Texture, orientation, and mechanical properties of Ti-stabilized Fe-17Cr ferritic stainless steel

Microstructure and mechanical properties of the as-annealed Ti-stabilized Fe-17Cr ferritic stainless steel were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and tensile tests. Experimental results show that the size of the ferrite grain in the Fe-17Cr stainless steel is about 40 µm after rolling and annealing. Orientation distribution function (ODF) by EBSD indicates that nearly homogeneous {111} annealing texture is produced in the annealed sheets. Pole figures (PF) by EBSD show that Kurdjumov–Sachs orientation relationship between the TiN particles and ferrite grains is established in the as-annealed microstructure. Tensile tests demonstrate that the yield strength (YS), ultimate tensile strength (UTS), and elongation (EL) of the as-annealed Ti-stabilized Fe-17Cr ferritic stainless steel are 319 MPa, 626 MPa, and 36.5%, respectively. In the SEM micrograph of the fracture, deep dimples can be observed and TiN particles can be found in the core of the dimples, which indicates that the samples undergo large deformation before fracture.