Development of an austenitic structural steel

In this investigation a new low alloy austenitic structural steel has been developed. This steel after melting and casting and hot rolling has a pearlitic microstructure which can be spherodize annealed to attain good machinability. After austenitizing at 1150 °C (2100 °F) and water quenching, it has a fully austenitic (100%) microstructure. Because of the fully austenitic structure, it is non-ferromagnetic. The initial study on this experimental alloy indicates that this new steel has reasonably good strength, fracture toughness and ductility. A major application of this steel is expected to be in power generation devices such as turbines, generators, etc. There will be very little power loss in power generation devices due to low permeability and the non-magnetic nature of austenite.