A study of deformation-induced phosphorus grain boundary segregation in an interstitial free steel

Phosphorus grain boundary segregation in an interstitial free (IF) steel deformed at different temperatures and strain rates is measured by virtue of Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). The results reveal that the deformation-induced phosphorus grain boundary segregation has a non-equilibrium characteristic and increases with increasing deformation strain until reaching a steady value. In addition, the segregation of phosphorus increases more apparently for the specimen deformed at a lower temperature or a higher strain rate. Predictions with a kinetic model developed recently show a reasonable fit between the predictions and the observations, which indicates that the model is effective in the prediction of deformation-induced grain boundary segregation.

► Plastic deformation causes non-equilibrium grain boundary segregation of P in an IF steel.
► The segregation increases with increasing deformation strain until reaching a steady level.
► At the same strain the segregation increases with increasing strain rate.
► Model predictions exhibit a reasonable agreement with the observations.