Formation of ultrafine twinned austenite on a cold rolled 316L stainless steel induced by pulsed electron beam treatment under heating mode

► A duplex treatment involving cold rolling and electron beam annealing is developed. ► The duplex treatment can create ultrafine structures with special boundaries. ► Ultrafine twinned austenite formed on a 316L steel after the duplex treatment. ► Phase transformation, recrystallization and recovery occurred during the treatment.