Recrystallization of Coarse-Grained Nb-Containing AISI-430 Ferritic Stainless Steel

摘要

Ferritic stainless steels (FSSs) have excellent corrosion resistance and good mechanical properties. Applications include heaters, houseware, and automotive exhaust systems. Alloying, even in small amounts, affects the recrystallization behavior of FSSs by selective dragging or pinning effects. In the present study, we present the main results regarding the recrystallization of a coarse-grained Nb-containing AISI 430 ferritic stainless steel. The material was processed by hot rolling and further annealed at 1250°C for 2 h to promote secondary recrystallization. Following, the material was cold rolled to a 80% reduction in thickness and annealed at 400-1000°C for 15 min. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) were used to characterize the microstructure. Recrystallization of this steel begins at 700°C. Important orientation effects were observed in both as-rolled and annealed conditions. Recrystallization kinetics was strongly dependent on the initial orientation of the coarse grains. Results show that grain boundaries, transition bands and coarse Nb(C,N) particles are preferential sites for nucleation at moderate annealing temperatures.