Steels hardened by copper precipitation are the focus of many research programs. Most of this effort is devoted to development of low-carbon steels. Precipitation strengthening of ferrite is used for steel strengthening without losing the capability of deep drawing before the precipitation hardening. This article shows the results of precipitation strengthening in low alloyed steel containing 0.2% carbon. The steel composition is aimed at developing weldable high-strength steel for demanding structural applications. Copper precipitation was exploited to strengthen different types of microstructures. Quenching and ageing and isothermal austenite decomposition into bainite were used to develop copper precipitation. Mechanical properties and microstructure were compared. Tensile tests were performed and hardness was measured. Copper precipitation was documented by FEG SEM microscopy.

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