A novel way to enhance the strength of twinning induced plasticity (TWIP) steels

In this paper, a novel technique to enhance yield strength of twinning induced plasticity (TWIP) steels has been reported by producing a gradient microstructure. Such a microstructure is generated using surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT). The SMAT processed steel exhibits a composite microstructure, comprising of hard phase at the surface and soft phase at the core. The deformed microstructure consists of a graded distribution containing of twins, high density of dislocations and nano-crystalline grains. As a combined effect of the three, a significant improvement in the yield strength is observed without much loss of ductility. (C) 2018 Acta Materialia Inc Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.