| Abstract: | Single crystals with demanded crystallographic orientation of the crystal axis, of iron and iron alloyed with some 0.5 and 0.9 wt % silicon were prepared by the strainanneal method. The raw materials used in this study were powder carbonyl iron and pure silicon. Attempts to grow single crystals from vacuum melted iron containing about 1200 ppm oxygen were unsuccessful. The large pinning of grain boundaries by second phase particles is assumed to be the main factor influencing grain boundary mobility. From materials zone refined in hydrogen atmosphere single crystals of Fe, Fe−0.5 and 0.9 wt % Si were readily prepared and the yield of 90% of oriented single crystal was obtained. It was found that the number of twin grains on the crystal surfaces was rapidly lowered on increasing the silicon content. |
