Recrystallization of

Cold-Worked Steel Wire

Santa Rosa Junior College
ENGR 45
Fall 2011
December 14, 2011
Edward Alicdan Jared
Carr
 Purpose
Cold Working
Recovery Recrystalliz
Recrystallization
ation of
Grain Growth
Cold-
Procedure
Results
Worked
Conclusion Steel Wire
Errors
 To document the
recovery,
recrystallization,
and grain growth Purpose
phases of cold-
worked carbon
steel.
 Increasing strength
through plastic
deformation and
increasing dislocations
Cold working because
deformation Cold
temperature drastically
less than melting Working
Higher dislocation
density, more hindered
dislocation movement,
increase hardness
Elongates grains
http://www.the-
warren.org/ALevelRevision/engineering/img2/coldrolling.gif
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1985MTA....16..703C
 Applied heat increases
dislocation motion
Metal decreases in
hardness as dislocations
leave faster
Additionally, original
electrical and physical Recovery
properties are restored

http://www.ndt-
ed.org/EducationResources/CommunityCollege/Materials/Graphics/Recovery.gif
 Continuation of
recovery
Continued decreasing
dislocation density
New grains form
between larger grains Recrystalliz
Start small, eventually ation
engulf parent grain
boundaries
Recrystallization
temperature for carbon
steel is about 1000F
Possible to increase
rate of recrystallization http://www.ndt-
by increasing %CW http://info.lu.farmingdale.edu/depts/met/met205/annealingstages.html
ed.org/EducationResources/CommunityCollege/Materials/Graphics/Recovery.gif
 Recrystallization
completes,
continued applied
heat
Grain growth due to
Grain
migration of grain Growth
boundaries outward
Large range of grain
sizes

http://www.ndt-
ed.org/EducationResources/CommunityCollege/Materials/Graphics/Recovery.gif
 Cold work a 40 cm long carbon
steel wire to approximately 55%
CW
Cut wire into 12 equally sized
pieces and assort into two groups
of 6
Heat one group at 500F and the
other at 800F
Take one metal out of each after 1, Procedure
5, 10, 30, 60 minutes, and 24 hours
Make two molds of each group
taking note of how to distinguish
between the samples
Sand, polish and etch the samples
Use the microscope to photograph
each sample
500F 800F
Results
500F
 Annealing Temperature: 500F
Time: 1 minute
Magnification: 300x
Description: Recovery and
minor recrystallization. Visible
grain stretching.

Results
 Annealing Temperature: 500F
Time: 1 minute
Magnification: 600x
Description: Recovery and
minor recrystallization. Visible
grain stretching.

Results
 Annealing Temperature:
500F
Time: 5 minutes
Magnification: 300x
Description: Stretching not
visible. New grains forming.
Results
 Annealing Temperature:
500F
Time: 5 minutes
Magnification: 600x
Description: Stretching not
visible. New grains forming.
Results
 Annealing Temperature: 500F
Time: 10 minutes
Magnification: 300x
Description: New grains continuing to
form. Increasing grain boundaries.
Dislocation density begins to decrease
due to the increased motion of the
dislocations.
Results
 Annealing Temperature: 500F
Time: 10 minutes
Magnification: 600x
Description: New grains continuing
to form. Increasing grain boundaries.
Dislocation density begins to
decrease due to the increased
motion of the dislocations.

Results
 Annealing Temperature: 500F
Time: 30 minutes
Magnification: 300x
Description: Grain size of larger grains
increasing. Smaller grain boundaries
are forced smaller. Dislocation density
continues to decrease.

Results
 Annealing Temperature: 500F
Time: 30 minutes
Magnification: 600x
Description: Grain size of larger
grains increasing. Smaller grain
boundaries are forced smaller.
Dislocation density continues to
decrease.
Results
 Annealing Temperature: 500F
Time: 60 minutes
Magnification: 300x
Description: Large grain
boundaries continuing to increase,
forcing other grains smaller.
Results
 Annealing Temperature:
500F
Time: 60 minutes
Magnification: 600x
Description: Large grain
boundaries continuing to
increase, forcing other
grains smaller. Results
 Annealing Temperature: 500F
Time: 24 hours
Magnification: 300x
Description: Very large and very small
grain sizes visible. Grain growth is
apparent. Number of dislocations is
much less than at the beginning of
recovery.
Results
 Annealing Temperature: 500F
Time: 24 hours
Magnification: 600x
Description: Very large and very
small grain sizes visible. Grain
growth is apparent. Number of
dislocations is much less than at
the beginning of recovery.
Results
Results
800F
 Annealing Temperature: 800F
Time: 1 minute
Magnification: 300x
Description: More visible grain
stretching than in 500 F.
Recovery phase.

Results
 Annealing Temperature: 800F
Time: 1 minute
Magnification: 600x
Description: More visible grain
stretching than in 500 F.
Recovery phase.

Results
 Annealing Temperature: 800F
Time: 5 minutes
Magnification: 300x
Description: New grains forming,
much larger than those formed in
500 F at same annealing time.

Results
 Annealing Temperature: 800F
Time: 5 minutes
Magnification: 600x
Description: New grains
forming, much larger than
those formed in 500 F at same
annealing time.
Results
 Annealing Temperature: 800F
Time: 10 minutes
Magnification: 300x
Description: Large grains
increasing size, pushing adjacent
grains smaller.

Results
 Annealing Temperature: 800F
Time: 10 minutes
Magnification: 600x
Description: Large grains
increasing size, pushing
adjacent grains smaller.

Results
 Annealing Temperature: 800F
Time: 30 minutes
Magnification: 300x
Description: Large grains continue
to grow, forcing others smaller.
Dislocation density is decreasing.

Results
 Annealing Temperature:
800F
Time: 30 minutes
Magnification: 600x
Description: Large grains
continue to grow, forcing
others smaller. Dislocation
density is decreasing. Results
 Annealing Temperature: 800F
Time: 60 minutes
Magnification: 300x
Description: Large grains are
very apparent. Notice the wide
variety of grain sizes.

Results
 Annealing Temperature:
800F
Time: 60 minutes
Magnification: 600x
Description:
Recrystallization is nearly
complete. Large grains
are very apparent. Notice
the wide variety of grain Results
sizes.
 Annealing Temperature: 800F
Time: 24 hours
Magnification: 300x
Description: Grain growth is very
apparent in larger grains. Smaller
grains are much smaller than in
previous slides. Dislocation density is at
its minimum.
Results
 Annealing Temperature: 800F
Time: 24 hours
Magnification: 600x
Description: Grain growth is very
apparent in larger grains. Smaller
grains are much smaller than in
previous slides. Dislocation density
is at its minimum.
Results
 Conclusions
Although some of the pictures of the
recrystallization of carbon steel did not match
perfectly with the theoretical outcomes we
expected, we think that our experiment was
still successful because the overall stages still
followed the recrystallization model very
closely.
 Errors
Lack of a control sample makes it
difficult to compare the other metals
without a base frame of reference.
Although the first metal was only
heated for 1 minute, the fact that the
steel wasdid
Pictures sonot
thin may have caused
drastic changes in the grain patterns.
come out as clearly
as we had liked;
over-etching and
excessive
scratching made the
patterns in the
grains less
noticeable or
difficult to see.
 Errors
The extreme thinness of the carbon steel
may have caused the recrystallization
process to end much faster, resulting in
the grain growth phase occurring much
sooner.
The relatively small surface area of each
metal may have caused the patterns in
the grains to be distorted. Near the edges
of each metal there was stretching of
grains and other deformations. The inside
of the metal were so close to the edges of
the metal that the deformations may have
extended to some of the grains in the
middle.
 References
http://www.the-
warren.org/ALevelRevision/engine
ering/img2/coldrolling.gif
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/19
85MTA....16..703C
http://www.ndt-
ed.org/EducationResources/Com
munityCollege/Materials/Graphics
/Recovery.gif
http://info.lu.farmingdale.edu/dep
ts/met/met205/annealingstages.h
tml
 Special Thanks

Youne
s