Recrystallization and grain growth in high purity austenitic stainless steels

• Published in: Scripta materialia Vol. 39; no. 8; pp. 1095 - 1099
• Main Authors: Gavard, L, Montheillet, F, Le Coze, J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Ltd 15.09.1998; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Cold working, work hardening; annealing, post-deformation annealing, quenching, tempering recovery, and crystallization; Cold working, work hardening; annealing, quenching, tempering, recovery, and recrystallization; textures; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Exact sciences and technology; Materials science; Metals. Metallurgy; Physics; Treatment of materials and its effects on microstructure and properties; Austenitic stainless steel; Carbon content; Stainless steel-304; Grain growth; Phase transformations; Recrystallization; Steels; Experimental study; Heat treatments; Phase transitions; Recrystallization annealing; Structure composition relationship
• ISSN: 1359-6462; 1872-8456
• DOI: 10.1016/S1359-6462(98)00276-0

After cold deformation and subsequent annealing, recrystallized grain sizes of austenitic stainless steels decrease with decreasing carbon concentrations down to 15 mu g/g. This is due to an increase of martensitic transformation during cold work. One can therefore achieve very fine grains from thermomechanical treatments by improving the purity of the alloys. By contrast, for carbon concentrations < 15 mu g/g, grain growth kinetics are increased markedly, associated to an increase of grain boundary mobility. This leads to relatively coarse recrystallized grains. Materials include 304, 304L, and high purity 18Cr-12Ni steels.