The severity of the formation of fissures (also known as splitting or delamination) on the fracture surface of Charpy impact-tested samples of a low-carbon steel has been found to increase with the decrease in finish rolling temperature [1093 K to 923 K (820 °C to 650 °C)]. Combined scanning electron microscopy and electron back-scattered diffraction study revealed that crystallographic texture was the prime factor responsible for the fissure formation. Through-thickness texture band composed of cube [Normal Direction (ND)║〈001〉] and gamma [ND║〈111〉] orientations developed during the inter-critical rolling treatment. Strain incompatibility between these two texture bands causes fissure cracking on the main fracture plane. A new approach based on the angle between {001} planes of neighboring crystals has been employed in order to estimate the ‘effective grain size,’ which is used to determine the cleavage fracture stress on different planes of a sample. The severity of fissure formation was found to be directly related to the difference in cleavage fracture stress between the ‘main fracture plane’ and ‘fissure plane.’ Clustering of ferrite grains having cube texture promoted the fissure crack propagation along the transverse ‘fissure plane,’ by increasing the ‘effective grain size’ and decreasing the cleavage fracture stress on that plane.
