Interphase and intergranular stress generation in carbon steels

Neutron diffraction spectra have been acquired during tensile straining of high and low carbon steels, in order to compare the evolution of internal stress in ferritic steel with and without a reinforcing phase. In low carbon steel, the generation of intergranular stresses predominates, while in high carbon steel similar intergranular stresses among ferrite grain families are superposed upon a large redistribution of stress between phases. Comparison is made to calculations using elastoplastic self-consistent and finite element methods.