Influence of processing temperature on microstructural and mechanical properties of high-alloyed single-phase steels subjected to severe plastic deformation

An austenitic and a ferritic steel were subjected to severe plastic deformation at 20 and 450 °C up to equivalent strains of 32. The development of the microstructure and the mechanical properties have been investigated by capturing back-scattered electron micrographs and performing subsize tensile tests. For both steels, a steady state of the properties was observed above equivalent strains of 16. The results show clearly that the temperature influences both, microstructure and mechanical properties, whereas the type of material (ferritic, austenitic) plays an additional important role. Possible reasons for the observed differences are discussed.