Effect of Ag on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Austenitic Stainless Steel
JIANG Haowen1, PENG Wei1,2(), FAN Zengwei1, WANG Yangxin1, LIU Tengshi1,2, DONG Han1,2
1 School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China 2 Zhejiang Institute of Advanced Materials, Shanghai University, Jiaxing 314100, China
Cite this article:
JIANG Haowen, PENG Wei, FAN Zengwei, WANG Yangxin, LIU Tengshi, DONG Han. Effect of Ag on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Austenitic Stainless Steel. Acta Metall Sin, 2024, 60(4): 434-442.
Austenitic stainless steels have wide applications due to their excellent properties, such as high strength, corrosion resistance, and superior workability. 304 stainless steel (304SS) is one of the most popular austenitic stainless steels. With a growing emphasis on healthcare, the antibacterial property of the materials becomes increasingly important. Ag is added to type 304 stainless steels to obtain an expected antibacterial property and reduce the occurrence of bacterial contamination. With the development of technology, previous research on Ag-bearing stainless steel was mainly concerned on its antibacterial properties, mechanical properties, and corrosion resistance. However, the microstructures of Ag-bearing stainless steels, especially the occurrence and distribution of Ag, have not been studied intensively. The present work studies the effects of Ag content on the microstructure, texture, and mechanical properties of austenitic stainless steel using OM, SEM, secondary ion mass spectrometer (SIMS), EBSD, and tensile test. SIMS analysis shows that Ag exists in austenitic stainless steel mainly in the form of Ag, Ag x S, and Ag x N compounds, which are mainly distributed at the grain boundaries and less within the grain. During recrystallization, the nucleation rate increases by the stimulation of coarse Ag, Ag x S, and Ag x N compound particles, while the grain growth is hindered by fine Ag, Ag x S, and Ag x N compound particles. Hence, the average grain size of 304, 304Ag-1, and 304Ag-2 stainless steel changes from (126 ± 3) μm to (47 ± 4) μm. The EBSD results show that the maximum pole densities of 304, 304Ag-1, and 304Ag-2 stainless steel samples are 3.24, 2.71, and 2.22, respectively, indicating that Ag can reduce the anisotropy of austenitic stainless steel. The yield strength and tensile strength of austenitic stainless steels decrease with the increase of Ag content, and the elongation increases with the increase of Ag content. Furthermore, strength and elongation consistency of Ag-bearing 304 stainless steel are much better compared to that of 304 steel at the angles of 0°, 45°, and 90° to rolling direction. The phenomenon of high Schmid factor grains surrounding low Schmid factor occurs in austenitic stainless steel, and the average Schmid factor of grains in {111} <110> slip system increases with the increase of Ag content, and the proportion of grains in “soft orientation” increases. Under the given loading stress, Ag-bearing austenitic stainless steel is more prone to deformation.
Table 1 Chemical compositions of stainless steels with different Ag contents
Fig.1 Schematic of tensile sample (unit: mm)
Fig.2 XRD spectra of stainless steels with different Ag contents
Fig.3 OM images of 304 (a), 304Ag-1 (b), and 304Ag-2 (c) stainless steels (Arrows show spherical particles)
Fig.4 SEM images of 304Ag-1 (a) and 304Ag-2 (b) stainless steels (Inset shows the high magnified image)
Point
C
Si
Ti
Cr
Mn
Fe
Ni
Ag
A
7.59
0.30
0.19
17.57
1.37
57.36
10.08
5.54
B
5.56
0.30
1.77
18.59
1.46
61.35
10.97
-
C
7.61
0.32
0.30
17.60
1.27
56.24
10.04
6.62
D
7.59
0.17
0.52
16.22
1.11
54.72
7.97
11.70
Table 2 EDS results of particles A-D in Fig.4
Fig.5 SEM image and corresponding EDS mappings of 304Ag-2 stainless steel
Fig.6 Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) of Ag (a), Ag x N (b), and Ag x S (c) particles in 304Ag-2 stainless steel (M / Z—mass-to-charge ratio)
Fig.7 Two-dimensional element distributions in SIMS of 304Ag-1 (a) and 304Ag-2 (b) stainless steels
Fig.8 Engineering stress-strain curves of stainless steels with different Ag contents in different directions (a) 0°, rolling direction (RD) (b) 45° (c) 90°, transeverse direction (TD)
Direction
Material
Rm / MPa
Rp0.2 / MPa
A / %
0° (RD)
304
733
241
77
304Ag-1
623
233
80
304Ag-2
592
221
81
45°
304
690
223
73
304Ag-1
611
223
80
304Ag-2
585
219
81
90° (TD)
304
703
235
80
304Ag-1
615
230
81
304Ag-2
598
223
81
Table 3 Mechanical properties of stainless steels with different Ag contents in different directions
Fig.9 Inverse pole figures of RD, TD, and ND of 304 (a), 304Ag-1 (b), and 304Ag-2 (c) stainless steels (ND—normal direction)
Fig.10 Schmid factor distributions of grains in 304 (a), 304Ag-1 (b), and 304Ag-2 (c) stainless steels with different Ag contents under {111}〈110〉 slip systems
Fig.11 Frequency distribution histograms of Schmid factor of grains in 304 (a), 304Ag-1 (b), and 304Ag-2 (c) stainless steels with different Ag contents under {111}〈110〉slip systems
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