Annealing behavior of ultrafine grained structure in low-carbon steel produced by equal channel angular pressing

The influence of annealing (400–700 °C, 1 h) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of ultrafine grained low-carbon Fe–Mo–Nb–V–C carbide-strengthened steel produced by equal channel angular pressing was investigated. The grain size and the mechanical properties of the ultrafine grained steel are stable up to 500 °C. The grain growth kinetics during annealing in the temperature interval of 400–700 °C was studied, and an activation energy for grain growth of 420 kJ/mol was determined.