Influence of crystal orientation on twinning in austenitic stainless-steel during single micro-asperity tribology and nanoindentation

Abstract

Wear induced deformation has been the focus of numerous studies but the fundamental understanding of the influence of wear direction and crystal anisotropy on microstructure evolution has only been handful. We investigate the influence of wear direction on the deformation mechanisms in single grains with {001} and {111} normal orientation. We observe multivariant twin structures below the wear track. The extent of deformation and the twin density are found to be dependent on the wear direction and normal load. This study also addresses why some grains show twinning while others do not show twinning at identical external loads.