Effects of C and Mn elements on deformation-enhanced ferrite transformation in low carbon (Mn) steels

Effects of C and Mn contents on the deformation-enhanced ferrite transformation (DEFT) in low carbon (Mn) steels have been investigated by hot compression. The microstructures of 2-4μm ultra-fine equiaxed ferrite grains with minors distributed homogeneously can be obtained by DEFT in all the tested steels. The more pronounced refinement is achieved as the C or Mn content increasing because of the higher-density nucleating sites and lower growth rate. The effectiveness of C on the level of refinement is more obvious than that of Mn.