We have performed in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiments to assess the influence of aluminium and phosphorus on the austenite stability in low-alloyed transformation-induced plasticity steels during the high-temperature bainitic holding and the subsequent martensitic transformation during cooling to temperatures between room temperature and 100 K. Although the addition of aluminium i...

In-situ time-resolved X-ray diffraction technique with synchrotron radiation was used to track austenite decomposition in steels. Measurements from a Fe-C-Si-Mn steel indicate two lattice parameters in the austenite, possibly due to the development of carbon-rich and carbon-poor austenite prior to transformation. The lattice parameter became uniform with the progress of transformation and the f...

This article presents a study of fatigue-crack propagation behavior in Nitinol, a 50Ni-50Ti (at. pct) superelastic/shape-memory alloy, with particular emphasis on the effect of the stress-induced martensitic transformation on crack-growth resistance. Specifically, fatigue-crack growth was characterized in stable austenite (at 120 8C), superelastic austenite (at 37 8C), and martensite (at 265 8C...

A generalized phase transformation kinetics model is used to understand the martensite to austenite transformation in a cold-rolled and annealed metastable AISI 301LN ultrafine-grained austenitic stainless steel. The model shows that the presence of interstitial nitrogen and heavy cold-rolling is important to promote fast transformation kinetics, through rapid nitrogen-diffusion and austenite n...

In situ neutron diffraction experiment was used during tensile testing at room temperature to examine the changes on the percentage and texture of both ferrite and austenite in a nanocrystalline bainitic steels transformed at two different temperatures 200°C and 300oC for different times to achieve the same phase percentages. Both samples showed an inadequate capability of austenite to transfor...

Local electron work function, adhesive force, modulus and deformation of ferrite and austenite phases in a duplex stainless steel were analyzed by scanning force microscopy. It is demonstrated that the austenite has a higher electron work function than the ferrite, corresponding to higher modulus, smaller deformation and larger adhesive force. Relevant first-principles calculations were conduct...

The combined influence of prior plastic strain in the austenite, and applied stress in the course of the transformation, on the crystallographic texture of a bainitic steel was studied in this work. The experimental data were obtained using Electron Back Scatter Diffraction (EBSD) method and analyzed using two methodologically different approaches. It was concluded that the plastic deformation ...

Coarse crystals of martensite can form by the coalescence of thin individual platelets of martensite under appropriate circumstances. Although these coarse grains are essentially single crystals, there exist significant orientation gradients across their dimensions. It is demonstrated that these gradients arise because of the plasticity induced in austenite due to the transformation strain asso...

The carbon concentration trapped in films of austenite between parallel platelets of bainite is often found to be much larger than that in the larger blocks of austenite between sheaves of bainite. The effect of this non-uniform distribution of carbon on the overall transformation kinetics of bainite is examined theoretically. It is found that the trapping of carbon in the films of austenite ac...

Recent research suggests that extraordinary combinations of strength and ductility can be achieved in the so–called δ–TRIP steels, which contain ferrite, bainite and austenite. A part of the reason for the ductility of almost 40% elongation at a strength of some 900MPa, is believed to be the optimal stability of the austenite to plastic deformation. We demonstrate here that mechanical stabilisa...