The condition of steel deformation in a semi-solid state should be as isothermal as possible due to the very high sensitivity of material rheology to even small variations of temperature. The basic reason for uneven temperature distribution (melting zone) inside the sample body on the Gleeble thermo mechanical simulator is the contact with cold/warm copper handles. The semi-solid conditions in central parts of the sample cause even greater temperature gradient due to latent transformation heat. Such non-uniform temperature distribution is the source of significant differences in the microstructure and, hence, in material rheological properties. In the paper example results of tomographic studies were presented for both experimental variants (with warm and cold handles).
