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<p>Tailor-welded blanks (TWBs) of austenitic stainless steel are increasingly used in forming applications, but their formability is highly sensitive to the microstructural and textural heterogeneity introduced during welding and subsequent deformation. This study investigates the evolution of grain structure, intragranular misorientation, and bulk crystallographic texture in TWBs subjected to different strain paths and strain levels using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and X-ray diffraction (XRD)-based orientation distribution functions (ODFs). The base metal exhibited an initial average grain size of ~ 9&#xa0;µm, while the weld region showed significant refinement to ~ 4.8&#xa0;µm due to the welding thermal cycle. During deformation, the base metal experienced progressive grain growth, most pronounced under biaxial loading, where grain size increased from ~ 15&#xa0;µm at low strain to ~ 25&#xa0;µm at high strain. In contrast, the weld region showed negligible coarsening owing to limited plastic deformation. Grain orientation spread (GOS) and grain average misorientation (GAM) increased systematically with strain level, reflecting enhanced dislocation accumulation and lattice curvature, with higher values under biaxial strain than uniaxial strain. Texture analysis revealed that the undeformed TWB possessed a weak, nearly random orientation distribution dominated by copper and brass components. With increasing strain, a clear transition was observed, wherein brass, goss, and S-type orientations developed strongly, while the copper component weakened. Quantitative ODF analysis confirmed that the combined volume fraction of brass, goss, and S-type orientations exceeded 50% at high strain under biaxial loading, whereas uniaxial strain largely preserved copper and <i>α</i>-fiber orientations. These findings establish a direct link between welding-induced grain refinement, strain-path-dependent deformation, and texture evolution. The dominance of brass, goss, and S-type orientations under biaxial deformation indicates increased anisotropy and reduced formability, while the refined weld microstructure and elevated misorientation values suggest localized strain concentration. The study provides valuable insights into the microstructure–texture–formability relationship in TWBs, enabling better prediction and optimization for sheet metal forming applications.</p>

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Deformation-Induced Microstructural and Texture Evolution in Tailor-Welded Blanks of AISI 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年11月10日

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  • M. Krishnamraju,
  • Peeyush Mahajan,
  • Rahul Datta,
  • Jeet Prahlad

摘要

Tailor-welded blanks (TWBs) of austenitic stainless steel are increasingly used in forming applications, but their formability is highly sensitive to the microstructural and textural heterogeneity introduced during welding and subsequent deformation. This study investigates the evolution of grain structure, intragranular misorientation, and bulk crystallographic texture in TWBs subjected to different strain paths and strain levels using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and X-ray diffraction (XRD)-based orientation distribution functions (ODFs). The base metal exhibited an initial average grain size of ~ 9 µm, while the weld region showed significant refinement to ~ 4.8 µm due to the welding thermal cycle. During deformation, the base metal experienced progressive grain growth, most pronounced under biaxial loading, where grain size increased from ~ 15 µm at low strain to ~ 25 µm at high strain. In contrast, the weld region showed negligible coarsening owing to limited plastic deformation. Grain orientation spread (GOS) and grain average misorientation (GAM) increased systematically with strain level, reflecting enhanced dislocation accumulation and lattice curvature, with higher values under biaxial strain than uniaxial strain. Texture analysis revealed that the undeformed TWB possessed a weak, nearly random orientation distribution dominated by copper and brass components. With increasing strain, a clear transition was observed, wherein brass, goss, and S-type orientations developed strongly, while the copper component weakened. Quantitative ODF analysis confirmed that the combined volume fraction of brass, goss, and S-type orientations exceeded 50% at high strain under biaxial loading, whereas uniaxial strain largely preserved copper and α-fiber orientations. These findings establish a direct link between welding-induced grain refinement, strain-path-dependent deformation, and texture evolution. The dominance of brass, goss, and S-type orientations under biaxial deformation indicates increased anisotropy and reduced formability, while the refined weld microstructure and elevated misorientation values suggest localized strain concentration. The study provides valuable insights into the microstructure–texture–formability relationship in TWBs, enabling better prediction and optimization for sheet metal forming applications.