Investigating the Effect of Cast Structures on Texture and Mechanical Properties of AISI 433 Ferritic Stainless Steel

The influence of the individual equiaxed and columnar cast structure on the evolution of texture during thermo-mechanical processes (TMP) was investigated using the electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) technique. In this study, the effect of the individual IECS versus ICCS on texture evolution during rolling and annealing process was investigated. The recrystallization texture after cold working and annealing was then related to mechanical properties of the initial cast structures. It was found that the initial equiaxed cast structure exhibited a homogenous fiber texture while the columnar developed an inhomogeneous texture with the predominance of both the Goss and fiber textures. While texture has a significant influence on surface smoothness of the drawn product, it was found that it did not significantly affect the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength (UTS), but marginally affected the elongation i.e. it was found to be slighted higher for the equiaxed than the columnar cast structure measured parallel to the rolling direction (RD).