Abstract Investigation of microstructure and texture has been done for cold rolled Fe-30.5Mn-8.0Al-1.2C (8Al) and Fe-30.5Mn-2.1Al-1.2C (2Al) (wt.%) steels. They were rolled to a strain of ~0.70. Refinement of a crystallographic slip band substructure in low to medium rolling strain and nucleation of twins on the mature slip bands at a higher strain were suggested as deformation mechanisms in the 8Al steel. Mainly shear banding contributed to the formation of a Copper texture in such steel. Brass-texture development in the 2Al steel is mainly due to deformation twinning and shear banding formation. Detailed images of KAM maps showed that the stored deformation energy was mainly localized in the twinned areas and shear bands, which generated the inhomogeneous deformation microstructures in both steels at a higher strain. Goss and Brass texture intensity decreases and Cu-texture intensity increases as the Al wt.% increases in different cold rolled High-Mn (Mn ~30 wt.%) steels.

Impedance Spectroscopy was performed to examine the electrical conductivity on KH2PO4 KDP, (NH4)H2PO4 ADP and K1-x(NH4)xH2PO4 (x = 0.076, 0.118, 0.357, 0.857, 0.942) crystals with increasing temperature. They were grown by solvent evaporation method. Zview simulation software was used to theoretically fit electrical conductivity results as a function of frequency (1-106 Hz) and temperature (20-160 ºC) with equivalent circuits. These dielectric-type materials become ionic conductors upon heating. Proton jumps in hydrogen bonds, heavier ions migration (K+ and NH4+), and rotation and reorientation of ammonium groups contributed to electrical conduction. This conduction behavior follows the Arrhenius equation with which the activation energies were determined at different temperature ranges. For ADP-rich (x > 0.8) and pure ADP crystals the conductivities are higher than those for KDP-rich (x < 0.2) and pure KDP. Lattice defects may reduce electrical conductivities in the crystals with intermediate x composition. Complex permittivity ac and complex conductivity ac were also obtained for these crystals.

Abstract Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and electron channeling contrast imaging (ECCI) were used to examine microstructural changes of the austenitic low-density Fe-30.5Mn-8.0Al-1.2C (8Al) and Fe-30.5Mn-2.1Al-1.2C (2Al) (wt.%) steels during cold rolling. As the strain increased, deformation mechanisms, such as stacking faults, slip, mechanical twinning, and shear banding were activated in both steels cold rolled up to strain of 0.69. Only slip was noted in these steels at low strain (ε=0.11) and slip dominance was detected in the 8Al steel at higher strains. Shear banding became active at higher strain (ε~0.7) in these materials. An inhomogeneous microstructure formed in both alloys at such strain level. More extensive mechanical twinning in the 2Al alloy than that in the 8Al alloy was observed. Fish bone-like structure patterns were revealed in the 8Al steel and a river-like structure in the 2Al steel. Detailed microstructure features as elongated and fragmented grains along the rolling direction (RD) were found for both steels, as already observed in other high-Mn steels. These deformed structures are composed by lamellar packets which can contain mechanical twins or slip lines and shear bands.

Abstract Crystallographic textures of the austenitic low-density Fe-30.5Mn-8.0Al-1.2C (8Al) and Fe-30.5Mn-2.1Al-1.2C (2Al) (wt.%) steels were examined during cold rolling by means of electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and electron channeling contrast imaging (ECCI). Random oriented grains orient towards Goss- and brass-components along the α-fiber as the strain increased, with activation of slip, mechanical twinning, and shear banding, for both steels. S- and copper-orientations were also observed in the 8Al steel at 50% reduction. The route of Cu-CuT-Goss-brass texture evolution was found in the 2Al alloy. Cu, Goss, and brass textures occur as a dominant texture in the deformed 8Al alloy. Copper-type texture accompanied with slip at low reduction (20%), as well as Cu-type shear bands, and shear banding inside Goss-oriented grains at higher reduction (50%), were observed in the 8Al steel. It is suggested that this copper-type rolling texture may be attributed to the Al addition, which contributes to its low twinning activity compared to that in the 2Al alloy. Cu-CuT-brass f.c.c. rolling texture transition to form the Brass-type texture was observed at higher reduction in the 2Al alloy with strong similarity to that found in other Fe-Mn-C system TWIP steels.

The influences of the chemical composition and heating rate have been studied in 300 and 350 maraging steels using dilatometry. For these tests, heating was carried out with heating rates of 1, 10 and 28 °C/s. The results have shown that the precipitation mechanism for both materials in the studied range is by lattice diffusion. Furthermore, Co and Ti contents influence strongly the precipitation. The lattice diffusion mechanism in the martensite reversion is influenced by Ni and Co contents and heating rate. For small heating rates ( ~1 °C/s) this mechanism prevails in the 300 maraging steel while for the 350 maraging steel has a minor importance. The mechanism of martensite reversion for 350 maraging steel in the studied range is mainly by shear mechanism. For higher heating rates (~28 ºC/s) the shear mechanism prevails in both maraging steels.

O estudo da recristalização de chapas metálicas laminadas a frio é muito útil para a obtenção da temperatura de amolecimento do material submetido a um tratamento térmico. Além disto, a textura cristalográfica pode mudar com a recristalização e com a laminação do metal. Utilizando-se dessas etapas de processamento do material, a orientação dos grãos de uma tira metálica pode ser otimizada, a fim de, por exemplo, melhorar a estampabilidade de chapas, na obtenção de um dado produto com valor agregado. Nesse trabalho, as curvas de amolecimento, para duas chapas produzidas por lingotamento contínuo e lingotamento semicontínuo da liga de alumínio AA4006, foram determinadas e comparadas. Embora as diferenças detectadas entre as curvas de amolecimento tenham sido pequenas, foi possível verificar que a recristalização da chapa produzida por lingotamento contínuo ocorre em temperaturas mais elevadas do que na chapa produzida por lingotamento semicontínuo. Resultados da textura cristalográfica, em amostras dessas chapas, foram obtidos utilizando-se da difração de raios X e da difração de elétrons retroespalhados EBSD. Esses resultados indicaram a presença da textura de cisalhamento na superfície e da fibra β no centro da amostra laminada a frio (70% de redução) da chapa obtida por lingotamento contínuo. Na amostra da chapa obtida por lingotamento semicontínuo, nas mesmas condições, a componente cubo e a fibra β foram detectadas na superfície e no centro. Uma textura fraca com grãos orientados ao acaso foi vista nas duas amostras recristalizadas das duas chapas, devido possivelmente à nucleação estimulada por partículas.

A recrystallization study of cold rolled metallic sheets is very important to evaluate the softening temperature for subsequent annealing. Crystallographic texture evolves during metal rolling and recrystallization. These processing steps can lead to an optimization of the grain orientation distribution in a metal strip and can improve, for instance, the stamping process, hence leading to a product with aggregated value. Softening curves were determined and compared for two sheets of the AA4006 aluminum alloy produced by the twin roll caster-TRC and by the direct chill-DC (under industrial process condition). It has been detected that the recrystallization of the strip produced by TRC process occurs at a higher temperature than the produced by DC process despite the little differences in their softening curves. The precipitation, in the TRC strip sample, occurs mainly before recrystallization and may occur during recrystallization. There is precipitation occurrence before and during recrystallization more expressive in the DC strip sample. Crystallographic texture of the sheet samples was obtained by X-ray diffraction and electron back scattering diffraction (EBSD) techniques. Results indicated the presence of a shear texture at the surface and β-fiber at the center of the cold rolled (70% area reduction) sample for the sheet produced by TRC process. In the strip sample obtained by the DC process, under the same conditions, the cube component and the β-fiber on the surface and at the center were observed. A random oriented grain texture has been detected in the two (TRC and DC) recrystallized (after cold rolling) sheet samples possibly due to the particle stimulated nucleation. The absence of β fiber in the recrystallized samples (TRC and DC) has also been observed.

Nesse trabalho, foi realizado um estudo comparativo da microestrutura e da textura cristalográfica entre chapas da liga AA4006 produzidas por dois processos industriais de lingotamento: contínuo (Twin roll caster TRC) e semicontínuo (Direct chill DC). Para a caracterização microestrutural, foram utilizadas as técnicas de microscopia óptica com luz polarizada, microscopia eletrônica de varredura, medidas de condutividade elétrica e ensaios de dureza Brinell. A textura cristalográfica foi determinada por difração de raios X. Foram detectadas e discutidas diferenças significativas nas morfologias e distribuições de grãos e de partículas de fases intermetálicas. O estudo da textura cristalográfica foi realizado ao longo da espessura das tiras e os resultados mostraram variações significativas da textura entre as chapas ao longo da espessura. A chapa produzida por lingotamento contínuo apresentou uma típica textura de cisalhamento, nas proximidades de sua superfície, enquanto que, nas regiões mais internas, a fibra β foi observada.

A comparative microstructural study has been performed in AA4006 alloy strips produced by two industrial casting processes: twin roll caster (TRC) and direct chill (DC). Polarized optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, electrical conductivity measurements and Brinnel hardness tests were used for microstructural characterization. X-ray diffraction was used for texture characterization. Significant differences in the morphologies and distributions of the grains and intermetallic particles were detected and are discussed herein. The crystallographic texture throughout the thickness of these strips was determined and the results presented significant differences. Texture analysis was carried out using the X-ray diffraction technique. The twin roll caster (TRC) sheet presented a typical shear texture near the surface, while internally, the β-fiber was observed.