Effects of Electroplastic Rolling on a High Carbon Pearlitic Steel

Nanostructural evolution of cementite lamellae in pearlitic steel plates subjected to electroplastic rolling remains elusive, making it difficult to understand the differences in microstructure and properties of pearlite steel after electroplastic rolling and ordinary cold rolling. We performed rolling deformation on the pearlitic structure of AISI1080 steel at room temperature and analyzed the resulting microstructural evolution and mechanical properties under various rolling conditions. It was found that the microstructural characteristics of cementite after pulsed electric field‐assisted rolling were more prominent than those detected after cold rolling. Especially after larger deformation, fragmented cementite lamellae formed nanoscale carbide particles after pulsed electric field‐assisted rolling. There are significant differences in the variation of dislocation density in pearlite steel after ordinary cold rolling and electroplastic rolling deformation, especially after severe plastic rolling (above 70% reduction). After traditional cold rolling, the strength increases with the increase of deformation, and the plasticity decreases accordingly. However, the strength and plasticity after 80% deformation in electroplastic rolling are higher than those after 70% deformation.