Effects of Solution Treatment and Test Temperature on Tensile Properties of High Mn Austenitic Steels

Tensile properties of high Mn austenitic Fe‐26.5Mn‐3.6Al‐2.2Si‐0.38C‐0.005B (HM1) and Fe‐18.9Mn‐0.62C‐0.02Ti‐0.005B (HM2, in mass%) steels after different solution treatments have been investigated. The results show that the solution treatment has a significant influence on microstructure and mechanical properties of the investigated steels. By appropriate solution treatment the product of tensile strength (R_m) and total elongation (A₅₀) of the hot rolled steel can be improved from ? 40000‐50000 MPa% to ? 55000‐65000 MPa% depending on the steel chemical composition. A solution treatment with a very high temperature, e.g. at 1100 °C for the Fe‐18.9Mn‐0.62C‐0.02Ti‐0.005B steel, results in a significant increase in the ?‐martensite fraction during quenching. This deteriorates the ductility of the steel. A solution treatment at low temperature in the austenitic range, e.g. at 700 °C for the Fe‐18.9Mn‐0.62C‐0.02Ti‐0.005B steel, results in a decrease in the grain size of the steel. This suppresses the ?‐martensite transformation during cooling. EBSD measurements revealed the mechanisms contributing to the overall plasticity of the investigated steels on the microscale. The plasticity of the 26.5Mn‐3.6Al‐2.2Si‐0.38C‐0.005B steel is produced mainly by TWIP mechanism under the examined experimental conditions, whereas for the Fe‐18.9Mn‐0.62C‐0.02Ti‐0.005B steel TWIP and TRIP mechanisms occur with different degrees depending on the test temperature of the tensile test.     

Hot Workability of as‐Cast High Manganese‐High Carbon Steels

In order to produce new high Mn‐high C austenitic steels (R_m>700 MPa), different tests and methods were used to determine a suitable window of process parameters. In‐situ melting hot tensile tests and hot compression tests were carried out to investigate the hot ductility, fracture characteristics and flow behaviour during continuous casting and hot deformation of 3 steels with Mn and C contents between 9‐23% and 0.6‐0.9%, respectively. The results show that these steels are susceptible to interdendritic fracture at high temperatures. Decreasing Mn content improves the reduction of area at high temperatures to 60% or more. Hot deformation loads for processing the investigated steels are not higher in comparison to the stainless steel 1.4301.     

The Development of a Processing Window for the Continuous Galvanizing of a Mn–Cr–Si Martensitic Steel

Martensitic or complex phase steels are leading candidates for automotive impact management applications. However, achieving high strengths while obtaining high quality coatings via continuous galvanizing is a challenge due to cooling rate limitations of the processing equipment and selective oxidation of alloying elements such as Cr, Mn, and Si adversely affecting reactive wetting. The galvanizability of a Cr? Mn? Si steel with a target tensile strength above 1250 MPa was investigated within the context of the continuous galvanizing line. The continuous cooling transformation behavior of the candidate alloy was determined, from which intercritical and austenitic annealing thermal cycles were developed. The evolution of substrate surface chemistry and oxide morphology during these treatments and their subsequent effect on reactive wetting during galvanizing were characterized. The target strength of 1250 MPa was achieved and high quality coatings produced using both intercritical (75% γ) and austenitic (100% γ) annealing using a conventional 95%N₂–5%H₂, ?30°C dew point process atmosphere and 0.20 wt% dissolved (effective) Al bath, despite the presence of significant Mn and Cr oxides on the substrate surfaces. It is proposed that complete reactive wetting by the Zn(Al, Fe) bath was promoted by in situ aluminothermic reduction of the Mn and Cr‐oxides by the dissolved bath Al.     

Galvannealing of (High‐)Manganese‐Alloyed TRIP‐ and X‐IP®‐Steel

In this study the influence of Mn on galvannealed coatings of 1.7% Mn‐1.5% Al TRIP‐ and 23% Mn X‐IP®‐steels was investigated. It is shown that the external selective oxides like Mn, Al and Si of the TRIP steel which occur after annealing at 800 °C for 60 s at a dew point (DP) of ‐25 °C (5% H₂) hamper the Fe/Zn‐reaction during subsequent galvannealing. Preoxidation was beneficially utilized to increase the surface‐reactivity of the TRIP steel under the same dew point conditions. The influence of Mn on the steel alloy was investigated by using a 23% Mn containing X‐IP®‐steel which was bright annealed at 1100 °C for 60 s at DP ‐50 °C (5% H₂) to obtain a mainly oxide free surface prior to hot dip galvanizing (hdg) and subsequent galvannealing. As well known from the literature Mn alloyed to the liquid zinc melt stabilizes δ‐phase at lower temperatures by participating in the Fe‐Zn‐phase reactions, it was expected that the metallic Mn of the X‐IP®‐steel increases the Fe/Zn‐reactivity in the same manner. The approximation of the effective diffusion coefficient (D_eff(Fe)) during galvannealing was found to be higher than compared to a low alloyed steel reference. Contrary to the expectation no increased Fe/Zn‐reaction was found by microscopic investigations. Residual η‐ and ζ‐phase fractions prove a hampered Fe/Zn‐reaction. As explanation for the observed hampered Fe/Zn‐reaction the lower Fe‐content of the high‐Mn‐alloyed X‐IP®‐steel was suggested as the dominating factor for galvannealing.     

Iron Aluminium Alloys with Strengthening Carbides and Intermetallic Phases for High‐Temperature Applications

An overview of materials developments of iron aluminium alloys with strengthening precipitate phases is given. The discussion is focussed on recent studies on Fe‐Al‐based alloys with strengthening precipitates, such as κ‐phase Fe₃AlC_x, MC‐carbide and Laves phase. Alloys of the following alloy systems were investigated: Fe‐Al‐C, Fe‐Al‐Ta, Fe‐Al‐Ni, Fe‐Al‐Ti‐Nb, and Fe‐Al‐M‐C (M = Ti, V, Nb, Ta). The investigations were centred on microstructure, constitution, and mechanical properties of such Fe‐Al‐based alloys with Al contents ranging from 10 to 30 at. %. Mechanisms and problems are discussed and perspectives are outlined.     

Microstructure,Mechanical Properties,and Abrasive Wear Behaviour of Si‐Mn‐Cr‐B Cast Steel as a Function of Carbon Concentration

The microstructures, mechanical properties and abrasive wear behaviour of five kinds of Si‐Mn‐Cr‐B cast steels were studied. The steels investigated contained X wt.% C with X= 0.15, 0.25, 0.35, 0.45, 0.55, 2.5 wt.% Si, 2.5 wt.% Mn, 0.5 wt.% Cr, 0.004 wt.%B . The results showed that the A_c1temperatures increased and A_c3 and M_s temperatures decreased with increasing carbon concentration. From the continuous cooling transformation (CCT) curves, it was discovered that the incubation period of pearlitic transformation was prolonged and the transformation curves of pearlite and bainite were separated significantly with rising carbon concentration. At lower carbon concentration, the normalized structure of Si‐Mn‐Cr‐B cast steel consisted mainly of granular bainite and M‐A islands. The normalized microstructures of the cast steel changed from granular bainite gradually to needle‐like bainite, upper bainite, and lower bainite with rising carbon concentration. The tensile strength and hardness of Si‐Mn‐Cr‐B cast steel increased and impact and fracture toughness decreased with increasing carbon content. The wear testing results showed that the wear resistance of Si‐Mn‐Cr‐B cast steel improved with higher carbon content but was obviously unchanged beyond the carbon concentration of 0.45%. The best balance of properties of Si‐Mn‐Cr‐B cast steel is obtained at the carbon concentration range of 0.35 ‐ 0.45%C.     

Effect of alloying elements on the microstructure‐property relationship in thermomechanically processed C‐Mn‐Si TRIP steels

The effect of additions of Nb, Al and Mo to Fe‐C‐Mn‐Si TRIP steel on the final microstructure and mechanical properties after simulated thermomechanical processing (TMP) has been studied. The laboratory simulations of discontinuous cooling during TMP were performed using a hot rolling mill. All samples were characterised using optical microscopy and image analysis. The volume fraction of retained austenite was ascertained using a heat tinting technique and X‐ray diffraction measurements. Room temperature mechanical properties were determined by a tensile test. From this a comprehensive understanding of the structural aspect of the bainite transformation in these types of TRIP steels has been developed. The results have shown that the final microstructures of thermomechanically processed TRIP steels comprise ~ 50 % of polygonal ferrite, 7 ‐12 % of retained austenite, non‐carbide bainitic structure and martensite. All steels exhibited a good combination of ultimate tensile strength and total elongation. The microstructure‐property examination revealed the relationship between the composition of TRIP steels and their mechanical properties. It has been shown that the addition of Mo to the C‐Si‐Mn‐Nb TRIP steel increases the ultimate tensile strength up to 1020 MPa. The stability of the retained austenite of the Nb‐Mo steel was degraded, which led to a decrease in the elongation (24 %). The results have demonstrated that the addition of Al to C‐Si‐Mn‐Nb steel leads to a good combination of strength (~ 940 MPa) and elongation (~ 30 %) due to the formation of refined acicular ferrite and granular bainite structure with ~7 ‐ 8 % of stable retained austenite. Furthermore, it has been found that the addition of Al increases the volume fraction of bainitic ferrite laths. The investigations have shown an interesting result that, in the Nb‐Mo‐Al steel, Al has a more pronounced effect on the microstructure in comparison with Mo. It has been found that the bainitic structure of the Nb‐Mo‐Al steel appears to be more granular than in the Nb‐Mo steel. Moreover, the volume fraction of the retained austenite increased (12 %) with decreasing bainitic ferrite content. The results have demonstrated that this steel has the best mechanical properties (1100 MPa and 28 % elongation). It has been concluded that the combined effect of Nb, Mo, and Al addition on the dispersion of the bainite, martensite and retained austenite in the ferrite matrix and the morphology of these phases is different than effect of Nb, Mo and Al, separately.     

Effect of Mn,Si and Mn‐Si Alloying on the Precipitation of Ultra‐fine Oxides in Fe during Solidification

The effect of Mn, Si and Mn‐Si alloying on the precipitation of oxide inclusions in Fe during solidification has been investigated. The results show that the inclusions precipitating during solidification are relatively small and distribute uniformly in Mn, SI and Mn‐Si alloyed steels. Most of the inclusions are nearly spherical. The maximum diameter of inclusions is only 3.3μm in the three types of alloyed steels. The average size of inclusions is 1.3μm, 1.2μm and 1.1μm in Mn, Si and Mn‐Si alloyed steels, respectively. The maximum amount of inclusions is 1.1×10⁵ per unit volume (mm^?3) in Mn alloyed steel and the minimum is 5.8×10⁴ per unit volume in Si alloyed steel. The volume fractions of the inclusions with Mn, Si and Mn‐Si alloying are 0.01%, 0.005% and 0.006%, respectively.     

Evaluation of the electrical resistivity of steels

Literature data on the physical properties of steels have been collected and put into a database. The resistivity of steels has been analyzed as a function of composition and microstructure. An overview over former studies is given. The steels have been investigated in two groups, ferritic steels and austenitic steels. A thermodynamic analysis with ThermoCalc has been performed. Regression analysis on the influence of composition on the resistivity was then carried out. The results for ferritic steels are: Si and Al have the highest elemental resistivity, followed by Mn, Cu, Ni, Mo, and Cr. C precipitated in cementite shows a high coefficient in the analysis when the amount of Fe bound in cementite is not considered separately. C in solution with ferrite shows no significant effect. Cr bound in cementite shows a significant effect but Mn, though present in cementite in comparable amounts, has no significant effect on the resistivity. N and C have the highest elemental resistivity in austenite, followed by the substitutional solutes Nb, Si, Ti, Cu, Ni, Mo, and Cr. The carbides NbC and TiC appear with a higher coefficient in the regression model than can be explained by phase‐mixture models providing upper and lower bounds for the resistivity of two‐phase alloys. Cr₂₃C₆ shows no significant effect. The regression results can be used to predict the resistivity of steels with known composition. The model predicts the resistivity of ferritic steels with a maximum deviation between experimental and computed value of 12 nōm and a standard deviation of 5.6 nōm. For austenitic steels, the model prediction shows a maximum deviation of 52 μōcm and a standard deviation of 20 nōm.     

Relationship between Work Hardening Behaviour and Deformation Structure in Ni‐free High Nitrogen Austenitic Stainless Steels

The work hardening behaviour of high nitrogen austenitic steel (HNS) depends not only on the nitrogen content but also on the addition of substitutional alloying elements such as Mn and Ni, although the effect of nitrogen content has been considered to be a main factor controlling the work hardening rate in HNS. In this study, two kinds of high nitrogen austenitic steels containing nearly 1 mass‐% of nitrogen with and without Mn (Fe‐25%Cr‐1.1%N and Fe‐21%Cr‐0.9%N‐23%Mn alloys) were tensile‐tested and their work hardening behaviour was investigated for the purpose of clarifying the effect of Mn on the work hardening behaviour. Then the results were related to the change in deformation substructure. In the Fe‐25Cr‐1.1N alloy, the work hardening rate kept high until fracture occurred, while in the Fe‐21Cr‐0.9N‐23Mn alloy it tended to decrease gradually with tensile deformation in the high strain region. It was concluded that the difference in work hardening behaviour between both alloys is attributed to the change in dislocation substructure from planar dislocation array to dislocation cell by the addition of Mn.     

Determination of crash‐relevant material parameters by dynamic tensile tests

The mechanical properties of eight different steels, representing the wide range of steels for automotive application, are determined by accomplishing high speed tensile tests using flat sheet specimens. The steels chosen for investigations are deep drawing grade DC04, high strength steel ZStE340, three dual phase steels with strengths of 600, 800 and 1000 MPa, a TRIP steel and two austenitic stainless steels 1.4301 and 1.4318. Tests are carried out at five different strain rates within the range of 5‐10^?3 and 200 s^?1, all at room temperature. The results show different strain rate sensitivities according to the different grades of steel. The TRIP steel and both stainless steels show a great potential for energy consumption, when tested at high strain rates.     

Method for measuring transformation energy and quantitative characterization of transformation-induced plasticity

A method for measuring transformation energy (E _pt) of strain-induced martensite (SIM) and quantitative characterization of transformation-induced plasticity is developed using characteristics of the tensile curve of three metastable austenitic stainless steels, 10Cr18.5Ni8.5Mnl.9Si0.9, 19Cr17.5Ni7.4Mn2.3Si1.0, and 10Cr16.2Ni11.8Mn1.2Si0.7. The results show that the E _pt of tested materials at −196 °C is 11.3, 14.7, and 20.1×10⁶ J/m³, respectively; E _pt remains constant in the stages of elasto-plastic instability and stress plateau of tensile curves. As the E _pt, which mainly depends on chemical composition of materials, increases, M _s decreases, but the minimum strainproducing M transformation, e _ph, increases. The average plasticity increment (D) induced by M transformation is 0.17 to 0.20 for the metastable austenitic stainless steels, and it decreases with increasing carbon content of steels. The decrease of stacking fault energy (SFE) is beneficial to the D value.     

Thermodynamic behaviours of manganese and phosphorus between CaO‐MgOsat‐SiO2‐Al2O3‐FetO‐MnO‐P2O5 ladle slag and liquid iron

The thermodynamic equilibria of manganese and phosphorus between liquid iron and CaO‐MgO_Sat‐SiO₂‐Fe_tO‐MnO‐P₂O₅‐Al₂O₃ (0–33%) ladle slag have been investigated at 1873 K from the viewpoint of Mn and P yields for the production of high‐strength steels. The equilibrium distribution ratios of Mn and P were found to increase with increasing Fe_tO content; however, these ratios vary with basicity, but they do this the other way round. The addition of alumina into slag at a fixed basicity and Fe_tO content decreases both the equilibrium manganese and phosphorus distributions. The equilibrium distribution ratios were discussed in terms of the variation of activity coefficients of Fe_tO, MnO and PO_2.5, according to the slag basicity and Al₂O₃ content. The quantitative contributions of basicity and (%Fe_tO + %MnO) on L_Mn and L_P were empirically determined and their usefulness was discussed with the aid of plant data: To improve Mn and P yields in the practical RH operation, it is strongly recommended that Fe‐Mn and Fe‐P alloys be added after Al deoxidation treatment inducing relatively high Al₂O₃ in slag and maintaining low Fe_tO content. In addition, a ladle slag composition for the targeted Mn and P contents in liquid iron was substantially estimated using the empirical relationships.     

Development and characterization of high strength impact resistant Fe-Mn-(Al-, Si) TRIP/TWIP steels

Iron manganese steels with Mn mass contents of 15 to 30 % exhibit microstructural related superior ductility and extraordinary strengthening behaviour during plastic deformation, which strongly depends on the Mn content. This influences the austenite stability and stacking fault energy γ_fcc and shows a great impact on the microstructure to be developed under certain stress state or during severe plastic deformation. At medium Mn mass contents (15 to 20 %) the martensitic γ-ε-ά phase transformation plays an important role in the deformation mechanisms of the TRIP effect in addition to dislocation glide. With Increasing Mn mass content large elongation is favoured by intensive twinning formation. The mechanical properties of plain iron manganese alloys are strongly influenced by the alloying elements, Al and Si. Alloying with Al Increases the stacking fault energy and therefore strongly suppresses the martensitic γ-ε transformation, while Si sustains the γ-ε transformation by decreasing the stacking fault energy γ_fcc. The γ-ε phase transformation takes place in Fe-Mn-X alloys with γ_fcc ≤ 20 mJm⁻². The developed light weight high manganese TRIP and TWIP (twinning induced plasticity) steels exhibit high ultimate tensile strength (600 to 1100 MPa) and extremely large elongation of 60 to 95 % even at high strain rates of έ = 10³ s⁻¹. Particularly due to the advanced specific energy absorption of TRIP and TWIP steels compared to conventional deep drawing steels high dynamic tensile and compression tests were carried out in order to investigate the change in the microstructure under near crash conditions. Tensile and compression tests of iron manganese alloys with varying Mn content were performed at different temperatures and strain rates. The resulting formation of γ twins, ά- and ε martensite by plastic deformation was analysed by optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The deep drawing and stretch forming behaviour at varying deformation rates were determined by performing cupping tests and digitalised stress-strain-analysis.     

Multiscale Characterization of the Work Hardening Mechanisms in Fe–Mn Based TWIP Steels

When strained in tension, high‐manganese austenitic twinning induced plasticity (TWIP) steels achieve very high strength and elongation before necking. The main hypotheses available in the literature about the origin of their excellent work hardening include deformation twinning and dynamic strain ageing. In order to provide some answers, various experiments at different scales were conducted on Fe–Mn–C steels and the Fe–28 wt%Mn–3.5 wt%Al–2.8 wt%Si alloy. At a macroscopic scale, tensile tests were performed on all the studied grades. It was shown that, though the Fe–Mn–Al–Si based alloy retains very high elongation, the Fe–Mn–C steels properties are even more extraordinary. Tensile tests at different strain rates with the help of digital image correlation were also performed on the Fe–20 wt%Mn–1.2 wt%C steel to study the PLC effect occurring in this type of steel. It is suggested that supplementary hardening could come from reorientation of Mn–C pairs in the cores of the dislocations. At a microscopic scale, the Fe–20 wt%Mn–1.2 wt%C TWIP steel and the Fe–Mn–Al–Si grade were thoroughly investigated by means of in situ TEM analysis. In the Fe–Mn–C steel, the formed twins could also lead to a composite effect, since they contain plenty of sessile dislocations. In the Fe–Mn–Al–Si alloy, mechanical twins are thicker and contain fewer defects, leading to a lower work hardening than the other grade.     

The Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Ultrafine Grained Plain C‐Mn Steels

An ultrafine microstructure was produced in plain C‐Mn steels with different carbon contents (0.15 ‐ 0.3 mass% C) by heavy warm deformation. The rolling was simulated by the plane strain compression test with a simulated post rolling coiling. The final microstructure consists of an ultrafine grained ferrite matrix with the average grain size of 1.1 ‐ 1.4 μm and spheroidized cementite particles of two different size groups. The fraction of high‐angle grain boundaries maintained in the range of 60% to 65%. With the increase of C content from 0.15 mass% to 0.3 mass% the strength increases by about 100 MPa, while the total elongation of 23% hardly changes. The (specific) upper shelf energy decreases from 320 J/cm² to 236 J/cm² but a rather low ductile‐to‐brittle transition temperature (DBTT) of about 206 K does not rise with increasing C content. The ultrafine steel with higher C content (0.3 mass%) exhibits a superior strength‐toughness combination.     

Study on Isothermal Precipitation Behavior of Nano‐Scale (Nb,Ti)C in Ferrite/Bainite in 780 MPa Grade Ultra‐High Strength Steel

In order to precisely control the nano‐scale (Nb,Ti)C precipitate in hot‐rolled 780 MPa Nb–Ti microalloying C–Mn steel, isothermal precipitation behavior of nano‐scale (Nb,Ti)C precipitate in the ultra‐high strength steel was investigated by the thermal simulation experiments. The results indicated that defects of deformed supercooled austenite became the preferential nucleation sites of nano‐scale (Nb,Ti)C precipitate and ferrite, so there was a competition mechanism for austenitic defects between ferritic transformation and precipitate nucleation. Bainitic transformation could effectively freeze austenitic defects, and additional defects are formed because of volume expansion in bainitic transformation process, so bainitic transformation could promote precipitate nucleation. However, precipitate was impacted by both nucleation driving force and atom diffusibility, so the peak temperature of nano‐scale (Nb,Ti)C precipitate was 550°C. On the basis of the above theoretical results, hot rolling experiments results showed that when the coiling temperature was 550°C, the yield strength and tensile strength were 710 and 790 MPa, respectively, and the microstructure of hot‐rolled steels was mainly bainitic ferrite, and a large number of <10 nm nano‐scale (Nb,Ti)C precipitates were obtained. Precipitation strengthening contribution to reached 325 MPa.     

Strength and toughness of Fe-10ni alloys containing C,Cr, Mo,and Co

The effects of C (0.10 to 0.20 pct), Cr (0 to 3 pct), Mo (0 to 2 pct), and Co (0 to 8 pct) on the yield strength, toughness (Charpy shelf energy), and tempering behavior of martensitic lONiCr-Mo-Co steels have been investigated. Variations in the carbon content between 0.10 and 0.20 pct result in yield strengths between 160 and 210 ksi (1.1 and 1.45 GN/m²) when these steels are tempered at 900° to 1000°F (480° to 540°C) for times of 1 to 100 h. These steels exhibit a secondary-hardening peak at 900° to 1000° F (480° to 540°C) where coarse Fe₃C carbides are gradually replaced by a fine, dislocation-nucleated dispersion of (Mo, Cr)₂C carbides. Maximum toughness at a given yield strength in these steels is only obtained when they are tempered for sufficiently long times so that the coarse Fe₃C carbides are completely dissolved. Molybdenum is primarily responsible for the secondary-hardening peak observed in these steels. However, chromium additions do result in lower secondaryhardening temperatures and promote coarsening of the secondary-hardening carbide. Best combinations of strength and toughness are obtained with steels containing 2 pct Cr and 1 pct Mo. Cobalt increases the yield strength of these steels over the entire tempering range and results in a higher secondary-hardening peak. This effect of cobalt is attributed to 1) a retardation in the rate of recovery of the dislocation substructure of the martensite, 2) the formation of a finer dispersion of secondary-hardening carbides, and 3) solid-solution strengthening. The finer dispersion of secondary-hardening carbides in steels containing cobalt is favored by the finer dislocation substructure in these steels since the (Mo, Cr)₂C carbide is dislocation-nucleated. This fine dispersion of (Mo, Cr)₂C carbide combined with the high nickel content accounts for the excellent combination of strength and toughness exhibited by these steels.     

Mechanical properties of new stainless steels based on the system Fe‐30Mn‐5A1‐XCr‐0.5C

New stainless steels based on the system Fe‐30Mn‐5AI‐XCr‐0.5C (Cr mass contents of ≤ 9 %) were developed and evaluated as a replacement of conventional AISI 304 steel. The alloys were produced by induction melting and thermomechanically processed to obtain a fine equiaxed microstructure. A typical thermomechanical processing for AISI 300 austenitic stainless steels was used and included forging at 1200°C, rolling at 850 °C and final recrystallization at 1050 °C. A final fully austenitic microstructure with grains of about 150 μm in size was obtained in all the steels. Tensile tests at temperatures ranging from ‐196 to 400 °C showed similar results for the various alloys tested. In accordance with the values for the elongation to fracture, this temperature range was subdivided into three regions. In the temperature range of ‐196 °C to room temperature, elongation to fracture increases with decreasing temperature. At temperatures ranging from 100 to 300 °C, elongation to fracture increases with testing temperature and serrations on the stress‐strain curve were observed. Finally, higher testing temperatures were accompanied by a decrease in ductility. Examination of the microstructures after deformation led to the conclusion that mechanical twinning was the dominant mechanism of deformation at the tested temperatures.     

Concept of a new high‐strength austenitic stainless steel

The concept of combined addition of C and N, as persued in previous work on martensitic steels, is transferred to austenitic stainless steels in order to gain highest phase stability. Thermodynamic calculations with special respect to the influence of temperature and interstitial content (C, N or C + N) were studied in the FeCrMnNC‐system. Promising compositions like Fe‐13Cr‐17Mn and Fe‐13Cr‐21Mn revealed an extended austenitic phase field. Some appropriate alloys were investigated with regard to their microscopic and electron structure. The concentration of free electrons in the austenite as the origin of phase stabilitiy increased in the order of C, N, C + N being added. Thus, the metallic character of interatomic bonding is enhanced, which entails short range atomic order. Hence, the substitutional alloy content can be minimized.