Recrystallization in a low-density low-alloy Fe-Mn-Al-C duplex-phase alloy

Abstract

The recrystallization behaviour of a cold-rolled, low-density, low-alloy duplex-phase alloy (Fe-6.57Al-3.34Mn-0.18C, wt.%) has been studied. Temperature-resolved X-ray diffraction and dilatometry showed that the alloy recrystallizes at 850 °C during continuous heating. However, electron back-scattered diffraction investigations using Kernel average misorientation revealed that during annealing ferrite recrystallizes at lower temperatures while austenite remains strained up to 1200 °C. This study underlines the complexity of recrystallization of a microstructure comprising of constituents with high and low stacking fault energy.