Evolution of Crystallographic Texture in Pure Iron and Commercial Steels by γ to α Transformation

Abstract

A novel method has been discovered for controlling the crystallographic orientation of pure iron using the γ to α phase transformation. When pure iron with clean metal surfaces undergoes the γ to α phase transformation, it develops a strong cube-on-face texture ({100}<0vw>) with the grain size being larger than the sheet thickness. The mechanism controlling the <100> orientation obtained is associated with the fact that the {100} faces are elastically compliant so that the <100> texture can develop in a manner consistent with minimization of strain energy. However, in commercial steels, although so many texture analyses have been conducted, the cube-on-face texture has been rarely observed. According to thermodynamic analysis, surface oxidation in commercial steels appears to be responsible for the deterioration of the <100> texture. This phenomenon can be explained in terms of the modification of the inherent elastic anisotropy of metal surface by the surface oxidation.