Low-Carbon High-Toughness Steel for Tank Car Applications

A low-carbon steel chemistry was designed within the current stipulated compositional limits of TC 128 Gr B steel to improve toughness and puncture resistance of railroad tank car steels. Substitutional strengthening, changes of microstructure from a predominantly ferrite-pearlite to ferrite-bainite, and microstructural refining with Nb additions compensated the anticipated loss in strength due to the reduction of carbon. Mechanical properties of plates rolled to various final thickness were evaluated in normalized and post-weld heat treatment conditions. Comparative finite element analysis simulations were performed to evaluate puncture behavior under impact loading for tank car applications.

Dr Tanya Ros-Yanez | Cleveland-Cliffs Research & Innovation Center
 

Susan Glinski | Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor
 

Michael Kapustin | Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor
 

Venkata Challa | NA