See my last post on your thread, "the shock absorbing ability of steel".
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=54157&page=2
ASM publishes several Specialty Handbooks, including one on "Carbon and Alloy Steels" and another on "Stainless Steels". See if your or other departments have it, or the university library; otherwise have them order it.
Both books have tables of composition and properties of a wide variety of steels, as well as a discussion of the effects of composition on properties.
Meanwhile, this can help get you started (from metals.about.com):
http://metals.about.com/library/bldef-Austenitic-Steels.htm
"Definition: Steels containing high percentages of certain alloying elements such as manganese and nickel which are austenitic at room temperature and cannot be hardened by normal heat-treatment but do work harden. They are also non-magnetic. Typical examples of austenitic steels include the 18/8 stainless steels and 14% manganese steel. The 300 Series (e.g. SS302, 304, 308, 316, 321, 347) represent a large portion of austenitic steels."
Ferritic Steels
"Definition: A term usually applied to a group of stainless steels with a chromium content in the range of 12- 18o and whose structure consists largely of ferrite. Such steels possesses good ductility and are easily worked but do not respond to any hardening or tempering processes. Types of applications include automotive trim and architectural cladding."
http://metals.about.com/library/bldef-Martensitic-Stainless-Steels.htm
"Definition: These grades (SS400 Series) of stainless steels have chromium in the range of 11% to 17% as the sole major alloying addition. This is the same as the ferritic grades. However, carbon is added in amounts from 0.10 % to 0.65% to radically change the behavior of the martensitic alloys. The high carbon enables the material to be hardened by heat treatment."
http://metals.about.com/library/bldef-Duplex.htm
"Definition: A category of stainless steel with high amounts of chromium and moderate nickel content. The duplex class is so named because it is a mixture of austenitic (chromium-nickel stainless class) and ferritic (plain chromium stainless category) structures. This combination was originated to offer more strength than either of those stainless steels. Duplex stainless steels provide high resistance to stress corrosion cracking (formation of cracks caused by a combination of corrosion and stress) and are suitable for heat exchangers, desalination plants, and marine applications."
Also, look on Google for Precipitation Hardening (and Precipitation Hardened Steels), Nimonic,
Overview of stainless steels - http://www.outokumpu.com/pages/Page____5814.aspx
Austenitic Manganese Steels
Austenitic Steels
In general -
http://www.key-to-metals.com/Articles.htm