The Effect of Strain Rate on the Deformation Behavior of Fe-30Mn-8Al-1.0C Austenitic Low-Density Steel

Automotive steels suffer different strain rates during their processing and service. In this study, the effect of strain rates on the tensile properties of fully austenitic Fe-30Mn-8Al-1.0C (wt.%) steel was investigated, and the dominant deformation mechanism was clarified. Conventional and interrupted tension tests and various microscopic characterization methods were carried out in this study. The results indicate that the yield strength increases with the increasing strain rate in the range of 10−4–10−1 s−1, and a good strength–ductility combination was achieved in the sample deformed at 10−3 s−1. In the process of straining at 10−3 s−1, microbands and deformation twins were observed. Thus, the combination of microband induced plasticity (MBIP) together with twinning induced plasticity (TWIP) leads to a continuous strain hardening behavior, and consequently to superior mechanical properties. However, adiabatic heating that leads to the increase in stacking fault energy (SFE) and inhibits the TWIP effect, as well as thermal softening jointly induces an anomalous decrease in tensile strength at the high strain rate of 10−1 s−1.