Recrystallisation behaviour of low carbon steel with and without addition of chromium

The effects of 0.74wt% Cr addition on the recrystallisation kinetics of low carbon (LC) steel was investigated using Vickers hardness testing, optical metallography and Electron Back- Scattering Diffraction (EBSD). Compared to the unalloyed steel, Cr addition significantly delays the time for recrystallisation and increases the JMAK pre-exponential factor (k) by an order of magnitude. During initial softening, EBSD returned similar orientations for nucleated and growing grain fractions in both steels. However with longer annealing times the micro-texture of recrystallised grains differs from their earlier counterparts. Overall, the effect of fine Cr carbides on grain boundary mobility in the LC-Cr steel causes variations in recrystallisation kinetics, grain morphology and micro-textures.