Recrystallization of a cold-rolled low-carbon steel by cold-plasma-discharge rapid annealing

A new annealing technology has been developed by the authors in order to conduct fast steel annealing. This process consists of steel heating by cold-plasma discharge. It allows the opportunity for new annealing cycles with higher heating rates (up to 300 K/s), shorter soaking times, and controlled cooling rates, so that well-recrystallized samples have been achieved in less than several seconds of total process time. This article reports the influence of various parameters of the annealing cycle (heating rate, maximum annealing temperature, and cooling rate) on the recrystallization and properties of a cold-rolled low-carbon steel. This study shows that the annealing time can be significatively reduced using this new technology, compared to the industrial continuous annealing technology used today, to obtain equivalent metallurgical properties.