Monte Carlo modeling of microstructure evolution during the static recrystallization of cold-rolled, commercial-purity titanium

The static recrystallization behavior of cold-rolled, commercial-purity titanium (CP-Ti) was studied experimentally and with Monte Carlo (MC) modeling. Utilization of electron backscatter diffraction orientation imaging microscopy as input for MC simulations resulted in realistic predictions of recrystallization kinetics, microstructure, and texture, which were in good agreement with experimental results. MC simulations of recrystallization kinetics indicated that non-uniform deformation, heterogeneous nucleation of recrystallization, and concurrent recovery either individually or in combination can cause a deviation from linear JMAK kinetics. Model results also revealed that heterogeneous nucleation of recrystallized grains and their early impingement in local areas of high deformation result in a log-normal distribution of grain size. An orientation-dependent stored energy distribution and preferred nucleation at high-stored-energy regions were found to be closely related to the development of recrystallization texture in cold-rolled CP-Ti, thus providing support for the 'oriented nucleation' mechanism. (c) 2006 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.