Effect of Ni and Mn on the Mechanical Properties of 22Cr Microduplex Stainless Steel

The tensile properties of 22Cr–2Ni–4Mn–0.2N micro-duplex stainless steels with different Ni and Mn contents were investigated. Duplex stainless steels were vacuum induction melted and hot rolled, then annealed at 1,000–1,100 °C, at which temperature both the austenite and ferrite phases were stable. The volume fraction of the ferrite phase was markedly affected by the alloying elements of Mn and Ni; 1 wt% of Mn was equivalent to 0.4 wt% of Ni. All of the steels tested at room temperature showed the common strain-hardening behavior, while the steels tested at lower temperatures(-30 or-50 °C)showed a distinct inflection point in their stress–strain curves, which resulted from the transformation of the austenite to straininduced martensite. The onset strain(e0) of the inflection point in the stress–strain curve depended on the Md30 value of the steel. Testing at lower temperatures resulted in smaller e0 and consequently higher strengths and fracture strains(ef). The tensile behavior was examined from the perspective of austenite stability of the micro-duplex stainless steels with the different Ni and Mn contents.