Materials Science Forum Online: 2018-12-26

ISSN: 1662-9752, Vol. 941, pp 1065-1070

doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.941.1065
© 2018 Trans Tech Publications Ltd, Switzerland

Strain Ratio Effect on the Low Cycle Fatigue Behavior and

Microstructure of High-Mn Austenitic Alloy Undergoing the Strain-
Induced Ε-Martensitic Transformation
Ilya Nikulina*, Takahiro Sawaguchib
National Institute for Materials Science, 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0047, Japan
a
nikulin.ilya@nims.go.jp, bsawaguchi.takahiro@nims.go.jp

Keywords: high-Mn alloy; low-cycle fatigue; strain ratio; mean stress relaxation; ε-martensite.

Abstract. The effect of the strain asymmetry on low-cycle fatigue properties and microstructure of
Fe–15Mn–10Cr–8Ni–4Si (in. wt. %) alloy undergoing the strain-induced ε-martensitic
transformation (ε-MT) were investigated at strain ratios, R, of -1, -0.2, 0.2 and 0.5 under total
strain-control mode with total strain amplitude of 0.01. At studied strain ratios the clear asymmetry
in tension and compression stress providing tensile mean stress was observed in alloy deformed at
R of -0.2, 0.2 and 0.5. The mean stress rapidly decreases to ~ 100 cycles and remain almost zero
until failure. It was found that strain-induced ε-martensitic transformation and lattice rotation of
austenite provide cyclic hardening of the studied alloy leading to the mean stress relaxation and
provides the stability in hysteresis loops behavior at studied R. As a consequence, the fatigue life,
Nf, of the alloy remains on the level of the alloy deformed by LCF at R, of -1 (NfR=-1=9200 cycles).
The details of the fatigue behavior, deformation mechanisms and microstructure evolution of the
studied alloy are discussed.

Introduction
Austenitic ferrous high-manganese (high-Mn) alloys undergoing martensitic transformation are
used in a wide range of industrial applications because of their excellent tensile strength, ductility
and strain hardening [1,2]. Recently, Fe–15Mn–10Cr–8Ni–4Si austenitic alloy undergoing strain-
induced ε-martensitic transformation, and showing good combination of LCF resistance, seismic
damping performance and productivity was developed for building constructions [3].
In most of the engineering applications the material are serves under preloaded conditions and
fatigue deformations are implying the shift to compression or tension strain domain. This indicates
that compressive or tensile mean stress may present during LCF loading. The presence of tensile
mean stresses was known to reduce fatigue life, and the compressive mean stresses extended the
fatigue life, according to Morrow mean stress correction [4]. It was observed that some of the
materials shows presence of mean stress during asymmetric cyclic loading and other materials are
show mean stress relaxation. However, to the authors’ knowledge, no study on the low cyclic
fatigue behavior of high-Mn austenitic alloys undergoing the strain-induced ε-MT with emphasis on
the effect of strain ratio has been reported in the literature. Furthermore, the observed relationships
between fatigue behavior and fatigue microstructure developed at asymmetric loading are limited
even in conventional materials. There are a few reports indicating that dislocation slip behavior is
changed at asymmetric loading with different strain ration [5,6]. The question on the cyclic stress
response of the alloys undergoing the strain-induced ε-MT upon cyclic loading with varied strain
ratio remains unclear.
Recently the fatigue behavior and microstructure of the Fe–15Mn–10Cr–8Ni–4Si alloy subjected
to strain controlled symmetrical LCF tests were analyzed [7-9]. It was shown [8] that LCF
resistance of the Fe–15Mn–10Cr–8Ni–4Si alloy is much high than the one of the conventional Cr–
Ni stainless steels, TRIP/TWIP and low yield point seismic damping steels. The present study was
aimed to examination of the cyclic deformation behavior and microstructure of the Fe–15Mn–
10Cr–8Ni–4Si austenitic alloy subjected to cyclic deformation under constant strain amplitude with
different strain ratios. The evolution of the cyclic stress, plastic strain range, and the plastic strain

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energy density absorbed per cycle are used to show cyclic hardening/softening behavior and cyclic
stress-strain response. These characteristics are compared with microstructure developed in cyclic
straining with the aim to obtain information on the deformation mechanisms responsible for cyclic
plasticity of the Fe–15Mn–10Cr–8Ni–4Si alloy at studied strain ratios.

Materials and experimental procedure

The Fe–15Mn–10Cr–8Ni–4Si austenitic alloy with a chemical composition of Fe–14.9%Mn–
10.3%Cr–8Ni–3.7%Si–0.004%C (in wt.%) was studied. The alloy was produced by induction
furnace melting. The alloy was subjected to hot forging and rolling at 1000°C, followed by high
temperature annealing at 1000°C and water cooling. Cylindrical samples with a gauge diameter of 8
mm and a gauge length of 12.5 mm were machined for fatigue tests so that the specimen
longitudinal axis was aligned along the former rolling direction. Total strain controlled, pull–push
type fatigue tests were conducted at strain ratios R = εmin/εmax of -0.2, 0.2, and 0.5, at a controlled
total strain amplitude of 0.01 and a constant strain rate of 0.004 s-1. The fatigue life, Nf, of the
samples was defined in accordance with the ASTM E606/E606M-12 standard as the number of
cycles at which the maximum stress decreases by approximately 25% compared to mid-life stress.
As-annealed and post-fatigue microstructure was observed by electron-backscattering diffraction
(EBSD) analysis with the aim to collect information on the phase composition and texture. The
cross-sections perpendicular to the loading direction and located 5 mm away from the fatigue crack
propagation path were used for the microstructure observations. The samples were finished using
colloidal silica to provide strain free surface by a combined mechanical and etching impact on the
sample surface. The polishing was performed at a load of 200 g per sample, which is equal to a
pressure of ~0.04 MPa. The EBSD analysis was carried out with a Carl Zeiss SIGMA field
emission scanning electron microscope. The microscope was run in ‘‘high current’’ mode, and an
objective lens aperture of 120 μm was used. The EBSD maps were collected at an acceleration
voltage of 20 kV and a working distance of 15 mm.

Results and Discussion

3.1. Microstructure before deformation. The fully austenitic structure (i.e. face centered cubic
lattice) was observed in the alloy after annealing. The average grain size, measured without
considering the annealing twin boundaries, was approximately 100 µm. The analysis of the
orientation distribution function (ODF) (Fig. 1a) reveals noticeable amount of the grains with
Goss/Brass {110}(115) and Cube {001}(100) texture components in annealed microstructure.
Small amount of the grains with Cu {112}<111> and Shear {123}<634> texture components was
also found. Thus, the grains located along <001>||RD and <111>||RD orientations are prevailing in
the studied alloy before deformation (Fig. 1b).

Fig.1 Evolution of the φ2 of 0, 45 and 65° sections of the orientation distribution function (ODF) (a)
and inverse pole figure (IPF) in respect to the RD direction (b).
3.2. Cyclic deformation behavior. The evolution of the maximal tensile and compressive stress
at studied strain ratios is shown on Fig. 2. The data obtained at R = -1 [8] are added for comparison.
It is found that for R of -0.2, 0.2 and 0.5 the tensile stress is higher than the compressive stress
 Materials Science Forum Vol. 941 1067

amplitude (Figs. 2a and 2b) and this providing tensile mean stress at the beginning of cyclic
deformation (Fig. 3a). Small compressive mean stress was found in alloy deformed at R = -1. As the
strain ratio increase the difference in tensile and compressive stress increase and mean stress
increase. The higher initial mean stress leads to the more significant mean stress relaxation.
However, independently of the strain ratio, tensile mean stress decreases toward zero stress within
first 100 cycles (i.e. 10% of the fatigue life, Nf) suggesting rapid mean stress relaxation in the
studied alloy. It is supposed [4,10] that the mean stress relaxation can be observed both in cyclically
softened and hardened alloys. In the latter case the stress relaxation occurs by the reduction of the
plastic strain associated with increase of the stress range. In the present material the mean stress
relaxation and plastic strain range reduced (Figs. 3a and 3b) by pronounced cyclic strain hardening
of the compression stress amplitude (Fig. 2b). However, the mean stress and plastic strain range
show the different trend of reduction (Fig. 3) indicating that the mean stress relaxation is not the
simple function of the cyclic strain hardening and reduction of the plastic strain range.

Fig. 2 Evolution of the tensile (a) and compressive (b) stresses at different strain ratio.

Fig. 3 Effect of the strain ration on the mean stress (a) and the plastic stain range (b).
Comparison of the hysteresis loops taken at half-life cycle (Fig. 4a), reveals that the shapes and
areas of the hysteresis loops for R of -0.2, 0.2 and 0.5 are relatively same. The area of the hysteresis
loop represents the plastic strain energy density absorbed per cycle (ΔWp). The fatigue damage
process of materials is a typical energy-consuming process with absorption of the irreversible
plastic work, and the fatigue life can be characterized by the plastic strain energy density absorbed
per cycle [11]. ΔWp has been considered as one of the best parameters to describe the fatigue
behavior of materials [12]. It is accepted that the LCF resistance is controlled by the plastic strain
amplitude and that the accumulated plastic deformation is the primary reason of the fatigue [13].
The effect of the number of cycles on the evolution of the ΔWp is shown in Fig. 4b. The plastic
strain energy density absorbed per cycle, ΔWp shows almost similar behavior at studied strain ratio
decreasing with increase of the N to about 100 cycles and increasing until fracture (Fig. 4b). As a
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consequence, similar loop area and the almost the same behavior of ΔWp indicate similar fatigue
resistance. Indeed, fatigue life obtained at studied strain ratios remains in close range (NfR=-1=9200
[7], NfR=-0.2=9500, NfR=0.2=7500, NfR=0.5=8400 cycles).

Fig. 4 Effect of the strain ration on the shape of the half-life hysteresis loops (a) and plastic strain
energy density absorbed per cycle, ΔWp, (b).
3.1. Fatigue microstructure. Observations of the microstructure developed during fatigue
deformation shows that the main deformation mechanism of the studied alloy is the strain-induced
ε-MT accompanied by the lattice rotation of the austenite. No difference in morphology of the ε-
martensite was revealed by EBSD in samples subjected to LCF at studied strain ratio coefficients.
Meanwhile, the decrease in fraction of the ε-martensite with increasing of the strain ration was
found. As the strain ratio increase the fraction of the ε-martensite decrease as 0.8, 0.57, 0.48 and
0.42 for strain ratio of -1, -0.2, 0.2 and 0.5 respectively. It is due to the fact that with increasing of
the strain ration the loading domain shifts from the compression, where the grains located near
<100>||RD direction are favorable for ε-MT by {111} <112> shear, to the tensile strain region,
where the grains located near <101>||RD direction are required for ε-MT [14]. In present material
the number of <101>||RD grains are limited (Fig. 1) and the rate of martensitic transformation
decrease with increasing of R because of reduction in compression martensite.
On the other hand, the increase of the intensity of the austenite texture around the Cu
{112}<111> and A {110}<111> texture components and the decrease of the intensity of the Cube
{001} <100>, Goss {110}<100> and Brass {110}<112> texture components was observed in the
alloy subjected to cyclic loading (Figs. 1a, 5a, 5c and 5e). Furthermore, the weakening of the
texture around <001>||RD and sharpened of the texture near <111>||RD orientation were observed
with increasing of R (Figs. 5b, 5d and 5f). It is known that in face centered cubic materials the
lattice are rotated by dislocation glide toward <111>||RD direction at tension deformation [15-17].
This direction is considered as “hard” areas for further deformation [15] and the texture around this
orientation may be one of the reasons of cyclic hardening observed in studied alloy at high R
(Fig. 2).
As mentioned above, the intensity of the texture maximum around <001>||RD decreases, while
the intensity of the <111>||RD increases with increasing of the strain ratio. This observation is in
agreement with P. Hilkhuijsen work [18] showing that at tensile deformation the austenitic grains
with orientation close to <001>||RD orientation disappeared faster from the austenite than the grains
with <111>||RD orientation because of the nature strain-induced phase transformation. It may be
concluded, therefore that, as the R increases and the cyclic deformation shifts to positive strain
domain the ratio between ε-martensitic transformation and lattice rotation are changed in studied
alloy. At R of -1 tension-compression martensite provides cyclic hardening (Fig. 2) and mean stress
relaxation (Fig. 3a). At R of 0.5 the lack of the cyclic hardening by the compression ε-martensite is
compensated by the hardening due to the lattice rotation toward “hard” orientations <111>||RD.
 Materials Science Forum Vol. 941 1069

Fig.5 Evolution of the φ2 of 0, 45 and 65° sections of the ODF (a,c, e) and RD inverse pole figure
(b,d,f) at R of -1(a,b), -0.2 (c,d) and 0.5 (e,f).

Conclusions
Strain-controlled axial LCF tests of Fe–15Mn–10Cr–8Ni–4Si austenitic alloy were performed under
four different strain ratios of R, of -1, -0.2, 0.2 and 0.5. Experimental results revealed tensile mean
stress at -1 < R ≤ 0.5. Mean stress relaxes whitin ~ 100 cycles and remain almost zero until failure
under different strain ratios and mean stress relaxation rate increases with increasing of strain ratio.
No considerable reduction in fatigue life is observed at studied strain ratio, which is attributed to
mean stress relaxation and constant hysteresis behavior at studied R. The mean stress relaxation in
the studied alloy occurs by cyclic hardening associated with combined effect of the strain-induced
ε-MT and austenite lattice rotation to <111>||RD orientation which is difficalt for further
deformation.

Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge the Materials Manufacturing and Engineering Station, NIMS, for
the materials processing.

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