On the deformation behaviour and martensitic transformations of metastable austenitic steels

Deformation behaviour of Type AISI 304 stainless steel was evaluated by uniaxial tensile testing at different temperatures ranging from -60°C to 200°C. The strengthening mechanisms of strain-induced, transformation of austenite to martensite and variant conversions have been discussed. Ludwigson and Berger's transformation kinetics relationship has been modified to take into consideration temperature during isothermal deformation. A plastic work interpretation of the maximum uniform elongation attained when taking into consideration the various phase transformations during deformation is presented. It has been demonstrated that finite element method (FEM) can be used with a limited number of parameters to predict the flow curves of these steels.