Future Trends on Displacive Stress and Strain Induced Transformations in Steels

Displacive stress and strain induced transformations are those transformations that occur when the formation of martensite or bainitic ferrite is promoted by the application of stress or strain. These transformations have been shown to be one of the mechanisms by which the mechanical properties of a microstructure can be improved, as they lead to a better ductility and strength by the transformation induced plasticity effect. This review aims to summarize the fundamental knowledge about them, both in fully austenitic or in multiphase structures, pointing out the issues that—according to the authors’ opinion—need further research. Knowing the mechanisms that govern the stress and strain induced transformation could enable to optimize the thermomechanical treatments and improve the final microstructure properties.