Effect of Ni content on microstructure and mechanical properties for cold rolled 301L stainless steel

Abstract

301L stainless steel (SS) ingots were prepared via aluminothermic reaction. In order to investigate effect of different content Ni addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of cold rolled 301L SS plate, real industrial process was simulated heat treatment and subsequent rolling process used. The results indicated that the tensile strength increased first and then decreased with the increasing of Ni content from 6.34% to 7.22%. The peak of tensile strength approximately reached 1275 MPa. The hardness remained basically unchanged at first and then decreased significantly to 305 HV. Fracture elongation tended to increase to 13.33%. It was found that when the Ni content reached 6.75%, the best mechanical property matching with strength of 1275 MPa and fracture elongation of 8.46% was obtained after rolling. The results provided experimental basis and theoretical support for the composition design of 301L SS for rail vehicles with both high strength and good plasticity.