Retention and evolution of texture in an electrical steel under vacuum annealing

The mechanisms for the retention and evolution of {100}<011> texture in Fe–3%Si–Mn–C silicon steel sheet are investigated. In this paper, {100}<011> textured columnar grains were obtained in Fe–3%Si–Mn–C silicon steel sheet by vacuum annealing. The textures in the surface of samples after cold rolling and vacuum annealing with different heating rates are characterized. Before the formation of γ (austenite) phases, the development of {111} ferritic grains is inhibited due to a solute drag effect which is caused by Mn and C dissolved in the ferrite, and then, the deformed {100}<011> texture is retained. The heating rate has a significant influence on the formation of {100} texture in the surface layer columnar grains. Compared with the slow heating, the rapid heating is more beneficial for the formation of {100}<011> texture during the γ (austenite) to α (ferrite) phase transformation. Vacuum annealing with different heating rates can cause the content variation of γ phases which are adjacent to α phase columnar grains in the surface layer. It is reasonable to conclude that the anisotropic elastic strain energy plays a significant role during the formation of the sharp {100}<011> texture.