The influence of grain size on the strain-induced martensite formation in tensile straining of an austenitic 15Cr–9Mn–Ni–Cu stainless steel

In order to improve understanding on the behavior of ultrafine-grained austenitic stainless steels during deformation, the influence of the austenite grain size and microstructure on the strain-induced martensite transformation was investigated in an austenitic 15Cr–9Mn–Ni–Cu (Type 204Cu) stainless steel. By different reversion treatments of the 60% cold-rolled sheet, varying grain sizes from ultrafine (0.5 μm), micron-scale (1.5 μm), fine (4 μm) to coarse (18 μm) were obtained. Some microstructures also contained a mixture of ultrafine or micron-scale and coarse initially cold-worked austenite grains. Samples were tested in tensile loading and deformation structures were analyzed after 2%, 10% and 20% engineering strains by means of martensite content measurements, scanning electron microscope together with a electron backscatter diffraction device and transmission electron microscope. The results showed that the martensite nucleation sites and the rate of transformation vary. In ultrafine grains strain-induced α′-martensite nucleates at grain boundaries and twins, whereas in coarser grains as well as in coarse-grained retained austenite, α′-martensite formation occurs at shear bands, sometimes via ε-martensite. The transformation rate of strain-induced α′-martensite decreases with decreasing grain size to 1.5 μm. However, the rate is fastest in the microstructure containing a mixture of ultrafine and retained cold-worked austenite grains. There the ultrafine grains transform quite readily to martensite similarly as the coarse retained austenite grains, where the previous cold-worked microstructure is still partly remaining.