Probing the characteristic deformation behavior of TRIP steels

Abstract

Tensile behavior of two TRIP steels was investigated by in situ neutron diffraction. In the sample with a higher fraction of retained-austenite, the first load transfer was observed from the soft ferrite matrix to the hard retained austenite prior to martensitic transformation, while a second load transfer occurred from the austenite to the harder martensite as martensitic transformation was induced. In the sample with less retained-austenite, the martensitic transformation was limited, leading to significantly less tensile ductility.