Microstructure and Crystallographic Texture Evolution during Isothermal Annealing of Cold-Rolled Fe-6.8Al Low-Density Steel

In the present work, the microstructural evolution in heavily cold-rolled and annealed Fe-6.8Al low-density steel has been studied. The evolution of texture with a strong component {001}< 110 > has been observed upon cold rolling. After recrystallisation, the formation of texture with {111}110 component and other gamma fiber orientations with weak intensities have been noticed. The mechanism of recrystallisation is discontinuous recrystallisation. The evolution of texture with near (04 (1) over bar)[501] and (31 (8) over bar)[(432) over bar] components in the partially recrystallised microstructures have been observed. The recrystallised grains nucleate close to the boundaries of the deformed grains and are bounded by high angle grain boundaries which are easily identified from the image quality maps. Analysis of grain size of the annealed samples shows that the presence of Al reduces the grain boundary mobility by solute drag.