Influence of Thermo-Mechanical Process and Nb-V Microalloying on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Fe–Mn–Al–C Austenitic Steel

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The paper presents a good topic related to. Influence of thermo-mechanical process and Nb-V microalloying on microstructure and mechanical properties of Fe-Mn-Al-C austenitic steel

 

. The following attached file to improve the paper before publication.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

The paper presents a good topic related to. Influence of thermo-mechanical process and Nb-V microalloying on microstructure and mechanical properties of Fe-Mn-Al-C austenitic steel

 

. The following attached file to improve the paper before publication.

Author Response

The authors would like to thank the reviewer for the constructive criticism that provided valuable guidance for the manuscript improvement. Based on the reviewers’ comments, the manuscript has been revised. The changes made, wherever practicable, were highlighted in yellow in the revised manuscript. The detailed responses to the comments are presented below.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Fe-Mn-Al-C lightweight steels, also known as low-density steels, have garnered significant research interest in recent years due to their favorable mechanical properties and lightweight nature as potential structural materials. Numerous publications have been written on the structure, properties, and role of alloying additives, although the subject is not yet fully understood.

 The article titled "Effect of Thermo-Mechanical and Nb-V Microalloying Processes on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Fe-Mn-Al-C Austenitic Steel" presents the mechanical properties of steels subjected to various thermo-mechanical processes. The idea of improving the properties of Fe-Mn-Al-C Nb-V steels through microalloying is both interesting and promising. The work addresses a relevant and intriguing subject matter, and the paper is well-written and engaging.

 The literature review was conducted thoroughly, citing up-to-date works, and the authors have competently addressed previous findings. The research methods are appropriately chosen, and their description is clear and comprehensible. The conclusions drawn are consistent with the presented evidence and arguments.

Author Response

Thank you very much for your positive comments on our manuscript.

Reviewer 3 Report

The article is presented well and organized in a well-structured manner in terms of results;

1-Why is there any need for Nb-V microalloying in Fe-Mn-Al-C austenitic steel, which is already good alloy steel in terms of low density and excellent mechanical properties, as the authors have mentioned in lines 35-36? 

2- Authors need to highlight the novelty in the last paragraph of the introduction, what is going to happen in terms of counterargument or mechanism while adding Ni and V separately.

3-Authors must include the real images of specimens prepared through an induction vacuum furnace and the specimens for different testings.

4-The subheadings of heading 3 seemed quite simple, like just 3.1. microstructure; must be attractive for the readers.

5-For Figures 2 and 3, highlight the large and small grains regions.

6- The conclusion part is quite weak, the authors have already obtained some good results. So, they have to provide a comprehensive conclusion highlighting the quantitative results like the percentage of increment in Tensile and yield strength, Grain sizes etc etc.

minor changes required.

Author Response

The authors would like to thank the reviewer for the constructive criticism that provided valuable guidance for the manuscript improvement. Based on the reviewers’ comments, the manuscript has been revised. The changes made, wherever practicable, were highlighted in yellow in the revised manuscript. The detailed responses to the comments are presented below.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 4 Report

Research on engineering materials is an inexhaustible source of knowledge and science. Small changes in the chemical composition, manufacturing process or heat treatment result in a material with new mechanical parameters and structure properties. This is important because everything around is based on materials, and the world needs lighter, cheaper, but more durable and reliable steels.

 

The authors fluently review the literature on austenitic steel with the addition of Mn and Al and C, describe the structure and its properties as well as the influence of alloying elements on these properties. Then, in the material and methods chapter, the chemical composition, production technology and thermomechanical treatment are discussed. The authors thoroughly described the methodology of sample preparation and conducted research.

The presentation of the results is detailed, supplemented with micrographs and graphs as well as extensive descriptions of the results obtained. In the discussion, the authors discuss the results of their research in detail and compare them with the results or observations of other researchers, which further enriches the work and emphasizes its quality.

The whole thing looks very good, reads equally well, there is no feeling of carelessness, omission, lack of anything - the article is solid, specific, so I think that editors should consider publishing it in the journal.

Comments for author File: Comments.docx

Author Response

Thank you very much for your positive comments on our manuscript.