The mechanisms which were responsible for enhancing the work-hardening capabilities of multi-phase steels were considered. Various microstructures, some of which contained retained austenite, were studied. The dislocation densities which were generated within ferrite, by the mechanically-induced martensitic transformation of retained austenite, were shown to scale with the incremental work-hardening exponent. The acoustic emission which was generated during tensile straining was also monitored. Acoustic emission was shown to result mainly from dislocation motion; and especially from the motion of the additional dislocation density which was generated within intercritical ferrite by strain-induced martensitic transformations.

On the Sources of Work Hardening in Multiphase Steels Assisted by Transformation-Induced Plasticity. P.Jacques, Q.Furnémont, A.Mertens, F.Delannay: Philosophical Magazine A, 2001, 81[7], 1789-812