This article presents an overview of the developments in stainless steels made since the 1990s. Some of the new applications that involve the use of stainless steel are also introduced. A brief introduction to the various classes of stainless steels, their precipitate phases and the status quo of their production around the globe is given first. The advances in a variety of subject areas that have been made recently will then be presented. These recent advances include (1) new findings on the various precipitate phases (the new J phase, new orientation relationships, new phase diagram for the Fe–Cr system, etc.); (2) new suggestions for the prevention/mitigation of the different problems and new methods for their detection/measurement and (3) new techniques for surface/bulk property enhancement (such as laser shot peening, grain boundary engineering and grain refinement). Recent developments in topics like phase prediction, stacking fault energy, superplasticity, metadynamic recrystallisation and the calculation of mechanical properties are introduced, too. In the end of this article, several new applications that involve the use of stainless steels are presented. Some of these are the use of austenitic stainless steels for signature authentication (magnetic recording), the utilisation of the cryogenic magnetic transition of the sigma phase for hot spot detection (the Sigmaplugs), the new Pt-enhanced radiopaque stainless steel (PERSS) coronary stents and stainless steel stents that may be used for magnetic drug targeting. Besides recent developments in conventional stainless steels, those in the high-nitrogen, low-Ni (or Ni-free) varieties are also introduced. These recent developments include new methods for attaining very high nitrogen contents, new guidelines for alloy design, the merits/demerits associated with high nitrogen contents, etc.

Recent developments in stainless steels

The mechanisms of hydrogen-related fracture are briefly reviewed and a few evaluative statements are made about the stress-induced hydride formation, decohesion, and hydrogen-enhanced localized plasticity mechanisms. A more complete discussion of the failure mechanism based on hydrogen-enhanced dislocation mobility is presented, and these observations are related to measurements of the macroscopic flow stress. The effects of hydrogen-induced slip localization on the measured flow stress is discussed. A theory of hydrogen shielding of the interaction of dislocations with elastic stress centres is outlined. It is shown that this shielding effect can account for the observed hydrogen-enhanced dislocation mobility.

Hydrogen-enhanced localized plasticity—a mechanism for hydrogen-related fracture

The effect of hydrogen on dislocation dynamics

The connection between hydrogen-enhanced plasticity and the hydrogen-induced fracture mechanism and pathway is established through examination of the evolved microstructural state immediately beneath fracture surfaces including voids, “quasi-cleavage,” and intergranular surfaces. This leads to a new understanding of hydrogen embrittlement in which hydrogen-enhanced plasticity processes accelerate the evolution of the microstructure, which establishes not only local high concentrations of hydrogen but also a local stress state. Together, these factors establish the fracture mechanism and pathway.

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Hydrogen Embrittlement Understood

Hydrogen effects on the interaction between dislocations

The mechanisms of hydrogen embrittlement in AISI type 316 austenitic stainless steel have been investigated by in situ straining in a high-voltage electron microscope (HVEM) equipped with an environmental cell. Hydrogen effects on strain-induced phase transformations, the generation rate and velocity of dislocation, and crack propagation rates were studied. The salient features of the fracture were similar for cracks propagating in vacuum and in hydrogen gas. In each case, e and α′ martensite formed at the crack; the e phase extended ahead of the crack while the α′ phase was restricted to high stress regions near the crack tip. The principal effect of hydrogen was to decrease the stress required for dislocation motion, for phase transformation of the austenite, and for crack propagation.

HVEM studies of the effects of hydrogen on the deformation and fracture of AISI type 316 austenitic stainless steel

Dynamic observations of the transfer of slip across a grain boundary

Les mecanismes de fragilisation par l'hydrogene des aciers inoxydables austenitiques type AISI 316 recuits et sensibilises ont ete etudies in-situ par microscopie electronique haute tension. L'influence de l'hydrogene sur les transformations de phase induites par la deformation, la vitesse de generation des dislocations et la vitesse de propagation des fissures a ete analysee.

P. Rozenak

Papers

HVEM studies of the effects of hydrogen on the deformation and fracture of AISI type 316 austenitic stainless steel

Dynamic observations of the transfer of slip across a grain boundary

HVEM studies of the effects of hydrogen on the deformation and fracture of AISI type 316 austenitic stainless steel

HVEM studies of the effects of hydrogen on the deformation and fracture of AISI type 316 austenitic stainless steel

Evidence from in situ TEM straining studies for the mechanism of transfer of slip across a grain boundary