Reversion and recrystallization of AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel

Microstructural evolution of a cold rolled AISI 316L stainless steel during annealing at 850 °C was studied. Cold rolling resulted in the formation of strain-induced martensite but some deformed austenite grains were retained. During annealing, two stages were identified. In the first stage of annealing, the reversion of martensite to austenite resulted in the fast decrease of hardness. In the second stage, however, the recrystallization of retained austenite and slow grain growth were observed. Therefore, a fine and equiaxed microstructure was obtained. Conclusively, this study revealed that the formation of martensite during cold rolling followed by reversion annealing at a moderate temperature is a viable method for grain refinement of AISI 316L stainless steel.

Keywords:

Austenitic steel , Cold deformation , Reversion annealing , Recrystallization.