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Evaluation of Manufacturing Temperature Effects on the Mechanical Properties of TMCP and Discrete Plate Steels

Company: The Manitowoc Company, Inc.

Major(s):
Primary: MATSE
Secondary: ME

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Project Background: Steel manufacturers utilize different processing routes to achieve the required balance of strength, toughness, ductility, and weldability. Two common production methods are: 1.Thermo-Mechanically Controlled Processed (TMCP) Steel: achieves strength and toughness through controlled rolling temperatures and accelerated cooling, relies on grain refinement and microstructural control rather than high alloy content, and the mechanical properties can be sensitive to subsequent thermal exposure. 2. Discrete Plate Steel: properties are developed through traditional rolling followed by heat treatment such as normalizing and/or quench and tempering. Performance is generally less dependent on the precise thermal history during rolling. Understanding how manufacturing temperatures influence each material type is critical for welding, forming, stress relieving, and fabrication operations. Problem Statement: Manufacturing and fabrication processes frequently expose steel plates to elevated temperatures through welding, stress relief, thermal cutting, and forming operations. These thermal cycles may alter the microstructure and resulting mechanical properties of TMCP and discrete plate steels differently. The industry requires quantitative data to understand: 1. How strength changes with thermal exposure. 2. How toughness degrades at elevated temperatures. 3. Which material is more resistant to thermal damage. 4. Whether current fabrication temperature limits adequately preserve mechanical performance. Overall, we need to determine how exposure to various manufacturing temperatures affects the mechanical properties and the microstructure of TMPC steel compared to discrete plate steel. Research Questions 1. How do yield strength and tensile strength change with increasing temperature exposure? 2. How does impact toughness change after thermal cycling? 3. Does TMCP steel experience greater degradation than discrete plate steel? 4. What microstructural changes occur at different temperature ranges? 5. What temperature threshold begins to significantly affect mechanical performance?