Effect of Heating Process on Retained Austenite of Mn-TRIP Steel

nfluences of various heating processes on the amount of retained austenite after an intercritical annealing were investigated experimentally in a Mn-alloyed TRIP steel. The heating with a higher rate or an interruption at lower temperature can lead to the more rapid formation of austenite during intercritical annealing and hence more retained austenite in final microstructure. Such an enhanced austenitization kinetics is attributed to the rapid dissolution of fine carbides having previously precipitated out at low temperature during the heating, which is also confirmed by the numerical simulations.