Microstructure and mechanical properties of an Fe–Mn–Al–C lightweight steel after dynamic plastic deformation processing and subsequent aging

An austenitic low-density steel was processed by dynamic plastic deformation (DPD) over the strain range from 0.25 to 0.75 followed by aging at 450 °C and then it was subjected to compressive testing at strain rates of 1.0 × 10⁻³ − 2.0 × 10³ s⁻¹. The results show that fine grain structures with high density dislocations are achieved after DPD processing. After aging, the grain size increased slightly together and there was an additional marginal decrease in the dislocation density. κ-carbides only appeared in the samples after DPD processing at the strain of 0.75 and after subsequent aging. Submicron-sized (Nb, Mo)C particles existed in the matrix before DPD and there was no change in size and distribution during DPD processing and post-DPD aging. The yield strengths of the steels after DPD at different strain rates increased significantly by ∼120–190% compared with the as-received sample, where this is mainly due to a combination of dislocation strengthening and grain boundary strengthening. For the steel processed by DPD at strain of 0.75, there was an additional precipitation strengthening of κ-carbides besides the dislocation strengthening and grain boundary strengthening, and this produced an increase of over ∼900 MPa in yield strength by comparison with the as-received steel. After aging, the yield strength decreased slightly due to a reduction in the dislocation density and a slight coarsening of the grains, except for samples after DPD at a strain of 0.75 which showed a slight increase in strength due to further κ precipitation. The strain rate strengthening effect and strain hardening ability were also analyzed.