Martensite Formation in Conventional and Isothermal Tension of 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel Measured by X-ray Diffraction

The temperature above which neither stress nor plastic strain can cause austenite to transform to martensite is determined for 304 austenitic stainless steel by X-ray diffraction measurements on specimens that were previously subjected to isothermal tension tests. The specimens were tested at 273 K, 298 K, 308 K, 333 K, and 373 K (0 °C, 25 °C, 35 °C, 60 °C, and 100 °C). A new isothermal testing technique was used not only for controlling the testing temperature but also for averting deformation-induced heating. Hence, the effect of temperature on the strain-induced martensite is decoupled from that of strain. The diffraction measurements reveal that the martensite volume fraction decreases linearly with the testing temperature up to a critical temperature, which is found by linearly extrapolating to zero martensite volume fraction.