Machining of austenitic stainless steels - a review

Although austenitic stainless steels have been used in the largest volumes of all the five families of stainless steel, and are characterised by high ductility, high durability and excellent corrosion resistance, they have certain disadvantages that act as constraints in certain applications. These steels are considered as the most difficult-to-cut materials as compared to the other alloy steels due to their high work hardening, low heat conductivity and high built up edge (BUE) formation. Some important concepts in the metallurgy of austenitic stainless steels are briefly introduced in the present paper, and some of the problems associated with the machining of austenitic stainless steels are also brought forward. Also a review is made of the various works of researchers in this context. Finally, this paper concludes with a discussion on future research areas.