The annealing behavior of cold-rolled 317L austenitic stainless steel was investigated. The material was rolled to a true strain (e) of 2.04 and subjected to both stepwise and continuous annealing up to 1000 °C, the latter conducted in the presence of an external magnetic field. Electron backscatter diffraction, dilatometry, thermodynamic calculations, Vickers microhardness testing, and electron channeling contrast imaging were used to follow the microstructure evolution upon annealing. The microstructure of the cold-rolled steel has about 2.3% of strain-induced α′-martensite, 4% of delta ferrite, and austenite as the predominant phase. Eye-shaped deformation heterogeneities are also noticeable and contrast with the predominant lamellar structure typical of cold-rolled materials. Microstructure changes were followed by means of magnetic measurements, with emphasis on both Ms (saturation magnetization) and Hc (coercive field) parameters. Our findings confirm the occurrence of austenite reversion, decrease of delta ferrite, and massive sigma phase precipitation for the annealing temperature and time intervals herein investigated. At 800 °C the steel is almost fully recrystallized, except for the eye-shaped structures, in whose interior precipitation is much less intense. Precipitation of sigma phase occurs preferentially at the delta ferrite lamellae. Magnetization was able to capture the fragmentation of the ferromagnetic delta ferrite lamellae due to sigma phase precipitation and the changes associated with the decrease of delta ferrite and austenite reversion upon annealing.
