Cu addition retards the static recrystallization of cold-deformed 316L biomedical stainless steel

In this work, the effect of copper (Cu) addition on the static recrystallization behavior of large deformed 316L austenitic stainless steel is investigated by analyzing the hardness, microstructure evolution and recrystallization activation energy. The results show that Cu addition can retard the annealing softening process of 316L stainless steel and increase recrystallization activation energy, which is consistent with the evolution of the recrystallization volume fraction. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) images show that the fine Cu-rich precipitates preferentially distributed at the interface between the recrystallized grain and deformation region after annealing at 800 degrees C for 30 min, which pinned the migration of grain boundaries and retarded the recrystallization process. With increasing annealing temperature, the effect of Cu on recrystallization gradually decreases, due to the weaker pinning effect by lower volume fraction of Cu-rich precipitate at high temperature. (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.