Recrystallization kinetics of an austenitic high-manganese steel subjected to severe plastic deformation

Abstract

The evolution of the microstructure and the properties of an austenitic high-manganese steel subjected to severe deformation by cold rolling and subsequent recrystallization annealing is investigated. Cold rolling is accompanied by mechanical structural twinning and shear banding. The microhardness and microstructural analysis of annealed samples are used to study the recrystallization kinetics of the high-manganese steel. It is shown that large plastic deformation and subsequent annealing result in rapid development of recrystallization processes and the formation of an ultrafine-grained structure. A completely recrystallized structure with an average grain size of 0.64 μm forms after 30-min annealing at a temperature of 550°C. No significant structural changes are observed when the annealing time increases to 18 h, which indicates stability of the recrystallized microstructure. The steel cold rolled to 90% and annealed at 550°C for 30 min demonstrates very high strength properties: the yield strength and the tensile strength achieve 650 and 850MPa, respectively. The dependence of the strength properties of the steel on the grain size formed after rolling and recrystallization annealing is described by the Hall–Petch relation.