On the formation and technical importance of the microsegregation in austenitic chromium-nickel alloyed steels

The austenitic chromium nickel alloyed steels are showing different types of concentration-distributions of the elements chromium and nickel in the austenite in dependance on the content of alloys. As a consequence of the crystallization of the heat to austenite the “equal directed” type of segregation forms. The ferritic solidification of a heat and the following ferrite to austenite transformation leads to “unequal directed” segregation in the austenite. Heats having both the types of segregation solidify by way a 3-phase reaction. For heats ferritically solidified better hot plasticity, lower susceptibility to hot cracking in the weld and better polishability is observed compared with heats solidified austenitically. The advantages are accounted to the lower separation during the ferritic solidification as consequence of the higher diffusivity of the alloying and accompanying elements in the ferrite compared with the austenite.