STRUCTURAL STABILITY AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF Fe-Mn-Cr ALLOYS.

Abstract

A systematic investigation is reported of the relation between stability of austenite and the mechanical properties at 0 to minus 196 C of Fe-Mn-Cr alloys with 10 to 40% Mn and 0 to 10% Cr. It is shown that the alloys with low austenite stability have high tensile strengths but are poor in elongation and vice versa. It is also demonstrated that epsilon (hcp) martensite has a signficant effect on low temperature toughness. Strength and toughness are discussed in terms of the structure, martensitic transformation, stacking fault energy, and fractography.