Recrystallization behavior of cold-rolled Zr 702

Highlights: ► The microstructure evolution of cold-rolled Zr 702 during annealing was studied. ► The recrystallization kinetics of cold rolled Zr 702 was determined. ► The JMAK exponent increased with increasing temperature and rolling reduction. ► The activation energy for recrystallization of cold-rolled sheets was obtained. -- Abstract: Using the hardness test, we determined the recrystallization kinetics of cold-rolled Zr 702. The rate of the recrystallization process increased with increasing annealing temperature and rolling reduction. The Johnson–Mehl–Avrami–Kolmogorov (JMAK) exponent obtained was less than 1, which also increased with increasing annealing temperature and rolling reduction. The activation energies for the recrystallization of the 38.9% and 71.0% cold-rolled sheets were 232 kJ/mol and 251 kJ/mol, respectively