Thermal stability of ARMCO iron processed by ECAP

The thermal stability of ARMCO iron processed by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) up to a true strain of 16 was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Particularly, the analysis was focused on deriving the recrystallization behavior (onset, peak, and offset temperatures) at three different heating rates (10, 20, and 40 A degrees C/min). Additionally, the stored and activation energies were calculated. As well, the microstructure and the tensile response were evaluated at different numbers of passes before and after annealing heat treatment to assess any significant grain growth and its influence on the material ductility. The different energy contributions (dislocations, grain boundaries, and vacancies) were calculated, being verified that the main contribution came from vacancies.