The direct relationship between stacking-fault energy and phase transformation driving force of austenitic steels and the effect of stacking-fault energy and strain energy upon the morphology of martensite were deduced. The friction between the crystal lattices during the propagation of stacking faults in austenitic steels containing low contents of carbon and nitrogen was approximately 18% of the phase-transformation driving force. The critical value of stacking-fault energy was about 150mJ/m2 for the existence of stacking faults in austenitic steels.

Stacking-Fault Energy and ε-Martensite Transformation of Austenitic Steels. X.N.Cheng, Q.X.Dai, A.D.Wang: Journal of Iron and Steel Research, 2003, 15[2], 55-8