Static Recrystallization Behavior of SA508-III Steel during Hot Deformation

The static recrystallization behavior of SA508-III steel was investigated by isothermal double-hit hot compression tests at the deformation temperature of 950-1250 °C, the strain rate of 0. 01-1 s−1, and the inter-pass time of 1-300 s. The effects of deformation parameters, including forming temperature, strain rate, degree of deformation (pre-strain) and initial austenite grain size, on the softening kinetics were analyzed. Experimental results show that static recrystallization kinetics is strongly dependent on deformation temperature and degree of deformation, while less affected by the strain rate and initial grain size. The kinetics and microstructural evolution equations of static recrystallization for SA508-III steel were developed to predict the softening behavior and the statically recrystallized grain size, respectively. Based on the comparison between the experimental and predicted results, it is found that the established equations can give a reasonable estimate of the static softening behavior for SA508-III steel.