Roles of dislocations and grain boundaries in martensite nucleation

TLDR: In this article, the role of dislocations and grain boundaries in martensite nucleation was investigated and the authors concluded that grain boundaries provide nucleation site, but only certain types of grain boundaries are qualified to be potential nuclei.

Abstract: In order to elucidate roles of dislocations and grain boundaries in martensite nucleation, the transformation temperature (Ms) of specimens austenitized at various temperatures and subjected to prestrain has been measured, using Fe-Ni, Fe-Ni-C, and Fe-Cr-C alloys. It is concluded that the plastic accommodation, in austenite, of the shape strain of the transforming martensite is a vital step in the nucleation event. Any factors impeding such plastic accommodation, such as the lack of dislocations, work hardening, and grain refinement, suppress the transformation. Contrary to the general belief, dislocations themselves do not act as favorable nucleation sites. Grain boundaries provide nucleation site, but only certain types of grain boundaries are qualified to be potential nuclei. A quantitative analysis shows that the increasing difficulty for the plastic accommodation with decreasing grain size is the main factor to depress Ms in fine-grained specimens.