Properties of a 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel Hot Strip by TMCP

Conventional 304 austenitic stainless steel needs to be solution annealed after hot rolling, and main purpose of the solution annealing is to avoid the intergranular corrosion. This paper summarizes the application of TMCP, such as controlled rolling and online accelerated cooling to a 304 steel hot strip aiming to reduce or even prevent carbide precipitation. Both the microstructure and the properties of the 304 strip produced by TMCP are studied and compared with those after solution annealing. Based on this study, the newly developed TMCP 304 austenitic stainless steel hot strip is produced with higher mechanical strength while maintaining similar corrosion resistance.