On the Mn–C Short-Range Ordering in a High-Strength High-Ductility Steel: Small Angle Neutron Scattering and Ab Initio Investigation

The formation of Mn–C short-range ordering (SRO) has a great influence on the mechanical properties of high-Mn steels. In the present work, the formation of Mn–C SRO during recrystallization of an X60Mn18 steel was investigated by means of a combined study employing small angle neutron scattering (SANS) and ab initio ground-state energy calculations based on density-functional theory. The SANS measurements prove the presence of Mn–C SRO in the recrystallization annealed X60Mn18 steel and indicate the evolution of the SRO during recrystallization. The results show that with the increase in annealing time, the mean size of the Mn–C SRO decreases, whereas the number density increases. The ab initio calculations well describe the energetically favored condition of Mn–C SRO and provide the theoretical explanation of the clustering formation and evolution in the X60Mn18 steel. The stress-strain curve of the X60Mn18 steel exhibits a high strain-hardening rate and the plastic deformation is characterized with a series of serrations during a uniaxial tensile test. In the end, the correlation between Mn–C SRO and the serrated flow of high-Mn steels is further discussed.