Microstructures of Austenitic Stainless Steel Produced by Twin-Roll Strip Caster

The microstructures of austenitic stainless steel strip were studied using color metallographic method and electron probe micro analysis (EPMA). In the cast strips, there are three kinds of solidification structures: fine cellular dendrite in the surface layer, equiaxed grains in the center and fine dendrite between them. The solidification mode in the surface layer is the primary austenite AF mode because of extremely high cooling rate, with the retained ferrite located around the primary cellular austenite. In the fine dendrite zone, the solidification mode of molten stainless steel changes to FA mode and the residual ferrite with fish-bone morphology is located at the core of the dendrite. The retained ferrite of equiaxed grains in the center is located in the center of broken primary ferrite dendrite with vermicular morphology.