Effect of large strain cold rolling and subsequent annealing on microstructure and mechanical properties of an austenitic stainless steel

► Deformation twinning and strain induced martensitic transformation in S304H steel. ► An S304H steel with transverse grain size of 50 nm by large strain cold rolling. ► Austenitic stainless steel with yield strength above 2000 MPa. ► Stability of submicrocrystalline structure during heating up to 700 °C.