Stainless steels will work harden to some extent when subjected to deformation, for example bending, drawing or pressing.
As they harden, yield strength, tensile strength and hardness all increase, while elongation and impact toughness decrease. This can be usefully exploited, for instance to generate far higher strength levels in fasteners when drawn down from a larger diameter bar.
Austenitic stainless steels are not hardened by heat treatment the way carbon steels are. Instead, they work harden when deformed - for example by bending, drawing or pressing - which raises strength through mechanical deformation rather than a heat-treatment process.
As stainless steel work hardens, its yield strength, tensile strength and hardness all increase, while elongation and impact toughness decrease. That trade-off means a work-hardened part is stronger but somewhat less able to absorb impact or deform without cracking.
Work hardening can be exploited deliberately, for example by drawing a fastener down from a larger diameter bar to a smaller finished size. The cold working involved in that drawing process generates far higher strength levels than the same alloy would have in its original condition.
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