Martensitic transformation in an intergranular corrosion area of austenitic stainless steel during thermal cycling

An oxidation-assisted martensitic phase transformation was observed in an austenitic stainless steel after thermal cycling up to 970 °C in air in a solar thermal steam reformer. The intergranular corrosion areas were investigated by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The structural-and-chemical maps revealed that within intergranular corrosion areas this martensitic transformation primarily occurs in oxidation-induced chromium-depleted zones, rather than due to only sensitization. This displacive transformation may also play a significant role in the rate at which intergranular corrosion takes place.