Recrystallization Kinetics and Texture Evolution during Annealing of Cold-Rolled High-Mn Steel

Development of the microstructure and texture evolution in Fe-17Mn-1.5Al-0.3C TWIP steel during cold rolling to large strain and subsequent annealing at 550 degrees C for various periods of time is investigated. The recrystallization kinetics of high-Mn steel is studied by measuring the microhardness of annealed specimens and microstructural analysis. The large plastic deformation and subsequent annealing led to a rapid development of the recrystallization processes and the formation of an ultrafine-grained structure. The microstructure after 30-min annealing was completely recrystallized and the average grain size was 0.64 mu m. No significant microstructural changes were observed with an increase in the annealing time to 18 h, which indicates the stability of the recrystallized microstructure. The large plastic deformation led to acceleration of the recrystallization kinetics, especially due to increased nucleation rate, leading to the development of ultrafine-grained microstructure. The recrystallization texture retained its main texture components that were developed during cold deformation, but their intensity considerably weakened with increasing annealing time.