Sensitivity of microstructural factors influencing the impact toughness of hypoeutectoid steels with ferrite-pearlite structure using multiple regression analysis

In this study, the effect of microstructural factors on the impact toughness of hypoeutectoid steels with ferrite-pearlite structure was quantitatively investigated using multiple regression analysis. Microstructural analysis results showed that the pearlite fraction increased with increasing austenitizing temperature and decreasing transformation temperature which substantially decreased the pearlite interlamellar spacing and cementite thickness depending on carbon content. The impact toughness of hypoeutectoid steels usually increased as interlamellar spacing or cementite thickness decreased, although the impact toughness was largely associated with pearlite fraction. Based on these results, multiple regression analysis was performed to understand the individual effect of pearlite fraction, interlamellar spacing, and cementite thickness on the impact toughness. The regression analysis results revealed that pearlite fraction significantly affected impact toughness at room temperature, while cementite thickness did at low temperature.