The effect of uniaxial/biaxial loading on the martensitic transformation of a low stacking fault energy, metastable austenitic stainless steel was studied by in-situ neutron diffraction on cruciform-shaped/dogbone samples. Uniaxial loading favors the martensitic transformation following the sequence γ → ε → α′, where at low strains εmartensite is the precursor of α′. During equibiaxial-loading, the evolving texture suppresses the formation of ε-martensite and considerably less α′-martensite is

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... s α′-martensite is observed at high strains. The results are discussed with respect to the deformation textures, the loading direction and the mechanism of the ε-martensite transformation.