Austenite stability and heterogeneous deformation in fine-grained transformation-induced plasticity-assisted steel

We report the mechanistic explanation of the variation in Luders strain in fine-grained transformation-induced plasticity-assisted steel. The austenite stability is demonstrated to have a profound influence on the Luders strain. Furthermore, it is shown unambiguously using a thermodynamic analysis that the transformation of austenite is strain-induced. The work results in a generic method of distinguishing the cause of martensitic transformation during tensile tests, given that both stresses and strains are necessarily present beyond the yield point. (C) 2013 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.