Understanding sigma-phase precipitation in a stabilized austenitic stainless steel (316Nb) through complementary CALPHAD-based and experimental investigations

Abstract Sigma-phase precipitation in a 316Nb “stabilized” austenitic stainless steel was studied through complementary CALPHAD-based and dedicated experimental investigations. Thermokinetic calculations performed using Thermo-Calc (with the DICTRA module) and MatCalc software showed that the sigma phase (σ) precipitated directly at γ-austenite grain boundaries (GB) via a common solid-state reaction when carbon and nitrogen contents fell below a critical threshold. Residual δ ferrite was found to be more susceptible to σ-phase precipitation; this type of precipitation occurred via two mechanisms that depended on the concentration profiles of δ-ferrite stabilizing elements induced by previou…