(Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China)
Since the discovery of interphase precipitation (IP) in low alloy steels, it has received extensive attention in academia due to its unique phase transformation mode and regular distribution of precipitated products. In recent years, it has been widely favored by the automotive industry with its superior strength reinforcement and excellent stretch flange formability. However, owing to its unclarified physical mechanism, a challenge is posed for the microstructure control and performance optimization of interphase precipitated steels. In this paper, the typical morphologies of IP were summarized firstly, combining with the description of the inter-sheet spacing and particle size variation with temperatures. Subsequently, the emphasis was mainly placed on the introduction of various models for explaining the IP, together with the raise of their limitations. Moreover, a modeling assumption based on the solute drag theory was proposed to quantitatively describe the kinetics of coupled phase transformation between ferrite growth and carbide precipitation. Finally, the industrial application of IP was introduced. Its broad application outlook for strength enhancement and hydrogen embrittlement resistance of high-strength ferritic steel was also prospected.