Grain refinement of dual phase steel maximizes deformation ability of martensite, leading to simultaneous enhancement of strength and ductility

Park, M.-H.*; Shibata, Akinobu*; Harjo, S.   ; Tsuji, Nobuhiro*

Dual-phase (DP) steel, composed of soft ferrite and hard martensite, offers excellent strength-ductility balance and low cost. This study found that refining the DP microstructure enhanced both yield strength and strain hardening, improving strength and ductility. Digital image correlation (DIC) revealed strain localization in ferrite, but refinement reduced strain differences between ferrite and martensite, suppressing crack initiation. More ferrite/martensite interfaces promoted plasticity in martensite via enhanced deformation constraint. neutron diffraction showed martensite bore higher phase stress, which increased with refinement. By combining -DIC and neutron data, individual stress-strain curves for ferrite and martensite were constructed for the first time, explaining the strength-ductility synergy through interphase constraint. These findings offer guidance for designing heterostructured materials to overcome the strength-ductility trade-off.