Austenite grain growth kinetics in Al-killed plain carbon steels

Austenite grain growth kinetics have been investigated in three Al-killed plain carbon steels. Experimental results have been validated using the statistical grain growth model by Abbruzzese and Lucke, which takes pinning by second-phase particles into account. It is shown that the pinning force is a function of the pre-heat-treatment schedule. Extrapolation to the conditions of a hot-strip mill indicates that grain growth occurs without pinning during conventional processing. Analytical relations are proposed to simulate austenite grain growth for Al-killed plain carbon steels for any thermal path in a hot-strip mill.