Influence of Nb microaddition on microstructure and texture evolution in a Fe-21Mn-1.3Al-1.5Si-0.5C TWIP steel under uniaxial hot-tensile conditions

Advanced high-strength steels as Twinning Induced Plasticity (TWIP) steels have been developed using microalloying elements and subsequent thermo-mechanical processing techniques. Moreover, under hot-working conditions, these steels undergo significant microstructural changes as a result of preferred crystallographic orientation (texture) of grains. In order to evaluate this behavior, one non-microalloyed and other single Nb-microalloyed TWIP steels were melted in an induction furnace and cast into metal and sand molds. Samples with austenitic grain sizes between 400 and 2000 µm were deformed at 800 °C and strained at a constant strain rate of 10-3 s-1, and deformation state was examined by means of electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) technique near to the fracture tip. It was found that non-microalloyed TWIP steel solidified in both metal and sand mold exhibits dynamically recrystallized grains. On the other hand, Nb microaddition has a strong influence in TWIP steel retarding the onset of recrystallization kinetics, showing low angle sub-structured grains. Furthermore, it was possible identifying the crystallographic orientation of grains using the inverse pole figures (IPF) and the orientation distribution function (ODF). Weak cube {001} recrystallization and E{111} ¿-fiber deformation textures components were detected.Peer Reviewe