Micro-QpSteel Improving lifetime, decrease automotive pollution quenched & partitioned 1180 steel-made components by microstructural & texture tailor

The steel components remain at the core of modern automobile technology, where there is a great race to reduce the weight by increasing mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. As a solution, the quenching and partitioning steels (Q&P) present a promising strength/ductility relationship at a feasible cost. However, they are plenty of unanswered questions related to their processing-microstructure-properties relationship. Based on the above, the three main objectives of the present postdoctoral proposal attend the three more urgent and necessary challenges of automobile materials. These objectives include: 1) to elaborate and study ultrafine Q&P steels to improve the mechanical and corrosion behaviours beyond the reported limits for the current micrometric materials, 2) to study the relationship between specific texture components and Q&P steel properties through a novel experimental approach, and 3) to decrease the local deformation gradients through the fabrication of nanometric Q&P steels. The elaboration of ultrafine and nanostructure steels will maximize the mechanical properties of its top capacities. The results from this project will play a key role to design and predict the mechanical and physical behaviours of Q&P steels. Besides, an increment in the current efficiency of the QP1180 steel and a reduction of the weight of automobile parts is expected. Previous results will save cost production, decrease fuel expenses of final users, and make the use of automobiles more sustainable by lower CO2 generation. This project will not only provide new knowledge in the matter of automobile materials but also will benefit the economy of producers, final users of cars, decrease the environmental pollution generation, and raise the quality of European production of automobile materials. Integration of multidisciplinary characterization techniques, as well as proper project management and training for the ER, have been planned for the success of the project.