Structural transformations produced during tempering of Fe-Ni-Co-Mo alloys

In an attempt to resolve the difficulties in interpreting the behaviour of the industrial maraging steel of VASCOMAX 300 type, we have studied the influence of separate or simultaneous additions of Co and Mo on the structural transformations taking place during the heating cycles at moderate rates (300° Ch^–1) for the Fe-Ni base alloys. An interpretation of the mechanisms of the M transformation, implying preponderantly diffusional mechanisms, has been proposed for the alloys Fe-Ni, Fe-Ni-Co, Fe-Ni-Mo and Fe-Ni-Co-Mo for which the Ni/Fe, Mo/Fe ratios are equal to those of the reference maraging steel. The ageing phenomena in the martensite of the alloys containing Mo have been studied and show the formation of G.P. zones having a diameter of a few tens of Å and spaced at an average distance of 120 Å, in the case of the quaternary alloy, at temperatures of 400 to 450° C.