Bainitic stabilization of austenite in low alloy steels

Stabilization of retained austenite via bainitic transformation was studied in a triple-phase, ferrite/bainite/austenite steel 0.26C1.52Si-1.2Mn. Volume fraction and stability of retained austenite are varied by isothermal transformation time at 752F following intercritical annealing at 1418F. Austenite stability is measured using the Bolling-Richman technique. Austenite content is measured by and austenite carbon content is estimated from lattice parameters. Strength and ductility measured in both uniaxial and plane-strain tension are correlated with austenite amount and stability. While austenite content peaks at 3 minutes transformation time, stability continues to increase out to 5 minutes associated with a saturation of austenite carbon content and continued refinement of austenite particle size. Despite the reduced austenite content of 8 percent, the higher stability provided by the 5 minutes treatment gives superior mechanical properties