Deformation Behaviour and Ultrafine Grained Structure Development in Steels with Different Carbon Content Subjected to Severe Plastic Deformation

The article focuses on the results from recent experimental of severe plastic deformation of low carbon (LC) steel and medium carbon (MC) steel performed at increased temperatures. The grain refinement of ferrite respectively ferrite-pearlite structure is described. While LC steel was deformed by ECAP die (ε = 3) with a channel angle φ = 90° the ECAP severe deformation of MC steel was conducted with die channel angle of 120° (ε = 2.6 - 4). The high straining in LC steel resulted in extensively elongated ferrite grains with dense dislocation network and randomly recovered and polygonized structure was observed. The small period of work hardening appeared at tensile deformation. On the other side, the warm ECAP deformation of MC steel in dependence of increased effective strain resulted in more progressive recovery process. In interior of the elongated ferrite grains the subgrain structure prevails with dislocation network. As straining increases the dynamic polygonization and recrystallization became active to form mixture of polygonized subgrain and submicrocrystalline structure. The straining and moderate ECAP temperature caused the cementite lamellae fragmentation and spheroidzation as number of passes increased. The tensile behaviour of the both steels was characterized by strength increase however the absence of strain hardening was found at low carbon steel. The favourable effect of ferrite-pearlite structure modification due straining was reason for extended work hardening period observed at MC steel.