Low Cycle Fatigue of G20Mn5 Cast Steel Relation between Microstructure and Fatigue Life.

Cast steel is commonly used to produce structural and safety parts. Foundry processes allow producing parts from scrap steel directly to the required dimensions without any forming operation. Cast components may, however, exhibit macro- and micro-shrinkage porosities. The combined effect of macro- and micro-shrinkages on the fatigue behavior of cast steel has been characterized in the literature. Macro-shrinkages may nowadays be eliminated by adequate positioning of risers. However, micro-shrinkages will always be present in cast steel components. Present work addresses the influence of micro-shrinkage porosity on a G20Mn5 cast steel. G20Mn5 (normalized) ingots have been cast under industrial conditions, but ensuring the absence of macro-porosities. Solidification leads to two very different microstructures prior to the normalization treatment: columnar dendrites beneath the surface (