Submit to Materials Review for Materials Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Advanced Steel Materials: Recrystallization, Phase Transformation and Microstructure Analysis (Second Edition)

Editor
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
Related Special Issue
Published Papers

A Special Issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944) belonging to the section "Metals and Alloys".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 August 2026) | Viewed by 4040

Share This Special Issue

Editor

Dr. Toshio Ogawa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Aichi Institute of Technology, Aichi, Japan
Interests: recovery and recrystallization; phase transformation; iron and steel; high-dimensional analysis of microstructure
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Steel materials are widely used in various applications due to their low cost and capacity for mass production. A key aspect of material design for steel materials is the control of recrystallization and phase transformation in the manufacturing process. Moreover, the interaction between recrystallization and phase transformation plays an important role in controlling the microstructure.

The recrystallization and phase transformation of steel materials have been studied extensively, and in recent years, approaches such as modeling, simulation, high-dimensional analysis, and machine learning have attracted significant attention. These approaches have led to novel and important findings. Thus, research on the recrystallization and phase transformation of steel materials will continue to develop in the future.

This Special Issue, entitled “Advanced Steel Materials: Recrystallization, Phase Transformation and Microstructure Analysis (Second Edition)”, will focus on the recrystallization and phase transformation of steel materials. I would like to invite you to submit original research articles, reviews and communications to this Special Issue.

Dr. Toshio Ogawa
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

recovery
recrystallization
phase transformation
precipitation
microstructure
texture
steel
iron
modeling and simulation
high-dimensional analysis
materials informatics

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Related Special Issue

Advanced Steel Materials: Recrystallization, Phase Transformation and Microstructure Analysis in Materials (13 articles)

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

12 pages, 1286 KB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Neighboring Orientations on Oriented Stability in Grain-Boundary Regions of Non-Oriented Silicon Steel

by Xi Chen, Guojin Zhang, Fang Zhang and Yuhui Sha

Materials 2026, 19(17), 3733; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19173733 - 2 Sep 2026

Viewed by 224

Abstract

Orientation rotation in grain-boundary regions plays a critical role in controlling the crystallographic texture of metallic materials. In this study, the ideal λ texture ({001}<uv0>) in non-oriented silicon steel is chosen as the target orientation. The oriented stability in grain-boundary regions during cold rolling is systematically investigated by combining crystal plasticity simulations and quasi in situ electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) experiments. Oriented stability is defined as the rate of change in the misorientation angle between an arbitrary orientation and the target orientation, thereby quantifying the rotational tendency relative to the target in grain-boundary regions. The results reveal that the oriented stability in grain-boundary regions is highly sensitive to both the initial and neighboring orientations. For initial orientations near the critical boundary separating convergence and divergence zones, the oriented stability is highly susceptible to neighboring orientations, with some neighboring orientations even reversing the rotation direction. In contrast, when the initial orientation is far from this critical boundary, the influence of neighboring orientations becomes weaker. Furthermore, the concept of contributed oriented stability is introduced to statistically evaluate the effect of different neighboring texture components in polycrystals. This work elucidates the underlying mechanism of orientation rotation in grain-boundary regions, and provides a new theoretical framework and a quantitative strategy for optimizing favorable textures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Steel Materials: Recrystallization, Phase Transformation and Microstructure Analysis (Second Edition))

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

24 pages, 4627 KB

Open AccessArticle

Insights into Engineering Super-Duplex Stainless-Steel Microstructures: Composition Alterations and Processing Strategies in LPBF

by Leonidas Karavias, Leonidas Gargalis, Evangelia K. Karaxi and Elias P. Koumoulos

Materials 2026, 19(11), 2344; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19112344 - 1 Jun 2026

Viewed by 432

Abstract

This study investigates in situ methodologies for enhancing austenite formation in Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF)-processed Super Duplex Stainless Steel (SDSS), aiming to eliminate the requirement for post-process heat treatments. The evaluated approaches included layer remelting, increased layer thickness (from 40 μm to 80 μm), and chemical modification by blending SDSS with Stainless Steel SS316L at a 50/50 weight ratio. Microstructural characterization and macro-hardness testing were conducted, complemented by nanoindentation analyses to assess the local mechanical response of the austenite and ferrite phases in samples exhibiting the highest austenite content. The findings indicate that neither layer remelting nor increased layer thickness alone substantially elevated austenite content; the as-built microstructure remained predominantly ferritic under these conditions. In contrast, compositional adjustment through SS316L powder blending yielded a significant increase in austenite, resulting in a duplex microstructure. These compositional changes and the resulting phase balance were associated with a reduction in macro-hardness relative to the ferritic microstructures. Nanoindentation results showed comparable nanomechanical properties in both phases, suggesting that the decreased macro-hardness in the duplex microstructure is primarily attributable to changes in chemical composition and diminished solid-solution strengthening, rather than the increased austenite fraction itself. These results highlight the limitations of thermal strategies alone in achieving phase balance in LPBF-processed SDSS and demonstrate the effectiveness of compositional tuning in promoting favorable duplex microstructures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Steel Materials: Recrystallization, Phase Transformation and Microstructure Analysis (Second Edition))

► Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 7632 KB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Solution Treatment Temperature on Microstructural Evolution and Mechanical Properties of GH4698 Superalloy

by Xiaofeng Yan, Jianxin Dong and He Jiang

Materials 2026, 19(9), 1806; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19091806 - 29 Apr 2026

Viewed by 571

Abstract

This study systematically investigates the effects of solution temperature ranging from 1060 to 1150 °C on grain growth kinetics, microstructural evolution, and tensile properties of GH4698 superalloys. The results indicate that grain size coarsens parabolically with increasing solution temperature. Based on the Sellars model, the grain growth time exponent n is determined to be 3.4 and the activation energy Q is 478.7 kJ·mol⁻¹. This confirms that the grain growth process is significantly influenced by both MC carbide pinning and alloying element drag effects. Additionally, due to the coarsening of grains, the precipitation density of M₂₃C₆ carbides per unit grain boundary length increased from 0.26 μm⁻¹ to 0.39 μm⁻¹. The ultimate tensile strength at room temperature decreased from 1268 MPa to 1226 MPa, and the yield strength decreased from 840 MPa to 807 MPa, while the elongation remained at 28–32%. At 700 °C, the ultimate tensile strength decreases from 974 MPa to 904 MPa, and the yield strength decreases from 755 MPa to 696 MPa, with the elongation remaining at ~6%. Quantitative analysis reveals that the decrease in strength is primarily due to the weakening of grain boundary strengthening caused by grain coarsening. At 700 °C, the deformation mechanism transitions from dislocation shearing at room temperature to stacking fault shearing. This not only leads to a reduction in strength but also, accompanied by grain boundary weakening, results in a decrease in elongation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Steel Materials: Recrystallization, Phase Transformation and Microstructure Analysis (Second Edition))

► Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 8403 KB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Two-Way Cold Rolling and Subsequent Annealing on the Microstructure and Tensile Properties of Low-Carbon Steel with Different Initial Microstructures

by Toshio Ogawa, Hidetomo Hayashi and Hiroyuki Dannoshita

Materials 2026, 19(3), 466; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19030466 - 24 Jan 2026

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 798

Abstract

We investigated the effects of two-way cold rolling and subsequent annealing on the microstructure and tensile properties of low-carbon steel with different initial microstructures. Two types of hot-rolled sheet specimens were prepared: specimen P, consisting of ferrite and pearlite, and specimen M, consisting of martensite. The hot-rolled sheets were cold-rolled in two directions and subsequently annealed. Two-way cold rolling promoted shear-band formation compared with one-way cold rolling. Furthermore, the two-way cold-rolled specimens showed higher strain homogeneity than the one-way cold-rolled specimens. When annealed below the Ac₁ temperature, two-way cold rolling accelerated recrystallization in specimen P, but not in specimen M. In the intercritically annealed specimen P, two-way cold rolling increased the average size of recrystallized ferrite grains while reducing their aspect ratio. In addition, the strength–ductility balance of the two-way cold-rolled specimen P was similar to that of the one-way cold-rolled specimen P. In contrast, in the intercritically annealed specimen M, two-way cold rolling reduced the average size and the aspect ratio of recrystallized ferrite grains. As a result, the strength–ductility balance of the two-way cold-rolled specimen M was improved by approximately 15% compared with that of the one-way cold-rolled specimen. This improvement was attributed to the formation of fine and equiaxed recrystallized ferrite grains. The present findings provide a basis for applying two-way cold rolling as a microstructure-control strategy in high-strength steels. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Steel Materials: Recrystallization, Phase Transformation and Microstructure Analysis (Second Edition))

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Review

Jump to: Research

46 pages, 5499 KB

Open AccessReview

Duplex-Phase Fe-Mn-Al-C Low-Density Steels: A Review on Their Alloy Design, Processing, Mechanical and Application Performances

by Peng Chen, Yan Lin, Liu-Jiang Yue, Rong Chen, Yi Wang, Ting-Jun Zhang and Xiao-Wu Li

Materials 2026, 19(5), 953; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19050953 - 1 Mar 2026

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1237

Abstract

Duplex-phase low-density steels are attracting interest for lightweight structural applications, as reducing vehicle mass is an effective route to lower fuel consumption and emissions. This review summarizes recent progress in alloy design, processing, microstructure control, and performance of duplex-phase low-density steels. The roles of major alloying elements are discussed in terms of phase stability and precipitation tendency, followed by an overview of typical processing routes from melting to hot and cold rolling and subsequent heat treatments used to tailor phase fractions and defect structures. Strengthening mechanisms are reviewed with emphasis on precipitation control, including the beneficial contribution of fine intragranular κ′ precipitates and the ductility penalty associated with coarse intergranular κ* films, as well as the use of B2-based particles for high specific strength. Deformation behavior is then discussed in terms of transformation-/twinning-induced plasticity (TRIP/TWIP), planar versus wavy slip, and strain partitioning between ferrite and austenite. Finally, key challenges are outlined, including quantitative interface-based mechanism description, gaps in service property data, stable industrial production and compositional uniformity, and the development of forming and welding windows for engineering implementation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Steel Materials: Recrystallization, Phase Transformation and Microstructure Analysis (Second Edition))

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Advanced Steel Materials: Recrystallization, Phase Transformation and Microstructure Analysis (Second Edition)

Share This Special Issue

Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (5 papers)

Research

Review

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI