardness and tensile properties of dual phase steel