The Formation of Fine-Grained Structure in S304H-Type Austenitic Stainless Steel during Hot-To-Warm Working

The dynamic process of grain evolution in a Super304H austenitic stainless steel was studied in compression tests. The tests were carried out to a strain of 0.7 at temperatures ranging from 700 to 1000°C and strain rate of 10 -3 s -1 . In addition to single pass compression the multiple compressions with changing the loading direction in 90 o and decreasing the temperature with step of 100°C from 1000 to 700°C in each pass were utilized to achieve large cumulative strains. Under multiple compression the values of flow stresses were lower than those at single-pass compressions under the same temperatures. The fraction of dynamically recrystallized grains decreased from 1.0 to almost zero with decreasing temperature in single-pass compressions. On the other hand, almost fully recrystallized structure developed under conditions of multiple compressions. The size of dynamically recrystallized grains decreased with decreasing the deformation temperature, approaching a submicrometer scale level at 700°C. The relationship between the deformation conditions and operating mechanisms of dynamic recrystallization is discussed in some details.