The Effect of Hot‐ and Cold‐Rolling on the Electropulse‐Induced Microstructure and Property Changes in Medium Carbon Low Alloy Steels

Abstract

The application of electropulse to hot-rolled and cold-rolled, medium carbon low alloy steels has generated completely different effects. For cold-rolled steel samples, electropulsing treatment causes microstructure refinement and, hence, increments in tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation. For hot-rolled steels, the effect of electropulsing is found to be negligible. This proves the importance of dislocations in the micromechanism of electropulse-induced microstructure transformation in solids. The optimal electropulse parameters for the improvement of cold-rolled steels are observed. The experimental observations are explained within the frameworks of thermodynamics and kinetics of microstructure transformation.