Effect of Rolling Reduction on Microstructure and Formability of a Ferritic Stainless Steel

The rolling process is crucial in the process design for achieving good formability of ferritic stainless steel. A comparison is made between hot rolling and cold rolling, and the influence of reduction distribution between hot and cold rolling on the evolution of microstructure and texture is discussed. The results indicate that the partitioning of a high cold-rolling reduction rate is better than the hot rolling in terms of microstructure and properties. With increasing thickness reduction via cold rolling, {223}<110> component in cold-rolled sheets exhibits a progressive strengthening, while {111} <121> component becomes more intense and the degree of deviation from the ideal γ-fiber axis is weakened after annealing. The increase in cold deformation refines the microstructure and increases the fraction of <111> //ND-oriented grains. Therefore, ferritic stainless steels with higher cold-working render an excellent combination of strength and formability.