Microstructural and Texture Evolution in Pure Niobium during Severe Plastic Deformation by Differential Speed Rolling

The evolution of the microstructure and texture in body-centered cubic (BCC) niobium (Nb) during conventional rolling and high-ratio differential rolling (HRDSR) at room temperature were compared. More effective grain refinement of the initial microstructure through continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX) occurred in the samples processed by HRDSR, but the overall degree of grain refinement was small, despite having undergone severe plastic deformation due to the low rate of CDRX. CDRX more preferentially proceeded on {111} gamma-fiber grains than on {001} alpha-fiber grains. The HRDSR-processed samples exhibited weaker alpha-fiber and stronger gamma-fiber than the conventionally processed samples, which indicates that the high shear deformation induced by HRDSR discourages the development of alpha-fiber while promoting the development of gamma-fiber. The HRDSR processed Nb showed a high tensile strength of 450 MPa, and the major strengthening mechanism for the HRDSR-processed Nb was dislocation-density strengthening at large thickness reductions.