Recrystallization of zirconium carbide

Temperature and deformation rate are studied for their effect on the structure and mechanical properties of polycrystalline sintered zirconium carbide. A decrease of the deformation rate from 10-2 to 5x10-4 s-1 and an increase of the deformation temperature from 0.5 Tsub(melt.) to 0.65 Tsub(melt.) are shown to activate a formation of integranular cavities and to decrease a degree of the structure distortion due to the diminishing intragranular deformation. Kinetics of the initial recrystallization in zirconium carbide is studied after plastic deformation and subsequent high-temperature annealing beginning from 0.72 Tsub(melt.)