This work investigates the formation of the recrystallisation microstructure and texture of various single-phase ferrite low-carbon steels that were rolled at different temperatures and of which the deformation microstructure was characterized by high resolution electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Three cases are considered: (i) cold-rolled interstitial-free (IF) steel, warm-rolled IF steel at 550 °C and warm rolled Fe-Si steel at 900 °C (below the austenitization temperature due to Si). It is well-known that the deformation texture after flat rolling of single-ferrite low carbon steels exhibits the characteristic α/γ-fiber texture, i.e. <110>//Rolling Direction (RD) and <111>//Normal Direction (ND), irrespective of the rolling temperature, as long as there is no concurrent phase transformation. However, different recrystallisation textures appear as a function of the rolling temperature. Generally speaking, the γ-fiber recrystallisation texture is obtained after cold rolling, whereas the θ-fiber components ( <100>//ND) intensify at the expense of the γ-fiber orientations with increasing rolling temperature. Although these phenomena are well-known, the reasons for this behavior in terms of preferential orientation selection remain as yet unclear. In the present paper, recrystallisation microstructures and textures are simulated with a full-field cellular-automaton (CA) description, whereby recrystallisation from its incipient stage is considered as a process of sub-grain coarsening controlled by the well-known physical laws of driving force and kinetics. The simulations integrate in one single model the various conditions that give rise to the observed temperature dependence of the evolving static recrystallisation texture and microstructure. The different rolling temperatures will give rise to different initial microstructures at the onset of recrystallisation with noticeable variations in short-range orientation gradients in γ and θ-fiber orientations, respectively. The mere application of local grain-boundary migration laws on the topology of the deformation structure, without imposing any specific nucleation selection criterion, will properly balance the dominance of γ-fiber grains after cold-rolling and θ-fiber orientations after warm rolling. Finally, the well-known nucleation of Goss orientations ({110}<001>) in shear bands occurring in γ-fiber grains is also simulated in this single conceptual framework.

This study investigates the sub-structure of IF steel in three conditions: cold rolled, statically recovered, and warm rolled. After both cold and warm rolling, the steel exhibits the typical 〈110〉//RD and 〈111〉//ND fiber textures. Considering the short-range misorientation gradient ∆θ/∆x to assess locally stored energy variations, it was observed that 〈111〉//ND grains exhibit significantly higher gradients than 〈001〉//ND grains in all conditions. In the statically recovered conditions, the ∆θ/∆x values are significantly reduced compared to the cold rolled condition, but these values are significantly higher than those of the dynamically recovered after warm rolling. The strongly reduced orientation gradients in the 〈111〉//ND grains after warm rolling may reduce the nucleation potency of these orientations in the ensuing recrystallization. This study enhances our knowledge of deformation microstructure as a function of rolling temperature and is relevant in explaining reported differences in annealing textures during static recrystallization after cold vs warm rolling.

Rolling and annealing is a crucial technology to produce electrical steel sheets. This technology is not just aimed to control the geometry of steel sheets but more importantly to enhance the magnetic properties of the final products via appropriate microstructure and crystallographic texture. In this study, the evolution of microstructures and textures of an Fe-1.2 wt.% Si alloy through the entire processing route (from reheating, warm rolling to annealing) is monitored by electron back-scatter diffraction. Plastic flows of the material during conventional and asymmetric rolling are analyzed in detail based on geometric parameters of the rolling gaps. Deformation textures are accurately predicted by the full-constraint Taylor and advanced Lamel (ALAMEL) crystal plasticity models. The development of recrystallization textures is accounted for by the plastically stored energy in deformed crystals, which in turn is approximated by the plastically dissipated power (i.e., the Taylor factor) as predicted by the full constraint Taylor model. Although asymmetric warm rolling does not produce an improved texture or microstructure for electrical steels, the present study provides useful information on the evolution of the recrystallization microstructure and texture in steels with a complex strain history after asymmetric warm rolling.

The present paper investigates the role of parent phase topology on a crystallographic variant selection rule. This rule assumes that product phase nuclei appear at certain grain boundaries in the parent structure, such that a specific crystallographic orientation relationship is observed with both parent grains at either side of the grain boundary. The specific crystallographic orientation correspondence considered here is the Young–Kurdjumow–Sachs (YKS) orientation relationship <112>90^◦ (which exhibits 24 symmetrical equivalents). The aforementioned relationship is characteristic of phase transformations in low-carbon steel grades. It is shown that, for different parent phase textures, ~20% of the grain boundaries comply with the double YKS condition allowing for a tolerance of 5^◦, ignoring the presence of topology in the parent phase microstructure. The presented model allows for connecting the presence of a specific parent phase topology with the condition of the double YKS variant selection rule in a number of practical cases: (i) for hot rolled Ti–Interstitial Free (IF) steel with and without Mn addition, (ii) for cold rolled IF steel exhibiting very strong texture memory after forward and reverse α ⇋ γ phase transformation and (iii) for a martensitic transformation in a Fe–8.5% Cr steel. It is shown that the double YKS variant selection criterion may explain several specific features of the observed transformation textures, while assuming a non-correlated arbitrary pair topology of the parent austenite structure (implying that for N parent orientations N/2 pairs are selected in an arbitrary manner).

The effect of the microstructure on the principal strain paths (uniaxial, plane, and biaxial) in the formability processes of ferritic stainless steel AISI 430 sheets is studied. The Marciniak test (determination of the plastic strain of sheet metal with a flat tip punch) is applied to determine the forming limit curves and different strain levels in the strain paths by the digital image correlation technique. The formability is discussed in light of the microstructure, standard mechanical properties, work hardening behavior, and anisotropy measurements (R-value). Electron backscatter diffraction analysis is carried out to determine the texture of the selected strain paths. The texture evolution shows a marked γ (<111>// normal direction [ND]) fiber and cube ({001} <100>) texture component under the biaxial strain mode, whereas the α (<110>// rolling direction [RD]) fiber is somewhat favored under uniaxial plane strain. The results are compared with texture simulations performed under the fully constrained Taylor model, finding reasonable agreement with the experimentally measured main components.