An interesting experimental phenomenon was obtained by Mintz that the hot ductility of an austenitic steel decreases with decreasing strain rate whereas that of a ferritic steel increases. However, the mechanism is still unclear. In this study, the critical time and critical cooling rate of nonequilibrium grain-boundary segregation (NGS) are calculated. It is shown that for Mintz's thermal cycle prior to tensile testing, the effective time of the austenitic steel is shorter than the critical time and that of the ferritic steel is longer than the critical time. When the strain rate decreases, the elastic stress aging time increases. As a result, for the austenitic steel, the grain-boundary segregation of impurity increases, thereby reducing the hot ductility, whereas for the ferritic steel, the segregation of impurity decreases, thereby enhancing the hot ductility. Consequently, the hot ductility loss of both austenitic and ferritic stainless steels is induced by NGS of impurity.

The subject of hot ductility in C–Mn steels has been the focus of interest for a long time in materials science and engineering. However, the mechanism of loss in hot ductility continues to be unclear. In the present paper, the experimental hot ductility data in C–Mn steels involve: (i) a ductility trough appears at a certain temperature when the sample is held for a certain time at various temperatures after cooling quickly from a higher temperature; (ii) the ductility healing phenomenon which occurs with the duration of holding time; (iii) the ductility deteriorates with the increase of temperature difference between solution treatment temperature and test temperature during a tensile test; (iv) a minimum ductility appears when samples are cooled from a higher temperature to a lower one at a certain cooling rate; and (v) the formation of cavities at grain boundaries during tests. All of these are analyzed and calculated from the perspective of thermally induced nonequilibrium grain-boundary segregation (TNGS). Based on our detailed analyses, the loss in hot ductility of C–Mn steels is ascribed to TNGS of impurities.