Popis: |
The increasing demand, mainly from the automobile industry, for materials which combine high strength, high ductility and low specific weight makes steels with the TWIP (TWinning Induced Plasticity) effect a promising material to meet these requirements. This work aimed to study the kinetics of isothermal recrystallization of a TWIP steel (C-0.06%, Mn-25%, Al-3%, Si-2%, and Ni-1%) after cold rolling. The steel was hot and cold-rolled and then annealed at 700°C with soaking times ranging from 10 to 7200 s. Microstructural analysis was performed using light (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Furthermore, quantitative metallography was performed in order to evaluate the recrystallized volume fraction and grain size. A JMAK based model was applied to describe the nucleation grain growth process. The restoration of the steel was also evaluated by microhardness tests. A complete recrystallization after 7200 s at 700°C was observed. It was found that with increasing annealing times, the recrystallized volume fraction also increases, while the nucleation and growth rates decrease, in agreement with the results for plain carbon steels. |