Microstructural damage evolution and arrest in binary Fe–high-Mn alloys with different deformation temperatures

Abstract

We investigated the damage evolution behaviors of binary Fe–28–40Mn alloys (mass%) from 93 to 393 K by tensile testing. The underlying mechanisms of the microstructure-dependent damage evolution behavior were uncovered by damage quantification coupled with in situ strain mapping and post-mortem microstructure characterization. The damage growth behaviors could be classified into three types. In type I, the Fe–28Mn alloy at 93 K showed premature fracture associated with ductile damage initiation and subsequent quasi-cleavage damage growth associated with the $$\upvarepsilon $$ -martensitic transformation. In type II, the Fe–28Mn alloy at 293 K and the Fe–32Mn alloy at 93 K showed delayed damage growth but did not stop growing. In type III, when the stacking fault energy was $$>\,$$ 19 $$\hbox {mJ/m}^{2}$$ , the damage was strongly arrested until final ductile failure.