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Recent Advances in High-Performance Steel (2nd Edition)
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Recent Advances in High-Performance Steel (2nd Edition)

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 1425

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Fei Yin

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Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Light Superalloys, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
Interests: high-performance steel; surface engineering; advanced manufacturing; bearing steel
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Lin Hua

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Light Superalloys, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
Interests: metal forming; plasticity; bearing steel
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Jian Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
Interests: light-weight structural materials; high strength/ductile materials; radiation-damage tolerant materials; multi-principal elements and/or multiphase alloys; metal-based and ceramic-based composites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

High-performance steel, known for its exceptional mechanical properties, finds wide-ranging applications in fields such as automotive, aerospace, construction, and energy. However, traditional design and manufacturing methods often fail to fully exploit the potential of high-performance steel and meet the requirements of steel structural components in complex engineering environments. In recent years, significant progress has been made in the design and manufacturing of steels. New manufacturing techniques enable high-end production and service performance in steel and its structural components, meeting the demands for properties such as good friction, wear, and fatigue under extreme operating conditions. Therefore, innovative efforts are urgently necessary at various steel processing stages. By developing green and efficient processing technologies to replace traditional lengthy processes, carbon emissions can be reduced. We also hope that steel possesses long-lasting performance and high structural integrity.

This Special Issue aims to provide a platform for researchers to share their latest findings and innovative advancements in the field of high-performance steels. We welcome submissions from various disciplines, including but not limited to the following: understanding of the microstructure and properties of high-performance steel, maximization and optimization of the mechanical properties of high-performance steels through tailoring the microstructure, synergistic design of novel microstructure achieving high-performance of steels, manufacturing and enhancement of high-performance/multi-functional components, and green and efficient processing technologies, as well as wear resistance, fatigue resistance, creep, and damage resistance of steel.

Prof. Dr. Fei Yin
Prof. Dr. Lin Hua
Prof. Dr. Jian Wang
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

  • high-performance steel
  • mechanical behavior
  • microstructure evolution
  • design and manufacturing
  • strengthening
  • efficient processing technologies
  • wear resistance
  • fatigue

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 7794 KB  
Article
Effect of Solution Temperature on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Fe-Ni-Cr-Mo-Al-Ti High-Strength Stainless Steel
by Mutian Niu, Jiahao Chen, Zhenbao Liu, Jiarui Hu, Zhiyong Yang, Yonghua Duan and Xiaohui Wang
Metals 2026, 16(4), 441; https://doi.org/10.3390/met16040441 - 18 Apr 2026
Viewed by 282
Abstract
High-strength stainless steels are essential materials for critical load-bearing aerospace components, and solution treatment serves as a core process governing their strength–toughness balance. However, in novel multi-element alloy systems, the complex dissolution behavior of precipitates and its underlying mechanisms affecting matrix phase transformations [...] Read more.
High-strength stainless steels are essential materials for critical load-bearing aerospace components, and solution treatment serves as a core process governing their strength–toughness balance. However, in novel multi-element alloy systems, the complex dissolution behavior of precipitates and its underlying mechanisms affecting matrix phase transformations require further investigation. This study systematically explores the thermodynamic evolution and microstructural response of a novel Fe-Ni-Cr-Mo-Al-Ti ultra-high-strength stainless steel during solution treatment. The research highlights how solution temperature drives Laves phase dissolution, controls prior austenite grain growth, redistributes local chemical elements, and dictates retained austenite stability. By establishing the relationship between microstructural features and macroscopic properties, this study aims to provide crucial theoretical guidance for optimizing heat treatment protocols to achieve superior comprehensive mechanical properties in advanced high-strength stainless steels. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in High-Performance Steel (2nd Edition))
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11 pages, 6530 KB  
Article
Effect of Finishing Temperature on Microstructure and Properties of Hot-Rolled Hole Expansion Steel 580HE
by Nai Wu, Lei Liu, Zifeng Guo, Xinlang Wu and Zhengzhi Zhao
Metals 2026, 16(3), 311; https://doi.org/10.3390/met16030311 - 11 Mar 2026
Viewed by 327
Abstract
The effects of different finishing rolling temperatures on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a 580HE hole expansion steel were systematically investigated using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The results show that the yield strength increases [...] Read more.
The effects of different finishing rolling temperatures on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a 580HE hole expansion steel were systematically investigated using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The results show that the yield strength increases with decreasing finishing rolling temperature, whereas the tensile strength and total elongation exhibit relatively small variations. Significant changes in phase fraction, grain size, spatial distribution, and NbC precipitation behavior are observed under different finishing rolling temperatures. The microstructure mainly consists of polygonal ferrite and granular bainite, while acicular ferrite is formed at higher finishing rolling temperatures. With decreasing finishing rolling temperature, the ferrite and bainite grains are markedly refined and become more uniformly distributed. Meanwhile, the ferrite fraction slightly increases, the crystallographic texture is weakened, and, more importantly, the number density of precipitates increases while their size is significantly reduced. The hole expansion ratio increases noticeably with decreasing finishing rolling temperature, which is mainly attributed to grain refinement, improved microstructural and strain homogeneity, and the selective strengthening effect of fine NbC precipitates. These factors effectively reduce stress concentration and hardness mismatch between soft and hard phases, thereby delaying crack initiation during hole expansion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in High-Performance Steel (2nd Edition))
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22 pages, 10342 KB  
Article
Microstructure and Toughness of CGHAZ in Low-Carbon Nb-Ti-La Steel Under High Heat Input Welding Thermal Cycles
by Qiuming Wang, Shibiao Wang, Qingfeng Wang and Riping Liu
Metals 2026, 16(2), 195; https://doi.org/10.3390/met16020195 - 6 Feb 2026
Viewed by 446
Abstract
This study employed a Gleeble-3800TM thermal simulator to conduct thermal cycle experiments on the coarse-grained heat-affected zone (CGHAZ) of Nb-Ti-La microalloyed steel under welding heat inputs of 50, 80, 100, and 120 kJ/cm. A systematic analysis was carried out to investigate the influence [...] Read more.
This study employed a Gleeble-3800TM thermal simulator to conduct thermal cycle experiments on the coarse-grained heat-affected zone (CGHAZ) of Nb-Ti-La microalloyed steel under welding heat inputs of 50, 80, 100, and 120 kJ/cm. A systematic analysis was carried out to investigate the influence of heat input on the microstructure and impact toughness of the CGHAZ. The results indicate that the microstructure of the CGHAZ across different heat inputs consists of acicular ferrite (AF), granular bainite ferrite (GBF), polygonal ferrite (PF), as well as hard phases such as M/A constituents and degenerated pearlite (DP). With increasing heat input, the content of GBF decreases monotonically, while the content of PF increases monotonically, and the amount of hard phases rises continuously. In contrast, the content of AF initially increases and then decreases, reaching its peak at 100 kJ/cm. The microstructural changes induced by higher heat input lead to increased inhomogeneity in the local microstrain, thereby causing a monotonic reduction in crack initiation energy. Regarding crack propagation energy, the optimal performance is achieved at 100 kJ/cm due to the formation of a high proportion of AF, which heterogeneously nucleates on La-rich inclusions. This structure provides a high density of high-angle grain boundaries that effectively hinder crack propagation. Consequently, under the combined influence of crack initiation and propagation behaviors, the CGHAZ exhibits the best impact toughness at a heat input of 100 kJ/cm. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in High-Performance Steel (2nd Edition))
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