Deformation mechanisms in meta-stable and nitrogen-stabilized austenitic stainless steel during severe surface deformation

AISI 304L stainless steel in austenitized and in solution nitrided condition was severely mechanically deformed by surface roller burnishing. High-temperature solution nitriding was applied to achieve a nitrogen-concentration depth profile, leading to a depth-gradient in the austenite stability. X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy and hardness indentation were applied for characterization of the graded microstructures obtained by combining a composition profile and a deformation profile. While severe plastic surface straining of an austenitized specimen leads to a deformation-induced transformation of austenite into martensite, the solution nitrided specimen remains austenitic upon deformation, even in the region where nanocrystallization occurs. The deformation mechanisms operable in the nitrogen-stabilized austenitic stainless steel, i.e. twinning or dislocation glide, depend on the combination of applied plastic strain/strain rate, and the nitrogen-concentration dependent stacking fault energy. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Acta Materialia Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)