Study on Deformation Characteristics and Microstructure Evolution of 2205/AH36 Bimetal Composite in a Novel Hot Forming Process

A new hot forming process of a hot-rolled 2205 duplex stainless/AH36 low-carbon steel bimetal composite (2205/AH36 BC) was proposed in this study, using the Gleeble 3500 thermal-mechanical simulator and hot bending tools. The deformation characteristics of 2205/AH36 BC were studied by hot tensile tests at temperatures from 950 to 1250 °C and strain rates ranging from 0.01 to 1 s−1. The tensile temperature has a great influence on the peak flow stress of the bimetal composite. The main microstructure evolution mechanisms, including dynamic recovery (DRV) and dynamic recrystallization (DRX), changed with the deformation temperatures. The different strain rates and the change of strain rates during the deformation process have an influence on the flow behavior of the bimetal composite. During the hot bending process, qualified parts could be formed successfully without obvious cracks in the interfacial zone. Phase and grain orientation spread (GOS) maps of specimens after hot tensile and forming tests were obtained by the electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) technique to study the microstructure evolution, respectively. It is found that the effect of the working temperature on microstructure evolution is larger than that of the stacking sequence for 2205/AH36 BC. The considerable geometrically necessary dislocation (GND) accumulation occurs around the interface of 2205/AH36 BC under all imposed working conditions after the hot bending process, due to the interfacial micro-defects and complex stress states.