δ/γ Interface bondary sliding as a mechanism for strain accommodation during hot deformation in a duplex stainless steel

Abstract

In the present work, the mechanical properties and the microstructural evolution of a duplex stainless steel in the as-cast and wrought conditions during deformation under hot-working conditions have been studied. Hot torsion tests, at strain rates of \(\dot \varepsilon \) = 1 s−1, have been carried out using prepolished samples on which surface parallel scratches have been practiced. The observation of the surface of the samples shows a large displacement of the scratches produced by two different mechanisms, sliding on the δ/γ interface, and shearing of the ferrite. The displacements in the as-cast condition have been found to concentrate in a reduced set of ferrite/austenite interfaces leading to the formation of cracks along them. In the wrought material, the distribution of the sliding is more homogeneous over all the ferrite/austenite interfaces, and no damage has been produced. These behavioral differences between both materials have been related in the present work, to the characteristics of the corresponding microstructures, to the spatial phase distribution, and to the nature of the ferrite/austenite interface, among others.