The effect of through-thickness strain distribution on the static recrystallization of hot rolled austenitic stainless steel strip

The accumulation of strain and the evolution of the microstructures at the surface and centre of thin hot rolled 304 austenitic stainless steel strips were studied by comparing their recrystallisation behaviour and recrystallised grain sizes. It appears that the evolution of microstructure can be predicated using a simple approach and that the accumulated strain depends only on the amount of strain, and not on the strain path (ie. the effect of strain reversal in the roll gap.) This was confirmed by the observation that the time for 50% recrystallisation and the recrystallised grain size were found to be approximately a log linear function of strain when the strain in the centre of the hot rolled strips was calculated from the rolling reduction and the strain in the surface region was estimated from the predicted ratio of surface strain to axial strain obtained from FE modelling using the commercial package ABAQUS.