Microstructure of CrMnNi Cast Steel After Explosive-Driven Flyer-Plate Impact at Room Temperature and Below

Abstract

A low-carbon metastable austenitic CrMnNi cast steel was investigated under shock conditions in a flyer-plate impact test. The samples were impacted by aluminum flyer-plates with impact velocities of 620 ± 30 m/s. Depending on deformation temperature and strain rate, the material exhibited different deformation mechanisms (dislocation glide, martensitic transformation, and mechanical twinning), which determined the microstructural evolution and mechanical behavior. Flyer-plate impact tests were carried out at 213 K and 293 K (−60 °C and +20 °C). A soft recovered sample revealed microstructural changes directly after impact. The subsequent microstructural investigations via light-optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy revealed that transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP effect) was the primary deformation mechanism. Moreover, it was possible to quantify the martensite volume fraction by different methods and to identify the hcp e-martensite phase as an intermediate transformation stage. A decrease in temperature also increased the driving force for the martensitic transformation.