Papers by Author: Leo A.I. Kestens

Abstract: Although plenty of research has already been carried out on the issue of texture control in non-oriented electrical steels, there is not yet a universally applied industrial process to obtain an optimized {001} fibre texture. Among the various laboratory processes that have been studied so far, cross rolling seems to be one of the most promising approaches. For evident reasons cross-rolling cannot be implemented on a conventional continuous rolling line of an industrial plant. In the present study a potential interesting alternative is presented which may deliver a similar texture evolution as the cross rolling process, but can be applied in a continuous line of hot and cold rolling operations followed by recrystallization annealing. By applying severe rolling reductions a very strong rotated cube texture is obtained very much similar to the one that is observed after cross rolling. After annealing, the rotated cube texture changes to a {h11}<1/h,21> fibre texture with a maximum on the {311}<136> component which implies the potential to develop a {001} fibre texture after further processing. It is argued that the appearance of the {311}<136> recrystallization texture component can be attributed to oriented nucleation in the vicinity of grain boundaries between slightly misoriented rotated cube grains.

Abstract: TRIP-assisted steel with a composition of 0.2%C, 1.6%Mn, 1.5%Al was studied in the undeformed state, after the application of 10 and 30 % static tensile strain parallel to rolling the direction of the sheet and after dynamic (Hopkinson) fracture test. Detailed examination of the microstructure and microtexture by means of electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) was carried out in order to quantify the microstructural constituents and to study the strain distribution. The microtexture evolution and the distribution of the specific texture components between the BCC and FCC phases were studied as a function of the external strain and the strain mode-static or dynamic. The strain localization and strain distribution between the structural constituents were quantified based on local misorientation maps. The full constraint Taylor model was used to predict the texture changes in the material and the results were compared to the experimental findings. Comparing the local misorientation data it was found that at low strains the ferrite accommodates approximately 10 times more deformation than the retained austenite. The strain localizes initially on the BCC-FCC phase boundaries and is then spread in the BCC constituents (ferrite and bainite) creating a deformation skeleton in the BCC phase. It was found that the observed texture changes in the measured retained austenite texture after deformation do not correspond exactly to the model prediction. The austenite texture components which were predicted by the Taylor model were not found in the measured austenite texture after deformation which means that they are first transformed to martensite, which is considered as an indication for the selective transformation of austenite under strain.

Abstract: The microstructural failure mechanisms of two DP steel sheets cooled with different cooling rates during their heat treatment are compared in the present study. The as-cold rolled DP steel sheets were annealed at intercritical temperature and cooled down with rates of 45°C/s (quenching) and 2 °C/s (slow cooling). Uniaxial tensile tests were carried out on samples from both sheets and the microstructure of undeformed samples and the broken tensile specimens was evaluated by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and electron back-scatter diffraction technique. Although the grain size did not show significant differences, the amount and size of the constituents, e.g. martensite and bainite, differ between both alloys. Concerning the mechanical properties, the quenched material showed superior strength and ductility besides a less localized deformation at higher strains. The area fraction of voids in the broken specimens was low for both steels. In the slow cooled samples the nucleation of shear bands was on the large voids and cracks were observed along these shears bands. It was concluded that the detrimental effect of void nucleation on both steels is not only attributed to their null-carry capacity but more to the stress concentration close to the voids which gives rise to strain localization in the form of shear bands.

Abstract: The phase transformation and the final microstructure were studied in a pipeline steel grade API-X80 by carrying out a number of physical simulations of the industrial hot rolling schedules. The deformation and the cooling parameters were simulated by means of hot torsion and dilatometry experiments. Torsion deformations in the same range as in the hot rolling schedule were applied in a multi-deformation cycle at various temperatures in the austenite region. Subsequently the following parameters were varied with respect to a reference status: the reheating temperature from 900 to 1200°C, the deformation step from 0.6 to 0.15 von Misses strain, the strain rate from 1 to 10 s-1, the inter-pass time from 0.4 to 2 s, the deformation temperature from 1,100 to 850°C, the cooling rate from 0.1 to 100°C/s and the cooling stop temperature from 650 to 25°C. The transformation product microstructures were observed with optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction. The experimental data were used to study the microstructure evolution of none-deformed austenite and highly deformed austenite (Von Misses strain of 3.2), and the corresponding CCT diagrams were constructed. The detailed microstructure characteristics obtained from the present work as well as the data from the CCT diagrams for undeformed and deformed austenite could be used to optimize the mechanical properties, strength and toughness of pipeline steel grades by thermo-mechanical control process.

Abstract: The ferromagnetic properties of ferritic steels are known to strongly depend on the direction of magnetization. The <100> are the axes of spontaneous magnetic moments and hence the directions of easy magnetization. Materials displaying a <100>//ND texture are ideal not only for transformer but also for rotating machines due to their isotropic magnetic character. In the present study the potential of severe plastic rolling deformation is investigated. The cold rolling and annealing microstructures and textures are identified with increasing rolling strains to a maximum vM equivalent of 8.0. It is shown that excessive rolling reduction is capable of producing non-conventional texture components with promising potential for magnetic applications.

Abstract: Roping was investigated in two 6016 aluminium alloys that exhibit different levels of susceptibility to its occurrence. The level of roping is lower, as manifested by the less pronounced (roping) lines on the surface, in the GR material compared to the BR case. Through-process characterization of GR and BR materials by means of electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) reveals similarities in the grain size, (grain) orientation texture and the spatial distribution of {100} <001> Cube grains up to, but not including the T4 state. Cube grains in the T4 state are spatially banded in the BR material but more uniformly distributed in the GR case. It was found that the thermo-mechanical treatments prior to the T4 state account for the difference in spatial distributions of Cube grains and hence, the different roping behaviours exhibited by these materials.

Abstract: The austenite-to-ferrite phase transformation, which is an inherent feature of low-alloyed ultra low carbon steels, has scarcely been investigated to control surface texture and microstructure evolution. This paper investigates the systematic evolution of texture and microstructure at the metal-vapour interface during interrupted annealing in vacuum. Interrupted annealing experiments were carried out on three ultra low carbon steel sheets alloyed with Mn, Al and Si. The texture and microstructures have been investigated by X-ray diffraction and SEM-EBSD techniques. These results reveal a very clear variation in the surface texture components as well as in the surface microstructure after BCC recrystallisation and double  transformation interrupted annealing. The recrystallisation texture consists mainly of a <111>//ND fibre, while the transformation texture at the surface exhibits a <100>// ND fibre in combination with components of the <110> //ND fibre. It has been revealed that the latter specific surface texture was present in a monolayer of outer surface grains which were in direct contact with the vapour atmosphere. This observed phenomenon could be explained by considering the role of surface energy anisotropy occurring during phase transformation annealing.

Abstract: The variations of in plane Charpy toughness anisotropy as a function of the microstructure and texture of an industrial grade of API –X80 pipeline steel was studied. Standard size Charpy samples with a long axis orientated at 0, 22.5, 45, 67.5 and 90° with respect to the rolling direction of the plate were tested at different temperatures varying from -196°C to 20°C. Microstructure and texture of the plates were investigated by means of electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD), XRD and the recently developed 3D EBSD technique. The spatial grain shape orientation distribution was examined on samples which were cut from the middle thickness of an industrial rolled plate by means of 3D EBSD and following grain shape reconstruction and approximation of the grain shape with ellipsoids. It was found that the experimentally observed 3D microstructures could well be correlated to the anisotropy of the measured Charpy impact toughness of the steel for the Charpy samples. The Charpy toughness anisotropy of the plates in the transition region where both ductile and brittle fractures take place can be related to the microstructural anisotropy characterized by the grain shape orientation and the spatial distribution of the 2nd phase.

Abstract: The role of the α/γ orientation relationships during ferrite nucleation is investigated. EBSD measurements were performed on an especially developed high purity ternary iron-based alloy with 20 wt.% Cr and 12 wt.% Ni with both austenite and ferrite present at room temperature to measure the orientation relationship between the austenite and ferrite crystallites. The experimental results are compared to the nucleation models of Clemm and Fisher and Aaronson and co-workers.

Abstract: The grain boundary energy anisotropy in BCC Fe-based polycrystals is considered. The correlation between the energy in BCC random grain boundaries and the distribution of grain boundary planes in the bulk was examined with a special attention on the presence of low index (low surface energy) planes in the internal surfaces. For a BCC structure, {100} and {110} planes are known to be the lowest energy planes dominating the equilibrium crystal shapes. Experimental evidences demonstrated that these planes were predominant in the texture of surfaces controlled by surface energy [2]. Moreover, the relation between the grain boundary character distribution and the crystallographic dependence on the grain boundary energy in the bulk after annealing treatment was studied. The grain character boundary distribution (GCBD) was calculated using the crystallographic information obtained from OIM-EBSD maps from samples showing columnar grains. Preliminary results showed no particular distribution trend within the standard stereographic triangle (001-101-111).