Changes in grain boundary structure during the initial stages of recrystallization

Abstract

This paper shows that, during the earliest stages of a recrystallizing anneal, the extrinsic dislocation content of boundaries between deformed grains in an austenitic stainless steel falls to very low levels. This accommodation of extrinsic grain boundary dislocations into a high angle grain boundary during the initial stages of annealing is considered to be a process of boundary recrystallization. Further, it is suggested that a link exists between boundary recrystallization and the formation of nuclei for general recrystallization.