Tensile Behavior of Intercritically Annealed 10 pct Mn Multi-phase Steel

The exceptional elongation obtained during tensile testing of intercritically annealed 10 pct Mn steel, with a two phase ferrite-austenite microstructure at room temperature, was investigated. The austenite phase exhibited deformation-twinning and strain-induced transformation to martensite. These two plasticity-enhancing mechanisms occurred in succession, resulting in a high rate of work hardening and a total elongation of 65 pct for a tensile strength of 1443 MPa. A constitutive model for the tensile behavior of the 10 pct Mn steel was developed using the Kocks-Mecking hardening model. (C) The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society and ASM International 2013