Investigation and Modeling of Austenite Grain Evolution for a Typical High-strength Low-alloy Steel during Soaking and Deformation Process

The final mechanical properties of components greatly depend on their grain size. It is necessary to study the grain evolution during different thermomechanical processes. In the study, the real-time austenite grain evolution of a high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steel during the soaking process is investigated by in situ experiments. The effects of different deformation parameters on the dynamic recrystallization (DRX) kinetic behaviors are investigated by hot compression experiments. Based on the observations and statistics of the microstructures at different thermomechanical processes, a unified grain size model is established to evaluate the effects of soaking parameters and deformation parameters on the austenite grain evolution. Also, the DRX kinetic model and critical strain model are established, which can describe the effects of the soaking process on the DRX kinetics process well. The established grain size model and DRX kinetic model are compiled into the numerical simulation software using Fortran language. The austenite grain evolution of the material under different deformation conditions is simulated, which is consistent with the experimental results. It indicates that the established model is reliable, and can be used to simulate and predict the grain size during different thermomechanical processes accurately.