Texture evolution in selective laser melted maraging stainless steel CX with martensitic transformation

Due to high local cooling rates and non-equilibrium directional solidification conditions, selective laser melting (SLM) processed metals exhibit microstructural and textural features significantly different from the conventionally processed ones. The evolution of crystallographic orientations in a maraging stainless steel (commercially known as stainless steel CX) sample fabricated by the SLM process was studied through experimental and modelling approaches Electron backscattering diffraction analysis showed that the dominant texture components in martensite and austenite phases are || building direction and || building direction, respectively. Texture simulation indicated that the formation of crystallographic orientations in the studied sample is the result of two consecutive phase transformations, from initially solidified delta ferrite phase with dominant cube fiber texture to austenite and austenite to martensite

In-situ observation of texture changes during phase transformations in ultra-low-carbon steel

Texture changes during the alpha(bcc)-gamma(fcc) phase transformation in ultra-low-carbon (ULC) steel were investigated in situ by neutron diffraction, making use of a vacuum furnace. The initial texture is a typical bee rolling texture. Upon heating above 500 degrees C, it recrystallizes, and above 900 degrees C, it transforms into an fee texture with (111) fee pole figures resembling (110) bee and (110) fee resembling (111) bee. Upon cooling, the reverse transformation produces a texture that is close to the initial one, documenting a texture memory. Modeling the texture changes with the Kurdjumov-Sachs (KS), Nishiyama-Wassermann (NW), and Bain relationships reproduces the correct texture patterns but considerably weaker texture strengths, indicating that in the experimental case, variant selection occurs during both the forward and reverse transformations