Abstract
A systematic study has been undertaken to correlate the changes in acoustic emissions during tensile deformation of sensitised AISI type 304 stainless steel. Samples of a typical 304 stainless steel were sensitised at 700°C for 4, 14 and 24 h after being austenised at 1050°C for 30 min. AE signals were recorded during tensile test by using two sensors with 125 kHz resonant frequency. The results showed significant change in generation of AE during tensile deformation of sensitised AISI 304 stainless steel in compare to solution annealed material. This type of behaviour could be attributed to the microstructural changes in the sensitised specimens especially formation of continuous Cr23C6 carbides on grain boundaries which lead to increase in shearing by dislocations.