Effect of interfacial oxidation occurring during the duplex process combining surface nanocrystallisation and co-rolling

This paper presents an investigation of the interface quality of nanocristallised 316 L stainless steel multilayer structures. They were produced by a duplex process, combining the Surface Mechanical Attrition Treatment (SMAT) and the co-rolling process at two different annealing temperatures (550 °C and 650 °C). Oxide layers were observed at the interfaces between the sheets and their morphology was characterised by optical microscopy. Their chemical composition was determined by Energy Dispersive X-ray spectrometry. The microstructure near the interfaces was analysed by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). In the laminate co-rolled at 550 °C, the presence of ultrafine grains was demonstrated. Additional tensile tests have shown an influence of the annealing temperature on the yield strength, as well as on the resistance of the interfaces of the co-rolled multilayer structures.