Mechanical Behavior and Microstructure Evolution of Austenitic 301 Stainless Steel Under Different Strain Rates
摘要
Tensile tests with different strain rates were carried out on austenitic 301 stainless steel (AISI 301 SS). The scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) were employed to evaluate the effect of tensile behavior on the material structure. The results showed that the tensile strength and plasticity of AISI 301 SS decreased with increasing strain rate. At a strain rate of 1 mm/min, with a tensile strength of 919 MPa and a ductility of 51 pct, which were enhanced by 32.9 and 64.5 pct, respectively, relative to the strain rate of 15 mm/min. After tensile failure, the fractography was visualized as ductile fracture by SEM. Deformation-induced martensite and mechanical twins with an accumulation of dislocations and stacking faults were present in the microstructure, observed by TEM and HRTEM. The physical phase composition was identified as martensite and austenite by XRD. The increase in the strain rate inhibited the formation of α′(bcc)-martensite, thus leading to the substantial generation of the transitional phase ε(hcp)-martensite and also reduced the content of deformation twins. Low strain rate promotes the formation of α′-martensite and twins, enhancing mechanical properties, while high strain rate has the opposite effect.