Rapid Visualization of Microstructural Evolution during Hot Strip Rolling Using Phenomenological Models and the Laguerre–Voronoi Diagram

Abstract

Microstructural evolution during hot rolling, which is complex and in a state of the black box, has a significant impact on the microstructure and mechanical properties of steel products. Herein, a rapid methodology is developed to track and visualize the evolution of the microstructural state, and a novel approach coupled with phenomenological recrystallization kinetics is proposed to calculate grain size and its distribution by considering the effects of the size, shape, and mixed fraction of nonrecrystallized grains, and by using the Laguerre–Voronoi diagram, the microstructural morphologies are reconstructed. Based on the proposed approach, the variations of the recrystallization fraction, grain size, and its distribution with time during rolling are analyzed, and the microstructural features in various recrystallization stages are discussed. Additionally, this strategy is demonstrated to be time efficient.