The paper reviews the recent works concerning the Portevin–Le Chatelier (PLC) effect in Advanced High-Strength Steels (AHSSs) with a special attention to high-strength medium-manganese steels. Theories explaining the mechanism of the plastic instability phenomenon in steels with medium- and high-Mn contents were discussed. The relationships between microstructural effects such as TRIP (Transformation-Induced Plasticity), TWIP (Twinning-Induced Plasticity) and the PLC effect were characterized. The effects of processing conditions including a deformation state (hot-rolled and cold-rolled) and strain parameters (deformation temperature, strain rate) were addressed. Factors affecting the value of critical strain for the activation of serrated flow behavior in particular in medium-manganese steels were described.

Detailed studies on microstructure–property relationships of thermomechanically processed medium-Mn steels with various manganese contents were carried out. Microscopic techniques of different resolution (LM, SEM, TEM) and X-Ray diffraction methods were applied. Static tensile tests were performed to characterize mechanical properties of the investigated steels and to determine the tendency of retained austenite to strain-induced martensitic transformation. Obtained results allowed to characterize the microstructural aspects of strain-induced martensitic transformation and its effect on the mechanical properties. It was found that the mechanical stability of retained austenite depends significantly on the manganese content. An increase in manganese content from 3.3% to 4.7% has a significant impact on the microstructure, stability of γ phase and mechanical properties of the investigated steels. The initial amount of retained austenite was higher for the 3Mn-1.5Al steel in comparison to 5Mn-1.5%Al steel—17% and 11%, respectively. The mechanical stability of retained austenite is significantly affected by the morphology of this phase.

Effects of isothermal holding time and temperature on the stability of retained austenite in medium manganese bainitic steels with and without Nb microaddition were investigated. The amount of retained austenite for various variants of thermomechanical processing was determined by X-ray diffraction. Relationships between processing conditions and microstructure were revealed using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy techniques. The isothermal holding temperatures changed from 500 to 300 °C and the time was from 60 to 1800 s. The optimal time and temperature of isothermal holding for all the investigated steels were 400 °C and 300 s, respectively. The relationships between the Mn content, amount of retained austenite, and carbon enrichment of the retained austenite (RA) were observed. The noticeable effect of Nb microaddition on the amount of retained austenite was not observed. In general, the carbon content in RA was slightly lower for the steels containing Nb. The optimum gamma phase amount was up to 18% for the 3% Mn steels, whereas it was c.a. 13% for the steels with 5% Mn. It was found that the morphology of blocky/interlath retained austenite depends substantially on the isothermal holding temperature.

The temperature-dependent microstructure evolution and corresponding mechanical stability of retained austenite in medium-Mn transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) 0.17C-3.1Mn-1.6Al type steel obtained by thermomechanical processing was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Specimens were deformed up to rupture in static tensile tests in the temperature range 20–200 °C. It was found that an increase in deformation temperature resulted in the reduced intensity of TRIP effect due to the higher stability of retained austenite. The kinetics of strain-induced martensitic transformation was affected by the carbon content of retained austenite (RA), its morphology, and localization in the microstructure.

The work addresses the phase equilibrium analysis and austenite decomposition of two Nb-microalloyed medium-Mn steels containing 3% and 5% Mn. The pseudobinary Fe-C diagrams of the steels were calculated using Thermo-Calc. Thermodynamic calculations of the volume fraction evolution of microstructural constituents vs. temperature were carried out. The study comprised the determination of the time-temperature-transformation (TTT) diagrams and continuous cooling transformation (CCT) diagrams of the investigated steels. The diagrams were used to determine continuous and isothermal cooling paths suitable for production of bainite-based steels. It was found that the various Mn content strongly influences the hardenability of the steels and hence the austenite decomposition during cooling. The knowledge of CCT diagrams and the analysis of experimental dilatometric curves enabled to produce bainite-austenite mixtures in the thermomechanical simulator. Light microscopy (LM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to assess the effect of heat treatment on morphological details of produced multiphase microstructures.