Dynamic recrystallization under warm deformation of a 304 type austenitic stainless steel

Warm (and hot) deformation of a 304 type austenitic stainless steel was studied in connection with microstructural developments in compression at temperatures of 873–1223 K (0.5–0.7 Tm) under strain rates of 10−4–10−1s−1. The two deformation domains can be categorized due to their different mechanical and microstructural behaviors. In the region of flow stresses lower than around 400 MPa, the deformation behaviors are typical for hot working accompanied with dynamic recrystallization (DRX). New grains are evolved mainly by dynamic bulging mechanism, which can be accelerated by the development of serrated grain boundaries and strain induced dislocation subboundaries. The relationship between dynamic grain sizes ranged from 2 to 7 μm and peak flow stress can be expressed by a power law function with a grain size exponent of −0.72. In contrast, in the region of flow stresses higher than 400 MPa, the deformation behaviors hardly depend on strain rate and temperature and so can be in the region of athermal deformation. The stress–strain curves under such warm deformation are similar to those affected only by dynamic recovery. The microstructures evolved at high strains are mainly characterized by the dense dislocation walls evolved in pancaked original grains, while grain boundary serration also takes place even at such warm deformation. Mechanisms of this microstructural evolution are discussed in combination with analysis of deformation mechanisms operating under warm deformation.