Three-dimensional observations of morphology of low-angle boundaries in ultra-low carbon lath martensite

The lath martensite structure contains hierarchical substructures, such as blocks, packets and prior austenite grains. Generally, high-angle grain boundaries in the lath martensite structure, i.e. block boundaries, are correlated to mechanical properties. On the other hand, low-angle grain boundaries play an important role in morphological development. However, it is difficult to understand their nature because of the difficulty associated with the characterization of the complex morphologies by two-dimensional techniques. This study aims to identify the morphologies of low-angle boundaries in ultra-low carbon lath martensite. A serial-sectioning method and electron backscatter diffraction analysis are utilized to reconstruct three-dimensional objects and analyse their grain boundaries. A packet comprizes two low-angle grain boundaries - sub-block and fine packet boundaries. Sub-blocks exhibit porous morphology, with two large sub-blocks predominantly occupying a block. Several fine packets with different habit planes from the surrounding regions are observed. Fine packets are present in blocks, which frequently share a close-packed direction with the neighbouring fine packets. In addition, fine packets are in contact with the sub-block boundaries.