Variant selection during the gamma-to-alpha(b) phase transformation in hot-rolled bainitic TRIP-aided steels

The variant selection phenomenon during the austenite to bainite phase transformation in hot-rolled TRIP-aided steels was quantitatively characterized at the level of individual austenite grains. The reconstruction of the electron backscatter diffraction maps provided evidence that bainite grows by packets of laths sharing a common {1 1 1}(gamma) plane in the austenite. The affect of hot deformation is to reduce the number of packets that form. It is suggested that slip activity is important in understanding this effect. (C) 2009 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.