Metastable austenitic steels (MAS) with carbon content above 0.8% by weigth represent a promising group of wear resistant alloys.
Experimental investigations have shown up to six times better wear resistance compared to martensitic steel and austenitic Hadfield steel in two-body abrasion tests over an extended range of wear loads.
According to X-ray diffraction (XRD), different imaging techniques (LOM, MFM, ECCI, TEM) and testing of micro- as well as nanohardness, the wear resistance is achieved by a mechanically-induced austenite to martensite phase transformation resulting in a microhardness of up to 1400 HV in the near-surface region.

The aim of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of the deformation behavior of the MAS in order to be able to tailor its properties in a targeted manner.
Miniature tensile tests (MTT) were carried out for as quenched samples and for specimens subjected to different pre-straining conditions.
MTT revealed serrated flow behaviour for all conditions.
The as quenched samples showed yield strength of 430~$\pm$~15~MPa and tensile strength of 615 $\pm$ 29 MPa, whereas pre-strained samples achieved up to 907 $\pm$ 73 MPa and 1104 $\pm$ 46 MPa for yield and tensile strength, respectively.
Micrographs of the pre-strained samples show slip-band formation as well as mechanical twinning.
Furthermore, the microstructure after MTT reveals a higher amount of $\alpha'$-martensite in the pre-strained sample.
The presentation aims at more sophisticated insights into the deformation behavior as well as the analysis and origin of the serrated flow behavior in MAS.