Microstructure and texture of hot-rolled Cb-Ti and V-Cb microalloyed steels with differences in formability and toughness

The relationship between microstructure and formability (also toughness) of industrially processed Cb-Ti and V-Cb steels with similar yield strength of about 600 MPa and total elongation of 20 pct was examined. The steels were processed under similar conditions and any variations in processing history were unintentional. Cb-Ti steels exhibited superior formability and toughness in relation to V-Cb steels. The improved formability and toughness of Cb-Ti steels is attributed to the cumulative contribution of relatively finer grain size, narrow ferrite grain size distribution, inherently more ductile behavior and microplasticity, the reduced intensity of {100}〈011〉 texture, and slightly higher intensity of the desired {332}〈113〉 texture.