Dynamic Recrystallization Behavior and Microstructure Evolution of Bridge Weathering Steel in Austenite Region

The austenite dynamic recrystallization (DRX) behavior and microstructure evolution of a bridge weathering steel was systematically investigated at a deformation temperature range of 8001100 degrees C and strain rate of 0.110s1 by using hot compression test and optical microscopy. The stress exponent and hot deformation energy were obtained by regression method to determine thermal deformation constitutive equation. The curve of stress versus strain is used, combined with high order polynomial fitting, to accurately determine the critical value of DRX. The relationships between critical strain, critical stress, and Z parameter of the bridge weathering steel were obtained by regression method. Moreover, the influence factors of DRX kinetics of the bridge weathering steel were studied in the light of the experimental results. It is shown that the strain rate has a more significant effect on the rate of DRX than that of the deformation temperature, and there is almost 0.85 orders of magnitude increment in the rate of DRX as the strain rate increases an order of magnitude. The dynamically recrystallized grain size can be decreased with decreasing the deformation temperature and increasing the strain rate during the austenite deformation.