In Situ Determination of Phase Stress States in an Unstable Medium Manganese Duplex Steel Studied by High-Energy X-ray Diffraction

Duplex medium Mn steels are high-potential advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) for automotive construction. Their excellent forming properties stem from the specific stress partitioning between their constituting phases during deformation, namely the ferritic matrix, unstable retained austenite, and strain-induced fresh martensite. The stability of the retained austenite and the 3D stress tensors of each phase are determined simultaneously in this work by in situ high energy X-ray diffraction on synchrotron beamline during a tensile test. The role of internal stresses inherited from the manufacturing stage are highlighted for the first time as well as new insights to understand the origin of the serrations shown by these alloys.