Abstract
Recrystallization and grain growth are important phenomena for controlling the mechanical and magnetic properties of steels through texture. Only a limited number of studies have been carried out on texture evolution during recrystallization and grain growth in heavily cold-rolled Si steel. The present study first focuses on clarifying the texture evolution during normal grain growth, followed by an investigation into the development of the {411}<148> component during recrystallization. The {411}<148> component is remarkably developed during normal grain growth after the completion of recrystallization. At just fully recrystallized stage, the diameters of the {411}<148> grains were larger than that of the grains with other orientations. Therefore, the {411}<148> grains significantly grew owing to the size advantage.
Just at the commencement of recrystallization, differences in grain diameter of recrystallized grains in terms of crystal orientation were not detected. However, it is worthwhile to mention that the nucleation of {411}<148> recrystallized grains is unexpectedly fast in heavily cold-rolled Si steel. Recrystallized {411}<148> grains were observed to nucleate in the deformed α-fiber grains, especially near the grain boundaries. Nuclei with {411}<148> orientation grow easily due to the high mobility of the interface between the recrystallized/non-recrystallized grains and the high driving force. Consequently, the diameter of a {411}<148> recrystallized grain becomes relatively large upon the completion of recrystallization. This contributes to the selective grain growth during the normal grain growth stage because of the size effect.
