3. Austenitic steels

3.1 Composition

In ferritic and martensitic steels, chromium acts as the dominant alloying element. However, by incorporating a sufficient quantity of nickel, it is possible to create steels that are austenitic at room temperature. Similar to ferritic steels, the absence of phase transformation in austenitic steels makes them vulnerable to granular growth when exposed to high temperatures. On the other hand, their ductility is significantly higher. The nature of the phase, whether ferritic or austenitic, is determined by the combination of alloying elements.