Vacancy-Assisted Precipitation in a 18 W/O Cr - 10 W/O ni - 0.3 W/O P Steel
Although many similarities exist in the precipitation behavior in ferritic and austenitic steels, the nucleation and growth mechanisms in these systems have eluded full comprehension. However, it is apparent that the initial clustering of substitutional and interstitial atoms can dictate the structure and orientation relationships of subsequent phases. Hence, in order to realize the benefits of these decomposition transformations, a better understanding of the incipient nucleation event is imperative. Therefore, a transmission electron microscopy study of a quenched-aged 18-10 stainless steel doped with 0.3 w/o P was undertaken as part of a more comprehensive research program. The precipitation reactions in this austenitic stainless steel were originally surveyed by Rowcliffe and Nicholson [1] and Rowcliffe and Eyre [2], These investigators observed a variety of defects ranging from vacancy defects on {100} planes at lower aging temperatures to Cr3P laths with {100} habit planes at higher aging temperatures.