The microstructures of strip-cast low-carbon steels and their response to thermal processing

The as-cast microstructure and its modification when subjected to heat treatment is examined for strip-cast low carbon steels. The local solidification rate in the twin-roll strip casting process is estimated to. be 590 to 850 °C/s, and the primary and secondary dendrite arm spacings are approximately 17 to 25 and 10 μm, respectively. The as-cast structure is predominantly Widmanstätten ferrite and, thereby, differs from the conventional hot-rolled sheet. It is suggested that the as-cast morphology is a result of the large initial austenite grain size and the cooling rate and is not a unique characteristic of rapid solidification of strip casting. By restricting the austenite grain size and cooling rate, polygonal ferrite morphology probably can be produced during strip casting. The response to heat treatment depends on the presence of aluminum; with a moderate amount of aluminum, the A1N precipitates in the as-cast structure inhibit the subsequent grain boundary movement and may affect the subsequent recrystallization behavior.