Constitutive Characteristics, Microstructure, and Texture Evolution of As-Cast 42CrMo Alloy in Nonisothermal Multipass Compression

The nonisothermal multipass deformation behavior of as-cast 42CrMo alloy was studied with declining temperature, constant pass strain, varying strain rate, and interval time. The stresses are used to develop the constitutive model. As the finishing temperature increases from 990°C to 1070°C, the stress decreases gradually and the softening effect increases, which results in a large grain size and inhomogeneous microstructure. The low angle grain boundaries transform into high angle grain boundaries through absorbing dislocations. The noticeable stress softening in a high strain rate is attributed to the thermal softening, dynamic recovery, and dynamic recrystallization. The thermal softening is no longer considered to be the main interpass softening mechanism at a low strain rate. The interval time has a negligible effect on the stress, but the significant changes in grain size and texture component are caused by the interpass softening. The average grain size is approximately 40 μm, and the distorted grain boundaries and small fine grains are found in the interval times of 0.5–5 s, implying the dynamic recovery and grain growth. The near {001} and {110} orientation exerts an important influence on the grain refinement.