Effect of cooling rate on the order degree, residual stress, and room temperature mechanical properties of Fe-6.5wt.%Si alloy

Abstract

The top side-pouring twin-roll casting (TSTRC) process was used to prepare a 100 × 1.7 mm non-oriented Fe-6.5 wt% Si alloy as-cast strip. The as-cast strip is directly rolled at 700 °C into 0.4 mm without the intermediate hot rolling step. This paper discusses the effects of different cooling rates in furnace cooling, air cooling, oil quenching, and water quenching on the order degree, residual stress, room temperature mechanical properties, and cold-rolled processing properties of Fe-6.5wt.%Si alloy after annealing of warm-rolled sheets are systematically investigated. Meanwhile, the effects of order degree, residual stress, and grain boundary element segregation on the mechanical properties were analyzed. The results show that as the cooling rate increases, the order degree of the Fe-6.5 wt% Si alloy decreases and the maximum residual tensile stress increases. The fracture modes of the furnace cooling, air cooling, and oil quenching samples are through-crystal disintegration fracture, and the fracture mode of the water quenching samples is an along-crystal fracture. The oil-quenched samples exhibit good room temperature plasticity due to the relatively low order degree and residual tensile stresses in the Fe-6.5wt.%Si alloy. Oil quenching improves the room temperature plasticity and cold rolling properties of Fe-6.5wt.%Si alloy warm rolled sheets, reduces edge cracks, and offers greater room temperature cold rolling processibility of the Fe-6.5wt.%Si alloy warm rolled sheets.