Formation of nano martensite grain with specific angle grain boundary during the drawing process of 316L stainless steel

Abstract

The evolution of the deformation-induced martensite in the drawn 316L stainless steel and its effect on mechanical performance are examined. Both the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of the 316L wire reach over 2.3 GPa at a drawing strain of 3.44. The deformation production of the wire during the drawing process is dislocation, twin and finally, deformation-induced α′-martensite. The neighboring misorientation between α′-martensite shows a preferential distribution around 60° due to variant selection limited by a double K–S orientation relationship. This preferential misorientation distribution around ∼60° is stable during the drawing process, and the α′-martensite has been refined to possess an average boundary spacing of ∼50 nm at a strain of 3.44.