Calphad-assisted design of high strength – ductility martensitic stainless-steels with reverted austenite

Introducing reverted austenite at lath martensite boundaries has been shown to be an effective method to increase the ductility of martensitic steels. However, significant strength reductions can also be introduced during the reversion process in martensitic stainless steels. To overcome the strength-ductility trade-off, we explore the effects of alloying elements in delaying the overaging of the precipitates and accelerating the austenite formation. To this end, we carry multi-objective optimization considering (1) lattice misfit and diffusivity for kinetics of precipitation, and (2) austenite fraction and thermodynamic driving force of austenite reversion for austenite formation. With the insights from calculations, model alloy compositions are then proposed, and mechanical testing and microstructural analysis are applied. The model alloy confirms that a relatively higher volume fraction of austenite can form prior to overaging, which doubles the total elongation without significant strength loss.