A unified theory of recovery, recrystallization and grain growth, based on the stability and growth of cellular microstructures .2. The effect of second-phase particles

A simple theory which analyses discontinuous and continuous recovery, recrystallization and grain growth, and which enables the relationships between the various annealing phenomena to be explored, has been extended to include the effectly of a dispersion of second-phase particles. Application to grain growth results in predictions which are consistent with those of more complex theories, and the model is also used to analyse the effect of a dispersion of second-phase particles on recrystallization occurring by tither strain induced boundary migration or by particle-stimulated nucleation. An analysis of subgrain growth shows that this may occur discontinuously under conditions in which recrystallization is not possible, thereby suggesting the possibility of a thermomechanical processing route in which complete softening may occur without recrystallization. (C) 1997 Acta Metallurgica Inc.