Strain-Induced ε/α′ Martensitic Transformation Behavior and Solid Particle Erosion Resistance of Austenitic Fe–Cr–C–Mn/Ni Alloys

The strain-induced ε/α′ martensitic transformation behavior and resistance to solid particle erosion was investigated for austenitic Fe-12Cr-0.4C-xMn/Ni (x = 5, 7, and 10 wt%) alloys. The γ → α′ chemical driving force decreased with increasing Mn and Ni. The SFE values of 5Ni, 7Ni, and 10Ni alloys were 31.2, 41.5, and 45.8 mJ/m², respectively. Because Ni increased the SFE, γ → α′ phase transformation was suppressed in Fe-12Cr-0.4C-Ni alloys. The SFE values for 5Mn, 7Mn, and 10Mn alloys were 19.4, 16.6, and 10.5 mJ/m², respectively. Although Mn decreased the SFE, the fraction of transformed α′ decreased with increasing Mn concentrations due to γ → ε phase transformation and decreasing γ → α′ chemical driving force of higher Mn alloys. The solid particle erosion resistance was better in the phase transformable alloys than the non-phase transformed alloys. In particular, γ → α′ phase transformable alloys had better resistance to solid particle erosion than γ → ε phase transformable alloys.