Influence of high deformation on the microstructure of low-carbon steel

Low-carbon steel sheets DC04 used in the automotive industry were subjected to cold rolling for thickness reduction from 20%to 89%. The desired thickness was achieved by successive reductions using a rolling mill. The influence of thickness reduction on the micro-structure was studied by scanning electron microscopy. Microstructure evolution was characterized by the distortion of grains and the occur-rence of the oriented grain structure for high cold work. A mechanism of grain restructuring for high cold work was described. The occur-rence of voids was discussed in relation with cold work. The evolution of voids at the grain boundaries and inside the grains was also consid-ered. To characterize the grain size, the Feret diameter was measured and the grain size distribution versus cold work was discussed. The chemical homogeneity of the sample was also analyzed.