Microstructural evolution and precipitation behavior of the 0.1C-18Cr-1Al-1Si ferritic heat-resistant stainless steel during hot deformation

The 0.1C-18Cr-1Al-1Si ferritic heat-resistant stainless steel has attracted considerable attention to high-temperature applications due to its favorable combination of creep and oxidation resistance. In this paper, the microstructural evolution and precipitation behavior of the 0.1C-18Cr-1Al-1Si ferritic heat-resistant stainless steel is studied from the compression deformation data in the temperature range of 850 °C–1050 °C and the strain rate range of 0.01–1 s⁻¹. Experimental results demonstrate that higher temperatures and lower strain rates enhance the dynamic recrystallization (DRX) process with remarkable effectiveness. The main precipitates are proved as the AlN phases and the (Cr,Fe)₂₃C₆ carbides during hot deformation. With an increase in the deformation temperature, the size of (Cr,Fe)₂₃C₆ and AlN gradually increases, and volume fraction gradually decreases. When the strain rate decreases, the average size and volume fraction of (Cr,Fe)₂₃C₆ and AlN gradually increase. At the lower temperatures, the occurrence of dynamic recrystallization (DRX) is strongly influenced by (Cr,Fe)₂₃C₆ formed on the grain boundaries, mainly because it causes a pinning effect, which hinders the movement of dislocations and delays the occurrence of the DRX. (paper)