Goss Texture Evolution in a Grain-Oriented Fe-6.5wt%Si Steel Processed by Strip-Casting

Fe-6.5wt%Si steel is an excellent soft magnetic material due to the near-zero magnetostriction and low core losses. In this study, a 0.3 mm-thick grain-oriented 6.5wt%Si steel sheet was produced by a novel strip casting and two-stage rolling. The microstructure and texture evolution were investigated with a special emphasis on the nucleation and growth of Goss grains. The thin normalized strip was composed of large columnar grains and small equiaxed grains. During intermediate annealing, Goss grains nucleated in the shear bands of the deformed <111>//ND grains, and the deformed {111}<112> grains provided most of the nucleation sites. After primary annealing, the Goss grains distributed across the entire thickness, which was different from the conventional rolling route. The fraction of high-angle boundaries (20°-45°) surrounding the Goss grains was apparently higher than those of the matrix grains, which promoted the abnormal growth of the Goss grains during secondary recrystallization.

Texture Evolution in Thermomechanically Control Processed Multiphase Medium Carbon Microalloyed Steel: Forged, Rolled and Low Cycle Fatigued Microstructures

A ferrite-bainite-martensite (F-B-M) microstructure was produced in a medium carbon microalloyed steel through two routes, namely, low temperature finish forging or rolling, followed by a two step cooling and annealing. The texture formed in control forged and rolled material after two step cooling followed by annealing (TSCA) was examined. Texture investigation was also carried out after low cycle fatigue testing at low and high total strain amplitudes. Transmission electron microscopy was employed to study the microstructural evolution. Fatigue tested F-B-M microstructure obtained through the rolling route was stable up to a total strain amplitude of 0.6%. This paper reports the evolution of texture and microstructure in two-step cooled F-B-M microstructure and their stability during fatigue loading.