Relationship between relaxation mechanisms and strain aging in an austenitic FeMnC steel

Basic relaxation experiments confirm that dislocation gliding in a V-microalloyed Fe–22 wt.% Mn–0.6 wt.% C steel is thermally activated at room temperature. This impediment to gliding is believed to be a necessary condition for the occurrence of mechanical twinning inducing the twinning induced plasticity effect in the considered family of high manganese austenitic steels. The relaxation experiments also induce a static strain aging phenomenon enhanced by applied stress and systematically trigger the dynamic strain aging mechanism and observable serrations on further tensile loading.