Relationship between the Tensile Properties and Damping Capacity of Fe-22%Mn-12%Cr-4%Co-3%Ni-2%Si Alloys by Fatigue Stress

The relationship between the tensile properties and damping capacity of fatigue-damaged Fe-22%Mn-12%Cr-4%Co-3%Ni-2%Si alloy under various magnitudes of fatigue stress was investigated. Analytical results show that α′- and ε-martensite were formed due to fatigue stress. The formed α′- and ε-martensite followed a specific orientation and surface relief and intersected with each other. TEM observation and pattern analysis reveal that both α′- and ε-martensites formed on the austenite. As a result of X-ray diffraction, with an increase in fatigue stress, the volume fractions of α′- and ε-martensite were increased, and the increasing rate of the volume fraction of α′-martensite was higher than that of the ε-martensite. As the fatigue stress increased, the tensile strength and damping capacity increased, but the elongation decreased. Besides, as the strength increased and the elongation decreased, the damping capacity decreased. This result is inconsistent with the general tendency for metals but similar to that of alloys undergoing deformation-induced martensite transformation.

Tensile Properties and Damping Capacity of Cold-Rolled Fe-20Mn-12Cr-3Ni-3Si Damping Alloy

The tensile properties and damping capacity of cold-rolled Fe–20Mn–12Cr–3Ni–3Si alloys were investigated. The martensitic transformation was identified, including surface relief with a specific orientation and partial intersection. Besides, as the cold rolling degree increased, the volume fraction of ε-martensite increased, whereas α’-martensite started to form at the cold rolling degree of 15% and slightly increased to 6% at the maximum cold rolling degree. This difference may be caused by high austenite stability by adding alloying elements (Mn and Ni). As the cold rolling degree increased, the tensile strength linearly increased, and the elongation decreased due to the fractional increment in the volume of martensite. However, the damping capacity increased until a 30% cold rolling degree was approached, and then decreased. The irregular tendency of the damping capacity was confirmed, depicting that it increased to a specific degree and then decreased as the tensile strength and elongation increased. Concerning the relationship between the tensile properties and the damping capacity, the damping capacity increased and culminated, and then decreased as the tensile properties and elongation increased. The damping capacity in the high-strength area tended to decrease because it is difficult to dissipate vibration energy into thermal energy in alloys with high strength. In the low-strength area, on the other hand, the damping capacity increased as the strength increased since the increased volume fraction of ε-martensite is attributed to the increase in the damping source.

Estimation of Phase Ratio in Bulk, Textured TWIP/TRIP Steels from Pole Figures

The volume fraction of austenite (γ), ε martensite and α′ martensite is of key importance in the research of TWIP/TRIP steels. When mechanical loading is involved, the crystallographic texture also develops, which complicates X-ray diffraction-based phase ratio determination. The problem is more pronounced when only a couple, or only one Bragg-reflection can be measured. A solution for such cases is to determine the ratio of the phases based on the pole distribution function of a selected Bragg-reflection of the present phases. In this manuscript, this method is reconsidered for and applied to non-transmittable bulk specimens for the first time in the reflection mode of XRD pole figure measurements. First, the method was applied to a series of γ–α′ powder mixtures. The results were compared to those obtained by the Rietveld method. Afterwards, the technique was applied to strongly textured, bulk TWIP/TRIP steel specimens which were tensile tested at different temperatures. It was shown that the results of the presented method were close to those of the Rietveld technique in the case of powder mixtures. The results of the tensile-tested steels revealed that the α′ content increases with decreasing test temperatures, and the variation of the α′ ratio correlates very well with the ultimate tensile strength versus the temperature, confirming the contribution of the α′ content to the strength of TWIP/TRIP steels.

Effect of the γ→ε Phase Transition on Transformation-Induced Plasticity (TRIP) of Nickel-Free High Nitrogen Steel at Low Temperatures

The deformation behavior, mechanical properties, and microstructure of Fe-Cr-Mn-0.53%N austenitic stainless steel were studied at a temperature range of 77 up to 293 K. The dynamics of the steel elongation were non-monotonic with a maximum at 240–273 K, when peaks of both static atom displacements from their equilibrium positions in austenite and residual stresses in the tensile load direction were observed. The results of X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that the only stress-induced γ→ε-martensite transformation occurred upon deformation (no traces of the γ→α′ one was found). In this case, the volume fraction of ε-martensite was about 2–3%. These transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) patterns were discussed in terms of changes in the phase composition of steel as the root cause.

Cryogenic toughness in a low-cost austenitic steel

At low temperatures most metals show reduced ductility and impact toughness. Here, we report a compositionally lean, fine-grained Fe-30Mn-0.11C austenitic steel that breaks this rule, exhibiting an increase in strength, elongation and Charpy impact toughness with decreasing temperature. A Charpy impact energy of 453 J is achieved at liquid nitrogen temperatures, which is about four to five times that of conventional cryogenic austenitic steels. The high toughness is attributed to manganese and carbon austenite stabilizing elements, coupled with a reduction in grain size to the near-micrometer scale. Under these conditions dislocation slip and deformation twinning are the main deformation mechanisms, while embrittlement by α′- and ε-martensite transformations are inhibited. This reduces local stress and strain concentration, thereby retarding crack nucleation and prolonging work-hardening. The alloy is low-cost and can be processed by conventional production processes, making it suitable for low-temperature applications in industry.

Microstructure and Thermomechanical Characterization of Fe-28Mn-6Si-5Cr Shape Memory Alloy

Iron-based shape memory alloys (SMAs) have been widely studied during the last years, producing new formulations with potential applications in civil engineering. In the present paper, the microstructure and the thermomechanical behavior of the Fe-28Mn-6Si-5Cr memory alloy has been investigated. At room temperature, the presence of ε-martensite and γ-austenite was confirmed using optical and electron microscopy techniques. The martensitic transformation temperatures (As, Af, Ms, and Mf) were determined by differential scanning calorimetry, together with an X-ray diffraction technique. The use of these techniques also confirmed that this transformation is not totally reversible, depending on the strain degree and the number of thermal cycles. From the kinetics study of the ε → γ transformation, the isoconversion curves (transformation degree versus time) were built, which provided the information required to optimize the thermal activation cycle. Tensile tests were performed to characterize the mechanical properties of the studied alloy. These kinds of tests were also performed to assess the shape memory effect, getting a recovery stress of 140 MPa, after a 7.6% pre-strain and a thermal activation up to 160 °C.

In Situ Observation for Deformation-Induced Martensite Transformation during Tensile Deformation of SUS 304 Stainless Steel by Using Neutron Diffraction PART II: Transformation and Texture Formation Mechanisms

Herein, the texture developments of γ austenite, ε martensite, and α’ martensite during the tensile deformation of SUS 304 stainless steel were observed by using the in situ neutron diffraction technique. Combined with the microstructure and local orientations measured by electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD), the mechanisms involved in the deformation-induced martensite transformation (DIMT) in the SUS 304 stainless steel were examined based on the neutron diffraction results. The results revealed that the ε martensite inherited the texture of the γ austenite, that is, their main components could be connected by Shoji–Nishiyama orientation relationship. The variant selection was qualitatively evaluated based on the Schmid factors of the {111}⟨2¯11⟩ slip systems. The results revealed that the ε→α’ transformation occurred easily in the steel sample. Consequently, the volume fraction of the α’ martensite phase observed by EBSD was higher than that observed by neutron diffraction. In addition, at a true strain of 0.42, a packet structure consisting of two α’ martensite variants was observed in the steel sample. However, the original orientation of the variants did not correspond to the main components in the γ or ε phases. This suggests that the two α’ martensite variants were transformed directly from the lost component of the γ matrix. These results indicate that the γ→ε→α’ DIMT was first activated in the steel sample, after which the γ→α’ DIMT was activated at the later stage of deformation.

Thermodynamic Behavior of Fe-Mn and Fe-Mn-Ag Powder Mixtures during Selective Laser Melting

Additive manufacturing is a form of powder metallurgy, which means the properties of the initial metal powders (chemical composition, powder morphology and size) impact the final properties of the resulting parts. A complete characterization, including thermodynamic effects and the behavior of the metal powders at elevated temperatures, is crucial when planning the manufacturing process. The analysis of the Fe-Mn and Fe-Mn-Ag powder mixtures, made from pure elemental powders, shows a high susceptibility to sintering in the temperature interval from 700 to 1000 °C. Here, numerous changes to the manganese oxides and the αMn to βMn transformation occurred. The problems of mechanically mixed powders, when using selective laser melting, were highlighted by the low flowability, which led to a less controllable process, an uncontrolled arrangement of the powder and a large percentage of burnt manganese. All this was determined from the altered chemical compositions of the produced parts. The impact of the increased manganese content on the decreased probability of the transformation from γ-austenite to ε-martensite was confirmed. The ε-martensite in the microstructure increased the hardness of the material, but at the same time, its magnetic properties reduce the usefulness for medical applications. However, the produced parts had comparable elongations to human bone.