Microstructure and finite element analysis of hot continuous rolling of doped tungsten rod

The microstructures of doped tungsten deformed by multi-pass hot continuous rolling were investigated, and the stress and strain fields were simulated by finite element (FE) method. After the continuous rolling, the grains of the tungsten rod were refined, and the microhardness was improved; however, a ring region of abnormal grain growth was present at a distance of about 3/5R (R is the radius of the rod) from the center of the cross section. FE modeling results showed that the equivalent residual strains were minimum around the region of abnormal grain growth; this was due to the release of strain energy by severe plastic deformation, leading a situation where the migration force of grain boundaries was higher than the pinning force of potassium bubbles. By decreasing the initial rolling temperature and rolling speeds, the inhomogeneity of the equivalent residual stain decreased, improving the microstructure uniformity of the doped tungsten.