Martensitic transformation and the stress induced by 3 MeV ion implantation in an austenite stainless steel sheet

Investigations were carried out on the relation between the martensite transformation and the stress induced by 3 MeV ion implantation in an austenite stainless steel (SS) sheet. Gold ions were implanted into the austenite SS sheet and the implantation dose was varied between 1 x 10(16)/cm(2) and 3 x 10(16)/cm(2). The microstructures in the ion-implanted region were examined by using transmission electron microscopy equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. The depth profile of the martensite volume fraction in the ion-implanted region was obtained by using a modified version of the direction comparison method, and the residual stress in the ion-implanted layer was measured by a low incident beam angle X-ray diffraction method. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.