Strain rate effect on the evolution of deformation texture for α-fe

The effect of strain rate on the deformation texture of alpha-iron (alpha-Fe) is studied at different strain levels during the deformation. Two shear compression specimens (SCS) were deformed in three consecutive stages at room temperature, one at 10(-3)/s and the other at 10(+3)/s to the same strain level. The crystallographic textures were determined using electron backscattered diffraction. The textures at each deformation stage were found to be unaffected by the wide variations in strain rate. By comparing the stress-strain curves and crystallographic texture at the two strain rate levels, it is realized that for alpha-Fe there is no marked increase in strain hardening at high strain rate with respect to quasi-static tests, so that the deformation texture remains unchanged. The temperature increase that develops at high strain rates is deemed to sharpen the texture.