The Bauschinger Effect in a High-Strength Steel

The object of this work was to evaluate quantitatively the Bauschinger effect in a 4330 modified steel as a function of strength level and structure as derived from variations in heat-treatment. Material having martensitic, pearlitic, and bainitic structures was studied utilizing a uniaxial tension-compression specimen. Various ways of defining the magnitude of the Bauschinger effect are explained. One is a conventional approach as suggested by Welter, the other a technique which takes strain-hardening into account. The results show the Bauschinger effect to be independent of yield strength for three different strength levels of the martensitic material. It is only mildly influenced by material structure and independent of the direction of overstrain. The Bauschinger effect increases with increasing permanent strain up to approximately 2 percent and thereafter remains essentially constant.