Influence of phase transformations on the mechanical properties of austenitic stainless steels

The martensitic transformation in austenitic stainless steels type 18-10 can be induced by plastic deformation at room and low temperatures. In this study we conducted a systematic series of experiments to assess the influence of both temperature and stress state type on kinetics of martensitic transformation. An attempt has been made to correlate the mechanical properties with the microstructural changes. The results of present studies make it possible to estimate the effect of stress state type on martensitic transformation kinetics in metastable chromium-nickel steels under isothermal loading. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.