The features of discontinuous dynamic recrystallization (DRX) in a highly-alloyed austenitic stainless steel were studied at temperatures of 800 °C to 1100 °C. Hot deformation accompanied by DRX was characterized by an activation energy of 415 kJ/mol. The frequency of the sequential DRX cycles depended on the deformation conditions; and the largest fraction of DRX grains with small grain orientation spread below 1° was observed at a temperature of around 1000 °C and a strain rate of about 10-3 s-1. The following power law relationships were obtained for DRX grain size (DDRX) and dislocation density (ρ) vs. temperature-compensated strain rate (Z) or peak flow stress (σP): DDRX ~ Z-0.25, ρ ~ Z0.1, σP ~ DDRX-0.9, σP ~ ρ1.4. The latter, i.e., σP ~ ρ1.4, was valid in the flow stress range below 300 MPa and changed to σP ~ ρ0.5 on increasing the stress. The obtained dependencies suggest a unique power law function between the dislocation density and the DRX grain size with an exponent of -0.5.
Keywords: austenitic stainless steel; dislocation density; dynamic recrystallization; grain size; hot deformation.