Comparison of the Methodologies for Studying Ferrite Recrystallization Kinetics in Continuous Annealing

The results of experimental studies of the kinetics of ferrite recrystallization during continuous annealing of cold-rolled steels using methods for measuring the yield strength, hardness, optical and electron microscopy as well as a comparison of the results of measurements of the fraction of the recrystallized volume of ferrite are compared. It was found that when using a technique based on measuring the yield strength, there are difficulties in the processing of tension curves due to the presence of a yield tooth for most grades. Methods for determining the fraction of the recrystallized volume of ferrite using optical and electron microscopy provide high accuracy, but are rather laborious and of high cost. The most preferred is the method of measuring hardness, the results of which are in good agreement with those obtained using other methods (measurement of the yield strength, optical and electron microscopy).