Recrystallization of 30Cr2Ni4MoV ultra-super-critical rotor steel during hot deformation. Part I: Dynamic recrystallization

This paper presents an investigation that characterizes the evolution of the dynamically recrystallized structure of 30Cr2Ni4MoV ultra-super-critical rotor steel during hot deformation, as a starting point for studies of the static recrystallization (SRX) and the metadynamic recrystallization (MDRX) behaviors, by hot compression tests which are performed at the temperatures from 1243 K to 1543 K and strain rates from 0.001 s−1 to 0.1 s−1 on Gleeble-3500 thermo-mechanical simulator, and the corresponding flow curves are obtained. A third-order polynomial is then fitted to the work hardening region of each curve. The critical stress for initiation of dynamic recrystallization (DRX) can be calculated by setting the second derivative of the third order polynomial. By regression analysis, the activation energy in whole range of deformation temperature is determined to be Q = 368.45 kJ/mol. The complete DRX grain size (Ddrx) of the test steel is a function of Zener–Hollomon parameter (Z) and is independent of the true strain. The relationship of Ddrx and Z is found to be described in a form of power law function with an exponent of −0.24.

► The activation energy was 368.45 kJ/mol for the test steel.
► The critical stress can be expressed: σC = 7.704 ln Z − 122.357.
► The kinetic equations have been proposed.
► The complete DRX grain size of the test steel can be described as Ddrx = 5.855 × 104Z−0.243.