Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.3
2.5
Journals
Metals
Special Issues
Advanced High Strength Steels: Properties and Applications
share announcement

Advanced High Strength Steels: Properties and Applications

A special issue of Metals (ISSN 2075-4701).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2026 | Viewed by 2056

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Xiangdong Huo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Material Science and Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Interests: physical metallurgy; advanced steel materials; microstructure analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Zhengwu Peng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
Interests: carbon management and precipitation of ultrahigh-strength steels; heat-resistant high-strength aluminum alloy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Songjun Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Engineering Research Center of Near-Net-Shape Forming for Metallic Materials, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
Interests: physical metallurgy; advanced steel materials; microstructure characterization; precipitation; thermo-mechanical processing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Physical metallurgy is the root of the vigorous development of modern materials science. The physical metallurgy of steel is an important part of ironmaking and steelmaking. The main research scope of this field is the evolution of microstructures and the changes in properties during processing and heat treatment after the solidification of chemical metallurgy products. The main problem in steel production in terms of physical metallurgy is the relationship between process, structure, and properties. In-depth study of microstructures could reveal the mechanism behind various appearances and promote the progress of process technology and the development of advanced materials.

Prof. Dr. Xiangdong Huo
Dr. Zhengwu Peng
Dr. Songjun Chen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • physical metallurgy
  • process parameters
  • microstructure evolution
  • mechanical properties
  • TMCP
  • recrystallization
  • transformation
  • precipitation
  • steel grade

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

19 pages, 10651 KB  
Article
Mechanistic Insights into LME Crack-Induced High-Cycle Fatigue Degradation in Zn-Coated High-Strength Boron Steel
by Shaotai Feng, Ning Tan, Jianyu Zhang, Xiaodeng Wang, Ping Bao and Hongxing Zheng
Metals 2026, 16(3), 338; https://doi.org/10.3390/met16030338 - 17 Mar 2026
Viewed by 379
Abstract
Liquid metal embrittlement (LME) during hot stamping of Zn-coated high-strength steels poses significant challenges to the long-term durability of automotive components. This study investigates how ~30 μm deep LME cracks affect the mechanical behavior of Zn-coated high-strength boron steel. LME-free flat specimens were [...] Read more.
Liquid metal embrittlement (LME) during hot stamping of Zn-coated high-strength steels poses significant challenges to the long-term durability of automotive components. This study investigates how ~30 μm deep LME cracks affect the mechanical behavior of Zn-coated high-strength boron steel. LME-free flat specimens were compared with hat-shaped specimens containing LME cracks. While tensile strength and ductility exhibited minimal changes, the high-cycle fatigue limit (R = −1, 107 cycles) decreased by 10.9% from 550 MPa to 490 MPa in hat-shaped specimens. Fractographic examination revealed distinct stress-dependent crack initiation mechanisms: at high stress amplitudes (≥690 MPa), LME cracks competed with intrinsic substrate defects but did not dominate fatigue failure. In contrast, at moderate-to-low stress amplitudes (≤630 MPa), LME cracks dominated fatigue degradation through a multi-site crack initiation tendency. El Haddad analysis positioned these cracks at the short-to-long crack transition boundary (l ≈ l0). Preliminary fracture mechanics analysis reveals that conventional single-crack LEFM models systematically overestimate the fatigue threshold stress for LME-affected specimens, a discrepancy qualitatively attributed to the high surface density and morphological complexity of LME crack networks and to chemically assisted grain boundary weakening induced by liquid Zn infiltration—effects not captured by standard fracture mechanics frameworks. These results establish the stress-dependent mechanisms governing LME crack-induced fatigue degradation and provide a mechanistic basis for the development of more accurate fatigue life prediction methods for Zn-coated hot-stamped high-strength steels. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced High Strength Steels: Properties and Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 4066 KB  
Article
Effects of Annealing Temperature and Mo Alloying Element on Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of Fe-18Mn-8Al-1C-3Cu Lightweight Steel
by Shibo Wang, Peng Li and Hua Ding
Metals 2026, 16(3), 314; https://doi.org/10.3390/met16030314 - 12 Mar 2026
Viewed by 329
Abstract
As a new generation of structural materials, Fe-Mn-Al-C lightweight steels with low density, high strength, and excellent strength-toughness properties have shown significant application potential in fields such as transportation, aerospace, and energy equipment. In the present work, the effects of Mo alloying and [...] Read more.
As a new generation of structural materials, Fe-Mn-Al-C lightweight steels with low density, high strength, and excellent strength-toughness properties have shown significant application potential in fields such as transportation, aerospace, and energy equipment. In the present work, the effects of Mo alloying and annealing processes on the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of Fe-18Mn-8Al-1C-3Cu lightweight steel are investigated. Due to the addition of Mo, the recrystallization temperature is significantly increased, and the recrystallization process is delayed. The fine and dispersed Mo6C precipitated phases can effectively impede dislocation movements and pin the grain boundaries, hindering recrystallization and grain growth. After annealing at 900 °C, the yield and tensile strengths of the Mo-alloyed steel were enhanced, achieving 1181 MPa and 1345 MPa, respectively, while maintaining an elongation of 24%, thus exhibiting excellent comprehensive performance. Quantitative analysis of strengthening mechanisms confirmed that the strength enhancement primarily resulted from the synergistic contributions of grain refinement strengthening (~152 MPa), solid solution strengthening (44 MPa), dislocation strengthening (131.6 MPa), and Mo6C precipitation strengthening (52.23 MPa). Through Mo alloying and annealing process optimization, a high-strength, ductile lightweight steel was successfully developed, providing theoretical foundations and technical pathways for its application in high-performance structural materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced High Strength Steels: Properties and Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 15301 KB  
Article
Application of CH241 Stainless Steel with High Concentration of Mn and Mo: Microstructure, Mechanical Properties, and Tensile Fatigue Life
by Ping-Yu Hsieh, Bo-Ding Wu and Fei-Yi Hung
Metals 2025, 15(8), 863; https://doi.org/10.3390/met15080863 - 1 Aug 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 783
Abstract
A novel stainless steel with high Mn and Mo content (much higher than traditional stainless steel), designated CH241SS, was developed as a potential replacement for Cr-Mo-V alloy steel in the cold forging applications of precision industry. Through carbon reduction in an environmentally friendly [...] Read more.
A novel stainless steel with high Mn and Mo content (much higher than traditional stainless steel), designated CH241SS, was developed as a potential replacement for Cr-Mo-V alloy steel in the cold forging applications of precision industry. Through carbon reduction in an environmentally friendly manner and a two-stage heat treatment process, the hardness of as-cast CH241 was tailored from HRC 37 to HRC 29, thereby meeting the industrial specifications of cold-forged steel (≤HRC 30). X-ray diffraction analysis of the as-cast microstructure revealed the presence of a small amount of ferrite, martensite, austenite, and alloy carbides. After heat treatment, CH241 exhibited a dual-phase microstructure consisting of ferrite and martensite with dispersed Cr(Ni-Mo) alloy carbides. The CH241 alloy demonstrated excellent high-temperature stability. No noticeable softening occurred after 72 h for the second-stage heat treatment. Based on the mechanical and room-temperature tensile fatigue properties of CH241-F (forging material) and CH241-ST (soft-tough heat treatment), it was demonstrated that the CH241 stainless steel was superior to the traditional stainless steel 4xx in terms of strength and fatigue life. Therefore, CH241 stainless steel can be introduced into cold forging and can be used in precision fatigue application. The relevant data include composition design and heat treatment properties. This study is an important milestone in assisting the upgrading of the vehicle and aerospace industries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced High Strength Steels: Properties and Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop