A new bcc-fcc orientation relationship observed between ferrite and austenite in solidification structures of steels

A new crystallographic orientation relationship (OR) between delta-ferrite and austenite has been observed in solidification microstructures of 304L and 309S austenitic stainless steels and a ternary Fe-Cr-Ni alloy. Evidence for the new OR was obtained from electron diffraction patterns in transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This relationship, (111)(fcc)//(110)(bcc) and [(1) over bar 10](fcc)//[(1) over bar 10](bcc),has not been previously reported for bcc-fcc systems. The (110)(fcc)//(110)(bcc) alignment is distinctive among known bcc-fcc ORs. The new OR is related to the Kurdjumov-Sachs (K-S) and Nishiyama-Wassermann (N-W) ORs by relative rotations of 35.26 and 30 deg, respectively, about the normal to the parallel close-packed planes. In 304L fabricated by laser-engineered net shaping (LENS), delta-ferrite with the new OR was found to coexist in the microstructure with both K-S and N-W oriented ferrite, but in separate austenite grains and with less frequent occurrence. In gas-tungsten arc (GTA) welds of 309S and the Fe-Cr-Ni alloy, the new OR was the only one observed within a few grains, whereas ferrite within other grains did not establish an apparent OR with the austenite matrix.