Deformation Banding and the Role of Transition Bands between α-Fibre Components on Recrystallization in Low Carbon Steels Studied by EBSD

Abstract

In extra-low carbon steels, the generation of specific nucleation sites in the deformed microstructure determines the formation of an optimum recrystallization texture. In particular, during the cold rolling of the steel sheets, transition bands are generated in order to accommodate the different deformation paths followed by the deformation bands (DB-s) within the grains. -fibre grains (ND-fibre grains) are, in general terms, more fragmented than -fibre grains (RD-fibre grains). Consequently, the higher orientation gradients and stored energy levels of the -fibre grains determine the ND-fibre annealing texture. Nevertheless, during recrystallization of the ELC steel, nucleation in different type of transition bands (TB-s) between α-fibre components has also been observed in the present work. From a previous crystallographic classification of transition bands done by the authors, the effect of the lattice curvature, either by gradual or sharp orientation gradients, is studied during early recrystallisation stages. Specifically, the crystallographic characteristics of recrystallized nuclei formed at transition bands generated between α-fibre components are analyzed using electron back-scatter diffraction (EBSD). This technique enables the orientation of deformation bands, the misorientation across them, the orientation of the new recrystallized grains and the misorientation of those grains with the adjacent matrix grains to be determined. Recrystallization of components different to α at the expense of α components has also been found.