An in-situ study of static recrystallization in Mg using high temperature EBSD

It has been a common method to improve the mechanical properties of metals by manipulating their microstructures via static recrystallization,i.e.,through heat treatment.Therefore,the knowledge of recrystallization and grain growth is critical to the success of the technique.In the present work,by using in-situ high temperature EBSD,the mechanisms that control recrystallization and grain growth of an extruded pure Mg were studied.The experimental results revealed that the grains of priority for dynamic recrystallization exhibit fading competitiveness under static recrystallization.It is also found that grain boundary movement or grain growth is likely to show an inverse energy gradient effect,i.e.,low energy grains tend to swallow or grow into high energy grains,and grain boundaries of close to 30°exhibit superior growth advantage to others.Another finding is that{10-12}tensile twin boundaries are sites of hardly observed for recrystallization,and are finally swallowed by adjacent recrystallized grains.The above findings may give comprehensive insights of static recrystallization and grain growth of Mg,and may guide the design of advanced materials processing in microstructural engineering.

Effect of deformation parameters on the austenite dynamic recrystallization behavior of a eutectoid pearlite rail steel

Understandings of the effect of hot deformation parameters close to the practical production line on grain refinement are crucial for enhancing both the strength and toughness of future rail steels.In this work,the austenite dynamic recrystallization(DRX)behaviors of a eutectoid pearlite rail steel were studied using a thermo-mechanical simulator with hot deformation parameters frequently employed in rail production lines.The single-pass hot deformation results reveal that the prior austenite grain sizes(PAGSs)for samples with different deformation reductions decrease initially with an increase in deformation temperature.However,once the deformation temperature is beyond a certain threshold,the PAGSs start to increase.It can be attributed to the rise in DRX volume fraction and the increase of DRX grain with deformation temperature,respectively.Three-pass hot deformation results show that the accumulated strain generated in the first and second deformation passes can increase the extent of DRX.In the case of complete DRX,PAGS is predominantly determined by the deformation temperature of the final pass.It suggests a strategic approach during industrial production where part of the deformation reduction in low temperature range can be shifted to the medium temperature range to release rolling mill loads.

Effect of Strain Ratio on Fatigue Model of Ultra-fine Grained Pure Titanium

The ultra-fine grained(UFG)pure titanium was prepared by equal channel angular pressing(ECAP)and rotary swaging(RS).The strain controlled low cycle fatigue(LCF)test was carried out at room temperature.The fatigue life prediction model and mean stress relaxation model under asymmetrical stress load were discussed.The results show that the strain ratio has a significant effect on the low cycle fatigue performance of the UFG pure titanium,and the traditional Manson-coffin model can not accurately predict the fatigue life under asymmetric stress load.Therefore,the SWT mean stress correction model and three-parameter power curve model are proposed,and the test results are verified.The final research shows that the threeparameter power surface model has better representation.By studying the mean stress relaxation phenomenon under the condition of R≠-1,it is revealed that the stress ratio and the strain amplitude are the factors that significantly afiect the mean stress relaxation rate,and the mean stress relaxation model with the two variables is calculated to describe the mean stress relaxation phenomenon of the UFG pure titanium under different strain ratios.The fracture morphology of the samples was observed by SEM,and it was concluded that the final fracture zone of the fatigue fracture of the UFG pure titanium was a mixture of ductile fracture and quasi cleavage fracture.The toughness of the material increases with the increase of strain ratio at the same strain amplitude.

Preparation of ultra-fine grain Ni-Al-WC coating with interlocking bonding on austenitic stainless steel by laser clad and friction stir processing

The ultra-fine structured Ni?Al?WC layer with interlocking bonding was fabricated on austenitic stainless steel by combination of laser clad and friction stir processing (FSP). Laser was initially applied to Ni?Al elemental powder preplaced on the austenitic stainless steel substrate to produce a coating for further processing. The as-received coating was subjected to FSP treatment, processed by a rotary tool rod made of WC?Co alloy, to obtain sample for inspection. Microstructure, phase constitutions, hardness and wear property were investigated by methods of scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) microanalysis, and X-ray diffraction (XRD), hardness test alongside with dry sliding wear test. The results show that the severe deformation effect exerted on the specimen resulted in an ultra-fine grain layer of about 100μmin thickness and grain size of 1?2μm. Synergy between introduction of WC particles to the deformation layer and deformation strengthening contributes greatly to the increase in hardness and friction resistance. An interlocking bonding between the coating and matrix which significantly improves bonding strength was formed due to the severe deformation effect.

Evaluation of ultra-fine grained tungsten under transient high heat flux by high-intensity pulsed ion beam

Pure tungsten, oxide dispersion strengthened tungsten and carbide dispersion strengthened tungsten were fabricated by high-energy ball milling and spark plasma sintering process. In order to evaluate the properties of the tungsten alloys under transient high heat flues, four tungsten samples with different grain sizes were tested by high-intensity pulsed ion beam with a heat flux as high as 160 MW/（m^2·s^-1/2）. Compared with the commercial tungsten, the surface modification of the oxide dispersion strengthened tungsten by high-intensity pulsed ion beam is completely different. The oxide dispersion strengthened tungsten shows inferior thermal shock response due to the low melting point second phase of Ti and Y2O3, which results in the surface melting, boiling bubbles and cracking. While the carbide dispersion strengthened tungsten shows better thermal shock response than the commercial tungsten.

Effects of Primary Annealing Condition on Recrystallization Texture in a Grain Oriented Silicon Steel

The recrystallization texture in grain oriented silicon steel sheets, which were annealed at different primary annealingtemperatures with and without an electric field, was investigated. An automated electron backscattered diffraction(EBSD) technique was used to analyze the recrystallization texture. It was found that recovery and application ofelectric field in primary annealing lead to an increase of {001} component and a decrease of {111} component afterannealing at 900℃. The development of recrystallization texture can be explained in terms of the effects of electricfield and primary annealing temperature on recovery.

Behaviors of different inhibitors during secondary recrystallization of a grain-orientated silicon steel

The behaviors of different inhibitors including their composition, size, distribution, coalescence and coarsening were experimen-tally studied. It was observed that during secondary recrystallization of the tested steel, the key inhibition effect was produced by Cu2S and AlN, but not MnS. With the increase of temperature, the size distributions of AlN and Cu2S were changed to some extent. However, signifi-cant changes in particle size were not observed. The initial temperature of abnormal growth was determined by measuring the evolution of particle sizes and their distribution density during heat treatment. AlN and Cu2S are the dominant inhibitors and both are necessary, which is verified by calculating the Zener factor.

Effects of yttrium on recrystallization and grain growth of Mg-4.9Zn-0.7Zr alloy

Recrystallization and grain growth in Mg-4.9Zn-0.7Zr and Mg-4.9Zn-0.9Y-0.7Zr alloys as a function of temperature on deformation were investigated with regards to hot rolling and annealing. The influence of yttrium addition on the microstructure was examined by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, optical microscopy （OM）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The results indicated that yttrium addition promoted nucleation of recrystallization during hot rolling process. The grain size of Mg-4.9Zn-0.7Zr alloy samples grew significantly with annealing temperature （300-400 ℃） and holding time （0-120 min）, while the microstructure of the alloy with yttrium addition remained unchanged and fine. The activation energy of grain boundary migration for Mg-4.9Zn-0.9Y-0.7Zr alloy samples （56.34 kJ/mol） was higher than that for Mg-4.9Zn-0.7Zr （42.66 kJ/mol） owing to the pinning effect of Y-containing particles. The proposed growth models of recrysta/lized grains for the two studied alloys conformed well to E. Robert＇s grain-growth equation. Besides, the ultimate strength and yield strength of the alloys with yttrium addition were improved with good plasticity.

Microstructures of ultra-fine grained FeCoV alloys processed by ECAP plus cold rolling and their evolutions during tempering

A new processing method,equal channel angular pressing(ECAP)plus cold rolling(CR),was applied to producing ultra-fine grained FeCoV alloy.The microstructures of ultra-fine grained FeCoV alloy after ECAP,ECAP plus CR,and the effect of tempering treatment on the microstructure of FeCoV alloy produced by ECAP plus CR were investigated.The results show that an elongated substructure with a width of about 0.3μm is obtained after four-pass ECAP using Route A.Cold rolling after ECAP cannot change the morphologies of elongated substructure,and it results in higher fraction of high-angle boundaries and higher dislocation density compared with the identical ECAP without rolling.Subsequent tempering for 30 min at 853 K brings about many nano-phases precipitating at subgrain boundaries and insides the grains,and the size of precipitated phase is measured to be about 10 nm.Nano-phases grow up with increasing tempering temperature and equiaxed structure forms at 883 K.

Isothermal Growth Kinetics of Ultra-fine Austenite Grains in a Nb-V-Ti Microalloyed Steel

Ultra-fine austenite grains with size of i-3 μm were prepared in a Nb-V-Ti steel through repetitive treatment of rapid heating and quenching. A model for the growth kinetics of these ultra-fine austenite grains was successfully created through successive 2 processes, and the activation energy Q for growth was estimated to be about 693.2 kJ/mol, which directly shows the inhibition effect of microalloy elements on the growth of ultra-fine austenite grains.

Static recrystallization and grain growth during annealing of an extruded Mg-Zn-Zr-Er magnesium alloy

Microstructure stability is essential to maintain a fine grain structure for an alloy throughout its processing.The effects of Er addition and its existing form on the static recrystallization and grain growth during annealing of an extruded Mg-1.5Zn-0.6Zr magnesium alloy were studied in this paper.The results showed that microstructure stability was much improved by Er addition and the best thermability was obtained in 2 wt.%Er-containing alloy.For the incomplete dynamic recrystallization(DRX)microstructures extruded at a lower temperature of 350℃,Er addition increased the resistance of static recrystallization;and for the complete DRX microstructures extruded at a relatively high temperature of 420℃,Er addition suppressed grain growth.The difference in microstructure stability was then correlated with the microstructure features.Both the intermetallic phase and the solute atoms of Er inα-Mg matrix contributed to the microstructure stability.Moreover,it is believed that the existing form of Er-Zn atom pairs in theα-Mg solid solution favored the most to improve the thermal stability of the alloy.

Improving the Fatigue Performance of the Welded Joints of Ultra-Fine Grain Steel by Ultrasonic Peening

Contrast tests were carried out to study the fatigue performance of the butt joints treated by ultrasonic peening, aiming at the improvement of ultrasonic peening treatment(UPT) on welded joints of a new material. The material is a new generation of fine grain and high purity SS400 steel that has the same ingredients as the traditional low carbon steel. The specimens are in two different states:welded and ultrasonic peening conditions. The corresponding fatigue testing data were analyzed according to the regulation of the statistical method for fatigue life of the welded joints established by International Institute of Welding(IIW). Welding residual stress was considered in two different ways: the constant stress ratio R=0.5 and the Ohta method. The nominal stress-number (σ-N)curves were corrected because of the different plate thickness compared to the standard and because there was no mismatch or angular deformation. The results indicated that: 1) Compared with the welded specimens, when the stress range was 200 MPa, the fatigue life of the SS400 steel specimens treated by ultrasonic peening is prolonged by over 58 times, and the fatigue strength FAT corresponding to 106 cycles is increased by about 66%; 2) As for the SS400 butt joint (single side welding double sides molding), after being treated by UPT, the nominal S-N curve (m=10) of FAT 100 MPa(R=0.5) should be used for fatigue design. The standard S-N curves of FAT 100 MPa(R=0.5, m=10) could be used for fatigue design of the SS400 steel butt joints treated by ultrasonic peening.

Primary Recrystallization of Grain Oriented Silicon Steel Strip Rolled by CSR and Annealed in Magnetic Field

The magnetic properties and textures of grain oriented silicon steel with different thickness rolled by cross shear rolling （CSR） of different mismatched speed ratio （MSR） and annealed in magnetic field under hydrogen were presented.Effects of the factors such as thickness and mismatched speed ratio on the magnetic properties and recrystallization texture were analyzed and the recrystallization principles in magnetic field annealing were discussed. The study would provide a new route for mass production of high quality ultra-thin grain oriented silicon steel strip.

The role of recrystallization and grain growth in optimizing the sheet texture of magnesium alloys with calcium addition during annealing

The contribution of recrystallization and grain growth to the texture evolution in AZ31 alloy and a modified version AZ31+0.5 wt.%Ca was investigated utilizing a multi-step annealing process.The results showed that the addition of Ca triggered a considerable texture modification by increasing the texture spread and decreasing the overall texture intensity.This effect was found to be temperature dependent.When the annealing temperature remained lower than 450℃,a weak double peak texture with large basal pole tilt towards the RD was formed.This is correlated to microstructure observations of a large number of Ca-containing nano-sized particles that seemed to suppress grain growth below 450℃,which stabilized the weak recrystallization texture.This favorable texture was lost upon annealing at higher temperatures.In AZ31,recrystallization nuclei were found to preserve the orientation of their deformed parents,which offered limited potential to optimize the texture via annealing treatments.Grain growth of recrystallized grains resulted in a distinct sheet texture transition from a double-peak to a single-peak basal texture.Aspects of grain boundary energy and grain topology are discussed to explain the growth advantage of the sharp basal component over other orientations.

Recrystallization and Grain Growth in Austenitic Stainless Steels: a Statistical Approach

A mathematical model, able to describe the recrystallization and grain growth in metals, has been developed. Taking into account the classical constitutive equations of the Taylor′s theory, the model involves only two free parameters (the dislocation density and the initial number of nuclei). Results from the model are here discussed in comparison with measurements performed on an AISI 304 stainless steel. The predictions of the model are in good agreement with experimental results. As cross check of the model prediction, the independent parameter "dislocation density"was found to properly correlate to the mechanical properties of the steel and to X-ray diffraction measurements,according to Taylor′s and Debye′s relations respectively.

Grain refinement and weak-textured structures based on the dynamic recrystallization of Mg–9.80Gd–3.78Y–1.12Sm–0.48Zr alloy

We utilized electron backscatter diffraction to investigate the microstructure evolutions of a newly developed magnesium-rare earth alloy(Mg–9.80 Gd–3.78 Y–1.12 Sm–0.48 Zr)during instantaneous hot indirect extrusion.An equiaxed fine-grained(average grain size of 3.4±0.2μm)microstructure with a weak texture was obtained.The grain refinement was mainly attributed to the discontinuous dynamic recrystallization(DDRX)and continuous DRX(CDRX)processes during the hot indirect extrusion process.The twin boundaries formed during the initial deformation stage effectively increased the number of high angle grain boundaries(HAGBs),which provided sites for new grain nuclei,and hence,resulted in an improved DDRX process.Along with DDRX,CDRX processes characterized by low angle grain boundary(LAGB)networks were also observed in the grain interior due to effective dynamic recovery(DRV)at a relatively high temperature of 773 K and high strain rates.Thereafter,LAGB networks were transformed into HAGB networks by the progressive rotation of subgrains during the CDRX process.

Effect of welding heat input on HAZ character in ultra-fine grain steel welding

In this essay, we studied how heat input affected the microstructure, hardness, grain size and heat-affected zone(HAZ) dimension of WCX355 ultra-fine grain steel which was welded respectively by the ultra narrow-gap welding (UNGW) process and the overlaying process with CO 2 as protective atmosphere and laser welding process. The experimental results show when the heat input changed from 1.65 kJ/cm to 5.93 kJ/cm, the width of its HAZ ranged from 0.6 mm to 2.1 mm.The average grain size grew up from 2～5 μm of base metal to 20～70 μm and found no obvious soften phenomenon in overheated zone. The width of normalized zone was generally wide as 2/3 as that of the whole HAZ, and the grain size in this zone is smaller than that in base metal. Under the circumstance of equal heat input, the HAZ width of UNGW is narrower than that of the laser welding.

Recrystallization behaviour of fine-grained magnesium alloy after hot deformation

Annealing behaviors of hot-deformed magnesium alloy AZ31 were studied at temperatures from 300 to 673 K by optical and SEM/EBSD metallographic observation. Temperature dependence of the average grain size(D) is categorized into three temperature regions, i.e. an incubation period for grain growth, rapid grain coarsening, and normal grain growth. The number of fine grains per unit area, however, is reduced remarkably even in incubation period. This leads to grain coarsening taking place continuously in the whole temperature regions. In contrast, the deformation texture scarcely changes even after full annealing at high temperatures. It is concluded that the annealing processes operating in hot-deformed magnesium alloy with continuous dynamic recrystallized grain structures can be mainly controlled by grain coarsening accompanied with no texture change, that is, continuous static recrystallization.

RECRYSTALLIZATION BEHAVIOR AND PRIOR AUSTENITE GRAIN BOUNDARY CORROSION IN THE PLANE STRAIN COMPRESSION CONDITION FOR A LOW CARBON X70 PIPELINE STEEL

Recrystallization behavior of a low carbon X70 pipeline steel was studied in the plane strain compression condition. It was found that the dynamic recovery but no dynamic recrystal- lization occurred in the current experimental condition. A method for examining the prior austenite grain boundary corrosion was supposed.

Ultra-fine ferrite grains obtained in the TSDR process

By careful design of rolling schedule,ultra-fine （～2μm） ferrite grains in a low carbon high niobium （0.09wt%Nb） microalloying steel with average austenite grain sizes above 800 μm can be achieved in the simulated thin slab direct rolling process. The 5-pass deformation was divided into two stages： the refinement of austenite through complete recrystallization and the refinement of ferrite through dynamic strain-induced transformation. The effects of Nb in solution and strain-induced NbCN precipitates on the ferrite transformation were also extensively discussed.