Microstructural development of adiabatic shear bands in ultra-fine-grained low-carbon steels fabricated by equal channel angular pressing

Microstructural development of adiabatic shear bands formed in ultra-fine-grained low-carbon steels fabricated by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) was investigated in this study. Dynamic torsional tests were conducted on four steel specimens, two of which were annealed after ECAP, using a torsional Kolsky bar. The ECAP’ed specimen consisted of fine equiaxed grains of 0.2 μm in size, which were slightly coarsened and had an equiaxed shape after annealing. Some adiabatic shear bands were observed at the gage center of the dynamically deformed torsional specimen, and their width was narrower in the ECAP’ed specimen than in the 1-h annealed specimen. Detailed transmission electron microscopic analysis on adiabatic shear bands indicated that very fine equiaxed grains of 0.05–0.2 μm in size were developed within the adiabatic shear band, and that cell structures were formed in the shear band flank by partitioning elongated ferrites. These phenomena were explained by dynamic recovery and recrystallization due to the highly localized plastic deformation and temperature rise occurring in the shear band. The temperature rise in the shear band formation process was estimated to be above 540 °C by observing spheroidized cementites inside pearlite grains.