Deformation microstructure and texture in a cold-rolled austenitic steel with low stacking-fault energy

Deformation microstructure and texture in a cold-rolled austenitic steel 310S with low stacking fault energy (SFE) have been investigated by SEM and TEM. When 310S plates were rolled by 95% in thickness reduction, a remarkable development of the brass-type preferred orientation was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. SEM observations of the specimens with such texture exhibited a layered structure developed parallel to the rolling plane. TEM images demonstrated the inhomogeneity of highly deformed polycrystalline low SFE fee metals. Dominant microstructure in 95% cold-rolled specimens is fine-grained structure caused by deformation twin and shear band formation (area (I)), but there exists small amount of areas without twin (area (II)). Dominant texture is the {110} (112) brass-type in both areas (I) and (II), although {111}<112> (twin-matrix lamellae), {110}<001> (Goss), {112}<111> (copper-type) are also observed in the area (1).