The effect of purity on dynamic recrystallization in austenitic stainless steels

Dynamic recrystallization (DRX) was investigated on two austenitic stainless steels of high (C = 15 mu g/g) and ultra high (C < 5 mu g/g) purity. After uniaxial compression at various temperatures and strain rates, the steady stale microstructures developed during DRX were analyzed by SEM-EBSD. Unexpectedly, purity appears to have only limited effects on DRX when compared to grain growth following static recrystallization (SRX). This is likely to be due to a transition from low to high driving force behavior, with regards to solute drag.