Flow stress and microstructural evolution during hot working of alloy 22cr-13ni-5mn-0.3n austenitic stainless steel

The stress-strain behavior and the development of microstructure between 850 °C and 1150 °C in an austenitic stainless steel, 22Cr-13Ni-5Mn-0.3N, were investigated by uniaxial compression of cylindrical specimens at strain rates between 0.01 and 1 s-1 up to a strain of one. The measured (anisothermal) and corrected (isothermal) flow curves were distinctly different. The flow stress at moderate hot working temperatures, compared to a number of other austenitic alloys, was second only to that of alloy 718. Both static and dynamic recrystallization were observed. Recrystallization was sluggish in comparison to alloy 304L, apparently due to the presence of a fine Cr- and Nb-rich second-phase dispersion, identified as Z phase, which tended to pin the high-angle grain boundaries even at a high temperature of 1113 °C. Recrystallization may also be retarded by preferential res-toration through the competitive process of recovery, which is consistent with the relatively high stacking-fault energy for this alloy. It is concluded that this alloy must be hot worked at temperatures higher than usual for austenitic stainless steels in order to minimize flow stress and refine grain size.