Assessment of Phase Transformations in Binary Fe-Mn Alloys: Effects of Composition and of Plastic Strain

A simple, first order description of the formation of epsilon- and alpha '-martensite in meta-stable austenitic Fe-Mn alloys containing 12-35 wt% Mn was developed. Given the initial volume fractions of epsilon- and alpha '-martensite in the non-deformed material, it is possible to calculate the evolution of phase fractions as a function of applied strain. An accurate estimate of the initial amounts of epsilon- and alpha '-martensite based solely on the Mn content of the alloy, could not be obtained due to the important role of microstructure features and processing conditions on the martensitic transformations. Graphic Abstract

Automated summary

A first-order description of the formation of ε- and α'-martensite in Fe-Mn alloys has been developed, but accurate estimation of initial martensite amounts based solely on Mn content is not feasible due to the influence of microstructure features and processing conditions. The evolution of phase fractions during martensitic transformations can be calculated based on the initial volume fractions of martensite in the non-deformed material.