Papers by Author: J.D. Mithieux

Abstract: Several studies have shown that recrystallization of cold rolled martensite results in low carbon steels with very fine microstructures. Correspondingly, these materials exhibit promising combinations of strength and elongation. Most of the work on this processing route has focused on low carbon steels (0.1-0.2wt% carbon) where the interstitial content may play an important role in the microstructure refinement. In this note we describe experiments performed on a low interstitial stainless steel containing 0.02wt%C. It has been possible to achieve materials with high strengths (UTS > 1 GPa) and significant uniform elongation (> 8%), however, the microstructures associated with these properties are very different from those previously reported for low carbon steels.

Abstract: Obtaining optimal mechanical properties for highly formable ferritic stainless steel sheet requires careful control over recrystallization and texture. This is, in some cases, hampered by the slow approach to final recrystallization associated with the disappearance of deformed grains with particular orientations. The important mechanical properties for formability (e.g. the yield strength and r-value) are thus strongly dependent on the final few percent recrystallization. In this study, it has been attempted to correlate the microstructure and texture of ferritic stainless steel sheet to its mechanical properties as measured in uniaxial tension. It is shown that careful consideration of the evolution of texture and microstructure with recrystallization may explain the observed trends.