Abstract
The present work deals with grain refinement of medium carbon steel AISI 1045 (0.45%C) having different initial ferrite-pearlite microstructure resulted from thermal and thermomechanical (TM) treatment. The purpose of TM steel processing was to refine ferrite phase and modify pearlite lamellae structure. The final grain refinement of steel structure was then accomplished during warm Equal Channel Angular Pressing (ECAP) deformation at 400 °C. Employment of this processing route, in dependence of the applied effective strain ε_ef, resulted in extensive deformation of ferrite grains and cementite lamellae fragmentation. When applying higher shear stress, the mixed structure of subgrains and ultrafine grains was formed within ferrite phase, regardless the initial steel modification. In pearlite grains modification of cementite lamellae due to shearing, bending, twisting and breaking was found efficient as straining increased. Processes of dynamic polygonization and recrystallization in deformed structure also contributed to submicrocrystalline grains structure formation in intensively deformed structure. Comparing results of coarse lamellae cementite spheroidization was then more efficient in prior TM treated steel. The tensile deformation results confirmed the strength increase; however, deformation behaviour and strain hardening, generally for different initial structural conditions of steel, showed diversity across deformed bars.

Key words
carbon steel, microstructure, dissolving, TM treatment, microstructure, SPD, ECAP, mechanical properties

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