Acicular ferrite transformation in deformed austenite of an alloy-steel weld metal

The effect of different amounts (5, 10 and 15%) of compressive deformation of austenite on the isothermal transformation of acicular ferrite in an alloy-steel weld metal has been investigated. It was found that prior deformation of austenite significantly enhanced acicular ferrite transformation. At the same isothermal transformation temperature, as a higher amount of prior deformation was applied, a greater quantity of acicular ferrite could be obtained and the size of acicular ferrite plates became much finer. These results implied that the effective nucleation sites of acicular ferrite increased with increasing amount of prior deformation. The other results also emphasized that the accumulated strain (due to prior deformation of austenite) could trigger acicular ferrite to nucleate on inclusions at high temperatures, where undeformed austenite remained stable. The acicular ferrite start temperature was found to be raised continuously by increasing the amount of prior deformation of austenite. Further evidence suggests that the application of deformation can boost the driving force for acicular ferrite formation. This phenomenon is similar to the case in which martensite forms under the influence of deformation.