An Analysis Upon Microstructural Developments and Mechanical Properties Ofaisi 304L Stainless Steel

Abstract

In this work,the mechanical properties and microstructural features of an AISI 304Lstainless steel in two presentations, bulk and fibers, were systematicallystudied in order to establish the relationship among microstructure, mechanicalproperties, manufacturing process and effect on sample size. The microstructurewas analyzed by XRD, SEM and TEM techniques. The strength, Young’s modulus andelongation of the samples were determined by tensile tests, while the hardnesswas measured by Vickers microhardness and nanoindentation tests. The materialshave been observed to possess different mechanical and microstructural properties,which are compared and discussed. The paperdiscusses the effect of semi-solid processing on the microstructural evolutionand mechanical property of 304L stainless steel. For the study, steel specimenswere partially melted and cooled to room temperatures in different coolingmedium. The effect of temperature, time and cooling medium on microstructuralevolution was studied by using optical microscopy. It was found that meltingbegins with the nucleation of liquid phase at the triple junctions and grainboundaries followed by propagation of the liquid phase along grain boundaries.The mechanical behavior of the semi-solid processed material was compared withthat of the conventionally processed material with regard to their tensileproperties and hardness.