Deformation behavior and microstructure/texture evolution of an annealed 304 AISI stainless steel sheet. Experimental and micromechanical modeling

Abstract: Different tensile tests are performed at −60°C, on a 304 AISI stainless steel, to produce strain induced α′ martensite. Using EBSD analysis and X-ray diffraction methods, the corresponding texture and microstructure evolutions is studied, as well as the γ→α′ transformation mechanism. It is shown that α′ martensite is associated with {111}γ faulted bands, partially ε bands, as often reported in the literature for low SFE stainless steels. As a consequence, these deformation bands play a key role in the nucleation and growth of α′ martensite. A micromechanical model is applied to simulate the deformation behavior of the stainless steel as well as the corresponding transformation kinetic and γ texture evolution. Different simulations are proposed, using various assumptions for the γ→α′ transformation mechanism. The simulation data are in better agreement with the experimental ones, when the γ→α′ transformation strain is derived from the Bowles–MacKenzie theory using the (111)γ[−12−1]γ stacking fault shear system as lattice invariant shear. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]