Aging precipitation behavior and its influence on mechanical properties of Mn18Cr18N austenitic stainless steel

The aging precipitation behavior in Mn18Cr18N austenitic stainless steel was investigated at temperatures from 600 °C to 900 °C. During isothermal aging treatment, the primary precipitate was Cr₂N with a = 0.478 nm and c = 0.444 nm, and it preferentially nucleates along initial grain boundaries and gradually grows towards the interior of grains in discontinuous cellular way. Meanwhile, a small amount of granular face-centred cubic M₂₃C₆ with a = 1.066 nm also were observed, which mainly form along grain boundaries. The effect of these precipitates on mechanical properties of the alloy was studied. It was found that precipitates result in degeneration of the matrix hardness. Meanwhile, the SEM morphologies of aged tensile sample show that the brittle fracture predominates during deformation, i.e. the fracture mode transforms from intergranular fracture to transgranular fracture with the increasing of aging time. Compared with the solution-treated sample, the strength of the aged tensile samples slightly decreases and plasticity remarkably deteriorates.