Thermal Mechanisms of Grain Refinement in Steels: A Review

Abstract

Thermal mechanisms of microstructural refinement in steels were reviewed. These include thermal cycling, martensite process, and static recrystallization (SRX), in which the dominant stage of microstructural refinement is governed by an annealing treatment of a deformed or an undeformed material. Recent progress in grain refinement by thermal cycling for the body-centered cubic, face-centered cubic, and dual phase (DP) steels was introduced. The application of the cold rolling and subsequent annealing of a martensite starting structure (martensite process) for grain refinement of low-carbon and DP steels was reviewed. The formation and reversion of strain-induced martensite in metastable austenitic stainless steels and their effects on the microstructural evolutions were critically discussed. Moreover, the repetition of the martensite process and its limitations were explained. Important findings on the SRX of ferrite and austenite for grain refinement as well as the recrystallization kinetics were presented. Finally, the concepts of controlled rolling for grain refinement and the interaction of austenite recrystallization and strain-induced precipitation in microalloyed steels during thermomechanical processing were also reviewed. This short overview presents the opportunities that the conventional and innovative processing routes can offer for grain refinement of steels.