Evolution of the Shear Band in Cold-Rolling of Strip-Cast Fe-1.3% Si Non-Oriented Silicon Steel

Cube texture and microstructural evolution of as-cast non-oriented silicon steel (1.3% Si) during cold rolling and annealing were studied. The results showed that the as-cast microstructure with grain size in the range of 100-500 μm had a weak texture. The strong orientation was mainly located at {100} and {110} planes. A significant content of shear-deformed grains oriented with {110}<110> were obtained by cold-rolling, and many regions oriented with Cube texture were distributed in the shear bands. During cold-rolling, the orientation of the shear-deformed microstructure tilted towards the {111}<112> orientation, while the matrix orientation retained {110}<110>. On further cold-rolling, the residual part of {110}<110> experienced shear deformation, forming more shear bands, strengthening the Cube orientation. During annealing, Cube orientation grains nucleated in the shear bands leading to strong Cube texture, and corresponding B₅₀ was 1.83T/1.79T.