Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy of ultra-fine wires of AISI 316L stainless steel

Starting with 190?µm diameter wire of 316L stainless steel, ultra-thin wire just 8?µm in diameter has been made and characterized. There was no intermediate heat treatment used in the process of drawing, and the amount of true stain was about 6.3. A specimen preparation method for the cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of ultra-fine wires of 316L stainless steel has been developed. The ultra-fine wire was sandwiched between silicon chips and the bonded assembly then sliced to produce longitudinal and transverse sections of the wire in a form suitable for further processing into electron transparent samples. TEM reveals that the heavily deformed wire consists of nanoscale fine elongated structures along the drawing direction. The diffraction patterns indicate that a substantial amount of austenite has transformed into martensite. The TEM dark field images show nanosized patches of martensite distributed among the debris of austenite along the drawing direction. The evidence strongly suggests that severe deformation leads to mechanical stabilization of austenite against the growth of martensite.