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

In terms of the grain refinement mechanism induced by plastic straining, a novel surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT) was developed for synthesizing a nanostructured surface layer on metallic materials in order to upgrade the overall properties and performance. In this paper, the SMAT technique and the microstructure of the SMAT surface layer will be described. The grain refinement mechanism of the surface layer during the SMAT will be analyzed in terms of the microstructure observations in several typical materials. Obvious enhancements in mechanical properties and tribological properties of the nanostructured surface layer in different materials were observed. Further development and prospects will be addressed with respect to the SMAT as well as the performance and technological applications of the engineering materials with the nanostructured surface layer.

Nanostructured surface layer on metallic materials induced by surface mechanical attrition treatment

The strength-ductility trade-off has been a long-standing dilemma in materials science. This has limited the potential of many structural materials, steels in particular. Here we report a way of enhancing the strength of twinning-induced plasticity steel at no ductility trade-off. After applying torsion to cylindrical twinning-induced plasticity steel samples to generate a gradient nanotwinned structure along the radial direction, we find that the yielding strength of the material can be doubled at no reduction in ductility. It is shown that this evasion of strength-ductility trade-off is due to the formation of a gradient hierarchical nanotwinned structure during pre-torsion and subsequent tensile deformation. A series of finite element simulations based on crystal plasticity are performed to understand why the gradient twin structure can cause strengthening and ductility retention, and how sequential torsion and tension lead to the observed hierarchical nanotwinned structure through activation of different twinning systems.

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Evading the strength–ductility trade-off dilemma in steel through gradient hierarchical nanotwins

Revealing the relationship between grain size and corrosion rate of metals

Microstructural evolution and nanostructure formation in copper during dynamic plastic deformation at cryogenic temperatures

Formation of nanostructured surface layer on AISI 304 stainless steel by means of surface mechanical attrition treatment

A nanostructured surface layer was produced on an AISI 304 stainless steel plate by means of a surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT) Low-temperature plasma nitriding of the SMAT stainless steel sample was investigated in comparison with the coarse-grained sample by using structural analysis (X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy) as well as mechanical property measurements It shows a much thicker nitrided layer is formed on the SMAT sample relative to that in the coarse-grained counterpart nitrided under the same condition The nitrided layer in the SMAT sample is composed of nanostructured austenite expansion and martensite expansion with high supersaturations of nitrogen The surface hardness and the hardened surface layer thickness, as well as the abrasive and the adhesive wear resistances of the nitrided SMAT sample are much enhanced relative to the nitrided coarse-grained sample

Z. K. Hei

Papers

Formation of nanostructured surface layer on AISI 304 stainless steel by means of surface mechanical attrition treatment

Low-temperature plasma nitriding of AISI 304 stainless steel with nano-structured surface layer