Effect of thermomechanical parameters on the critical strain for ultrafine ferrite formation through hot torsion testing

A C–Mn–V steel was used to study ultrafine ferrite formation (1–3 μm) through dynamic strain-induced transformation (DSIT) using hot torsion experiments. A systematic study determined the critical strain for the start of DSIT (εC,DSIT), although this may not lead to a fully ultrafine microstructure. Therefore, the strain to produce an ultrafine ferrite (UFF) as final microstructure (εC,UFF) during deformation was also determined. In addition, the effect of thermomechanical parameters such as deformation temperature, prior austenite grain size, strain rate and cooling rate on εC,DSIT and εC,UFF has been evaluated. DSIT ferrite nucleated on prior austenite grain boundaries at an early stage of straining followed by intragranular nucleation at higher strains. The prior austenite grain size affected the distribution of DSIT ferrite nucleation sites at an early stage of transformation and the subsequent coarsening behaviour of the grain boundary and intragranular ferrite grains during post-deformation cooling. Also, εC,DSIT and εC,UFF increased with an increase in the prior austenite grain size and deformation temperature. The post-deformation cooling had a strong effect not only on εC,UFF but also the UFF microstructure (i.e. final ferrite grain size and second phase characteristics).