Concurrent inheritance of microstructure and texture after slow β→α cooling of commercially pure Zr

A rolled and recrystallized commercially pure Zr sheet was β-solution treated and then cooled at two rates, i.e. air cooling (AC) and furnace cooling (FC). Microstructures and textures of original and β-cooled specimens were characterized by use of electron channeling contrast imaging, electron backscatter diffraction and X-ray diffraction techniques. Results reveal a novel phenomenon, i.e. the concurrent inheritance of microstructure and texture in the FC specimen cooled at a very slow rate. In contrast, for the AC specimen with faster cooling, typical lamellar α phases are obtained with relatively scattered texture. Based on comparatively crystallographic and thermodynamic analyses, reasons accounting for microstructure and texture differences in both cases are discussed, highlighting the significant role played by the variant selection behavior. It is postulated that increasing cooling rates should be more feasible to change the transformed texture in Zr materials.