The role of grain boundary character distribution in secondary recrystallization of electrical steels

Grain Boundary Character Distributions (GBCD) in grain-oriented electrical steels were calculated from the Orientation Distribution Functions of the primary recrystallization texture. The probability of a grain boundary having a misorientation angle From 20 degrees to 45 degrees is highest around the Goss grain. The observed difference in GBCD implies that the Goss grain is surrounded by the highest number of high-energy boundaries. The high-energy boundary has more structural defects, and these are often linked to a high grain boundary migration rate and a high grain boundary diffusion rate. An explanation of Goss texture development in secondary recrystallization is proposed, based on the property of the high-energy boundary. The role of special Coincident Site Lattice boundaries is analysed, and we conclude that they do not play a significant role in the development of Goss texture. Copyright (C) 1997 Acta Metallurgica Inc.