Change in Dislocation Density via Ausforming in Fe-5%Mn-C Alloy with Lath Martensitic Structure

The strengthening mechanism of ausforming in martensitic steels is believed to be due to the inheritance of dislocations in austenite by the subsequently transformed martensite. However, no studies to date have quantified the dislocation density before and after ausforming. In this study, the dislocation densities of Fe-5%Mn-C alloys were analyzed, and the relationship between hardening by ausforming and dislocation accumulation, as well as the effect of carbon on this relationship, were investigated. The hardness of ausformed martensite increased with the ausforming reduction in austenite, and the strengthening effect of ausforming increased with the addition of carbon. Similarly, the dislocation density of ausformed martensite increased with the ausforming reduction in austenite, and the dislocation accumulation by ausforming increased with the addition of carbon. Because the hardness of the ausformed martensite follows the Bailey–Hirsch relationship, the strengthening mechanism owing to ausforming could be explained by dislocation strengthening. To understand the dislocation accumulation process during ausforming, the dislocation density of austenite immediately after ausforming was measured by in-situ heating neutron diffraction. Consequently, the dislocation density of the ausformed austenite was not dependent on the carbon content, indicating that dislocations are not inherited in carbon-free steels. By contrast, in steels with sufficient carbon content, not only are dislocations inherited but additional dislocations are introduced during martensitic transformation.