XRD synchrotron study of carbide precipitation in martensitic steels during tempering

Abstract

In order to improve the knowledge of the precipitation mechanism in martensitic steels containing carbon, XRD synchrotron experiments were performed. Firstly, the influence of Ni, Co and Al were studied and it was found that the precipitation of iron carbides occurs in same way as in Fe-C steel. However, with the addition of molybdenum and chromium in same steels, XRD synchrotron investigations clearly showed alloyed carbides directly precipitate, thereby preventing the iron carbides formation. © The Chinese Society for Metals and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.