Quantitative Analysis of Carbide Fragmentation and Hot Deformation Behavior of ESR 60Cr16MoMA High‐Carbon Martensitic Stainless Steel

The hot deformation behavior and carbide evolution of 60Cr16MoMA high‐carbon martensitic stainless steel (HCMSS) were studied by hot compression tests at 850°C–1150°C and strain rates of 0.001–1 s −1 . An Arrhenius‐type constitutive model with an activation energy of 423.32 kJ/mol was established. Furthermore, quantitative analysis of carbide morphology within the stable deformation regime demonstrates that carbide evolution is strongly governed by the ln Z parameter. An intermediate ln Z range promotes effective mechanical fragmentation of primary carbides, resulting in reduced carbide area, increased circularity, decreased fractal dimension, and modified nearest neighbor interparticle spacing. In contrast, excessively high or low ln Z values lead to limited carbide fragmentation due to excessive deformation resistance or high‐temperature dissolution effects. Based on the processing maps and microstructural analysis, the optimal hot deformation window for the steel is identified as 950°C with strain rates of 0.001–0.01 s −1 and 1000°C–1150°C with strain rates of 0.001–0.1 s −1 .