On the Mechanism of Secondary Recrystallization in Grain Oriented Silicon Iron

Abstract

The final Goss texture in grain oriented silicon iron develops by a secondary recrystallization process in presence of second phase particles.A sheet of Fe‐3%Si was annealed in a gradient furnace in order to establish the exact temperature of the beginning of abnormal growth.Measurements of grain size distributions of the different orientations and in particular of the {110} 〈001〉 grains (within a cone of ±10° width around the rolling direction) were performed at different stages of grain growth. The so identified Goss grains show a different growth kinetic in comparison with the matrix. The results are analysed and discussed in the framework of the statistical model of grain growth assuming a texture selection process operating.The agreement between experimental and theoretical results is quite good and allows to state that the main mechanism for the secondary recrystallization in silicon iron is a selective process of grain growth which is controlled by the presence of an inhibitor (dispersion of second phase particles). As a consequence an initial larger grain size for {110} 〈001〉 oriented grains is not a necessary condition to get the final Goss texture.