Effect of Silicon on Carbide Precipitation after Tempering of H11 Hot Work Steels

The formation of secondary carbides during tempering of H11 hot work steels at 898 K (625 °C) was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and related to the previously established effects of Si content on mechanical properties. Lower Si contents (0.05 and 0.3 pct Si) and higher Si contents (1.0 and 2.0 pct Si) were observed to yield different carbide phases and different particle distributions. Cementite particles stabilized by Cr, Mo, and V in the lower Si steels were found to be responsible for similar precipitation hardening effects in comparison to the M₂C alloy carbides in the higher Si steels. The much higher toughness of the lower Si steels was suggested to be due to a finer and more homogeneous distribution of Cr-rich M₇C₃ carbides in the interlath and interpackage regions of the quenched and tempered martensite microstructure. The present effects of Si content on the formation of alloy carbides in H11 hot work steels were found to be the result of the retarding effect of Si on the initial formation of cementite, well known from the early tempering stages in low alloy steels.     

Carbide precipitation and high-temperature strength of hot-rolled high-strength,low-alloy steels containing Nb and Mo

The effects of a Mo addition on both the precipitation kinetics and high-temperature strength of a Nb carbide have been investigated in the hot-rolled high-strength, low-alloy (HSLA) steels containing both Nb and Mo. These steels were fabricated by four-pass hot rolling and coiling at 650°C, 600°C, and 550°C. Microstructural analysis of the carbides has been performed using field-emission gun transmission electron microscopy (TEM) employing energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The steels containing both Nb and Mo exhibited a higher strength at high temperatures (∼600 °C) in comparison to the steel containing only Nb. The addition of Mo increased the hardenability and led to the refinement of the bainitic microstructure. The proportion of the bainitic phase increased with the increase of Mo content. The TEM observations revealed that the steels containing both Nb and Mo exhibited fine (<10 nm) and uniformly distributed metal carbide (MC)-type carbides, while the carbides were coarse and sparsely distributed in the steels containing Nb only. The EDS analysis also indicated that the fine MC carbides contain both Nb and Mo, and the ratio of Mo/Nb was higher in the finer carbides. In addition, electron diffraction analysis revealed that most of the MC carbides had one variant of the B-N relationship ((100)_MC//(100)_ferrite, [011]_MC//[010]_ferrite) with the matrix, suggesting that they were formed in the ferrite region. That is, the addition of Mo increased the nucleation sites of MC carbides in addition to the bainitic transformation, which resulted in finer and denser MC carbides. It is, thus, believed that the enhanced high-temperature strength of the steels containing both Nb and Mo was attributed to both bainitic transformation hardening and the precipitation hardening caused by uniform distribution of fine MC particles.     

Carbides in high-speed steels containing silicon

The effects of silicon additions up to 3.5 wt pct on the as-cast carbides, as-quenched carbides, and as-tempered carbides of high-speed steels W3Mo2Cr4V, W6Mo5Cr4V2, and W9Mo3Cr4V were investigated. In order to further understand these effects, a Fe-16Mo-0.9C alloy was also studied. The results show that a critical content of silicon exists for the effects of silicon on the types and amount of eutectic carbides in the high-speed steels, which is about 3, 2, and 1 wt pct for W3Mo2Cr4V, W6Mo5Cr4V2, and W9Mo3Cr4V, respectively. When the silicon content exceeds the critical value, the M₂C eutectic carbide almost disappears in the tested high-speed steels. Silicon additions were found to raise the precipitate temperature of primary MC carbide in the melt of high-speed steels that contained d-ferrite, and hence increased the size of primary MC carbide. The precipitate temperature of primary MC carbide in the high-speed steels without d-ferrite, however, was almost not affected by the addition of silicon. It is found that silicon additions increase the amount of undis-solved M₆C carbide very obviously. The higher the tungsten content in the high-speed steels, the more apparent is the effect of silicon additions on the undissolved M₆C carbides. The amount of MC and M₂C temper precipitates is decreased in the W6Mo5Cr4V and W9Mo3Cr4V steels by the addition of silicon, but in the W3Mo2Cr4V steel, it rises to about 2.3 wt pct.     

Design of strong tough Fe/Mo/C martensitic steels and the effects of cobalt

The microstructures and mechanical properties of a series of vacuum melted Fe/(2 to 4) Mo/(0.2 to 0.4) C steels with and without cobalt have been investigated in the as-quenched fully martensitic condition and after quenching and tempering for 1 h at 673 K (400°C) and 873 K (600°C); austenitizing was done at 1473 K (1200°C) in argon. Very good strength and toughness properties were obtained with the Fe/2 Mo/0.4 C alloy in the as-quenched martensitic condition and this is attributed mainly to the absence of internal twinning. The slightly inferior toughness properties compared to Fe/Cr/C steels is attributed to the absence of interlath retained austenite. The two 0.4 pct carbon steels having low Mo contents had approximately one-half the amount of transformation twinning associated with the two 0.4 pct carbon steels having high Mo contents. The plane strain fracture toughness of the steels with less twinning was markedly superior to the toughness of those steels with similar alloy chemistry which had more heavily twinned microstructures. Experiments showed that additions of Co to a given Fe/Mo/C steel raised M_s but did not decrease twinning nor improve toughness. Molybdenum carbide particles were found in all specimens tempered at 673 K (400°C). The Fe/Mo/C system exhibits secondary hardening after tempering at 873 K (600°C). The precipitate is probably Mo₂C. This secondary hardening is associated with a reduction in toughness. Additions of Co to Fe/Mo/C steels inhibited or eliminated the secondary hardening effect normally observed. Toughness, however, did not improve and in fact decreased with Co additions.     

Design of strong tough Fe/Mo/C martensitic steels and the effects of cobalt

The microstructures and mechanical properties of a series of vacuum melted Fe/(2 to 4) Mo/(0.2 to 0.4) C steels with and without cobalt have been investigated in the as-quenched fully martensitic condition and after quenching and tempering for 1 h at 673 K (400°C) and 873 K (600°C); austenitizing was done at 1473 K (1200°C) in argon. Very good strength and toughness properties were obtained with the Fe/2 Mo/0.4 C alloy in the as-quenched martensitic condition and this is attributed mainly to the absence of internal twinning. The slightly inferior toughness properties compared to Fe/Cr/C steels is attributed to the absence of interlath retained austenite. The two 0.4 pct carbon steels having low Mo contents had approximately one-half the amount of transformation twinning associated with the two 0.4 pct carbon steels having high Mo contents. The plane strain fracture toughness of the steels with less twinning was markedly superior to the toughness of those steels with similar alloy chemistry which had more heavily twinned microstructures. Experiments showed that additions of Co to a given Fe/Mo/C steel raisedM _S but did not decrease twinning nor improve toughness. Molybdenum carbide particles were found in all specimens tempered at 673 K (400°C). The Fe/Mo/C system exhibits secondary hardening after tempering at 873 K (600°C). The precipitate is probably Mo₂C. This secondary hardening is associated with a reduction in toughness. Additions of Co to Fe/Mo/C steels inhibited or eliminated the secondary hardening effect normally observed. Toughness, however, did not improve and in fact decreased with Co additions.     

Effects of alloying additions and austenitizing treatments on secondary hardening and fracture behavior for martensitic steels containing both Mo and W

The effects of alloying additions and austenitizing treatments on secondary hardening and fracture behavior of martensitic steels containing both Mo and W were investigated. The secondary hardening response and properties of these steels are dependent on the composition and distribution of the carbides formed during aging (tempering) of the martensite, as modified by alloying additions and austenitizing treatments. The precipitates responsible for secondary hardening are M₂C carbides formed during the dissolution of the cementite (M₃C). The Mo-W steel showed moderately strong secondary hardening and delayed overaging due to the combined effects of Mo and W. The addition of Cr removed secondary hardening by the stabilization of cementite, which inhibited the formation of M₂C carbides. The elements Co and Ni, particularly in combination, strongly increased secondary hardening. Additions of Ni promoted the dissolution of cementite and provided carbon for the formation of M₂C carbide, while Co increased the nucleation rate of M₂C carbide. Fracture behavior is interpreted in terms of the presence of impurities and coarse cementite at the grain boundaries and the variation in matrix strength associated with the formation of M₂C carbides. For the Mo-W-Cr-Co-Ni steel, the double-austenitizing at the relatively low temperatures of 899 to 816 °C accelerated the aging kinetics because the ratio of Cr/(Mo + W) increased in the matrix due to the presence of undissolved carbides containing considerably larger concentrations of (Mo + W). The undissolved carbides reduced the impact toughness for aging temperatures up to 510 °C, prior to the large decrease in hardness that occurred on aging at higher temperatures.     

Influence of Martensitic Structure and Carbide Precipitation Behavior on Mechanical Properties of 25CrMoNbB Alloy Steels with Mo Contents of 0.25 and 0.5 Pct

In this article, the effects of Mo contents of 0.25 and 0.50 pct on the martensitic structure and carbide precipitation behavior of the experimental steels were investigated and their effects on strength, toughness, and fatigue strength were studied. The results showed that the martensitic blocks and laths were refined and the dislocation density increased with the addition of Mo contents of 0.25 and 0.50 pct. Meanwhile, the amount of carbides increased and the size of carbides decreased in tempered steels. The refinement of carbides is due to the increment of nucleation sites resulting from martensitic structure refinement and the dislocation density increment. Besides, the improvement of thermal stability of M₂₃C₆ carbides enriched with Mo also contributes to carbide refinement. With the addition of 0.50 pct Mo, the strength was improved and the toughness did not deteriorate compared with the steel 0.25 pct Mo. Meanwhile, the fatigue strength was also significantly improved with the addition of 0.50 pct Mo.

     

Microstructural basis for the effect of chromium on the strength and toughness of AF1410-based high performance steels

The variation in strength and Charpy impact toughness as a function of tempering temperature in the range of 200 ‡C to 650 ‡C was investigated in AF 1410 and AF 1410 + 1 pct Cr steels produced in a laboratory-scale, and a commercially produced AerMet 100 steel. The tensile test results showed that AF 1410 + 1 pct Cr had lower strength compared to AF 1410, while AerMet 100 had the highest strength of the three steels examined. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies demonstrated that the strength variations among the steels can be attributed to differences in the matrix/carbide coherency strain and the volume fraction of the strengthening M₂C carbides. The toughness values of the three steels were comparable when tempered up to 424 ‡C. Tempering at and above 454 ‡C resulted in a relative enhancement of toughness in AF 1410 + 1 pct Cr steel compared to AF 1410. This toughening was attributed to the destabilization of cementite at lath and prior austenite boundaries and the formation of reverted austenite.     

Optimizing structure,toughness and wear performance of 15 % Cr cold work cast tool steel

A series of six Cr-, Cr + Mo-, Cr + Mo + V cold work cast tool steels were produced and investigated for microstructure, impact toughness and both experimental and industrial abrasive wear. Grain refinement of the steel matrix even in as-cast condition was obtained on using 2.3 % Mo + 0.9 % V and that ensured increasing impact toughness and abrasion resistance. An optimum impact toughness of about 85 J-cm^?2 was obtained in air quenched (970°C) and tempered (450°C) Mo + V containing steels in which area fraction of carbides reached 38 %. The abrasion resistance improved in case of steels tempered at 250°C and had fine grain structure.     

Effect of molybdenum on the fracture characteristic of high-speed steel quenched matrix

The fractures of three model alloys, imitating by their chemical composition the matrixes of the quenched high-speed steels of various Mo: W relations were analyzed. According to the measurements of the stress intensity factor K_Ic and the differences in the precipitation processes of carbides it was found out that the higher fracture toughness of the matrix of the molybdenum high-speed steels than on the tungsten ones is the results of the differences in the kinetics of precipitation from the martensite matrix of these steels during tempering. After tempering at 250 and 650°C the percentage of the intergranular fracture increases with the increase of the relation of Mo to W in the model alloys of the high-speed steel matrix. This is probably the result of higher precipitation rate of the M₃C carbide (at 250°C) and the MC and M₆C carbides (at 650°C) in the privileged regions along the grain boundaries. The change of the character of the model alloy fractures after tempering at 450°C from the completely transgranular one in the tungsten alloy to the nearly completely intergranular one in the molybdenum alloy indicates that the coherent precipitation processes responsible for the secondary hardness effect in the tungsten matrix begin at a lower temperature than in the molybdenum matrix. After tempering for the maximum secondary hardness the matrix fractures of the high-speed steels reveal a transgranular character regardless the relation of Mo to W. The higher fracture toughness of the Mo matrix can be the result of the start of the coherent precipitation processes at a higher temperature and their intensity which can, respectively, influence the size of these precipitations, their shape and the degree of dispersion. The transgranular character of the fractures of the S 6-5-2 type high-speed steel in the whole range tempering temperatures results from the presence of the undissolved carbides which while cracking in the region of stress concentration can constitute flaws of critical size which form the path of easy cracking through the grains. The transgranular cracking of the matrix of the real high-speed steels does not change the adventageous influence of molybdenum upon their fracture toughness. On the other hand, the carbides, undissolved during austenitizing, whose size distribution in the molybdenum steels from the point of view of cracking mechanics seems to be unsatisfactory, influence significantly the fracture toughness of these steels.     

Role of Tungsten in the Tempered Martensite Embrittlement of a Modified 9 Pct Cr Steel

The effect of tempering on the mechanical properties and fracture behavior of two 3 pct Co-modified 9 pct Cr steels with 2 and 3 wt pct W was examined. Both steels were ductile in tension tests and tough under impact tests in high-temperature tempered conditions. At T ≤ 923 K (650 °C), the addition of 1 wt pct W led to low toughness and pronounced embrittlement. The 9Cr2W steel was tough after low-temperature tempering up to 723 K (450 °C). At 798 K (525 °C), the decomposition of retained austenite induced the formation of discontinuous and continuous films of M₂₃C₆ carbides along boundaries in the 9Cr2W and the 9Cr3W steels, respectively, which led to tempered martensite embrittlement (TME). In the 9Cr2W steel, the discontinuous boundary films played a role of crack initiation sites, and the absorption energy was 24 J cm^?2. In the 9Cr3W steel, continuous films provided a fracture path along the boundaries of prior austenite grains (PAG) and interlath boundaries in addition that caused the drop of impact energy to 6 J cm^?2. Tempering at 1023 K (750 °C) completely eliminated TME by spheroidization and the growth of M₂₃C₆ carbides, and both steels exhibited high values of adsorbed energy of ≥230 J cm^?2. The addition of 1 wt pct W extended the temperature domain of TME up to 923 K (650 °C) through the formation of W segregations at boundaries that hindered the spheroidization of M₂₃C₆ carbides.     

The 885° f (475° c) embrittlement of ferritic stainless steels

The 885odgF (475°C) embrittlement of seven heats of chromium steels was investigated: four vacuum-melted heats with C + N < 0.008 pct and 14 pct Cr, 14 pet Cr-2 pet Mo, 18 pct Cr, or 18 pet Cr-2 pet Mo, and three air-melted heats with C + N > 0.09 pet and 18 pet Cr, 18 pct Cr-2 pet Mo, or 18 pet Cr-2 pet Mo-0.5 pct Ti. The steels were heated at 600° (316°), 700° (371°), 800° (427°), 900° (482°), and 1000°F (538°C) for various times up to 4800 h and the influence of this aging was investigated by hardness measurements, impact tests, and electron metallography. It was demonstrated that the embrittlement due to 885°F (475°C) exposure was caused by precipitation of a chromium-rich α^’ phase on dislocations. The nucleation rate of α^’ was calculated with the aid of Becker’s theory and the results were used to extrapolate experimental data obtained in this study. After an exposure of about 1000 h at 1000°F (538°C), a decrease in room temperature toughness was observed for all steels investigated. The decrease in toughness was not caused by immobilization of dislocations by α^’, but by precipitation of carbonitrides.     

Interrelations of cooling rate,microstructure, and mechanical properties in four HSLA steels

The present study was carried out on four steels containing 0.1 pct C-1.5 pct Mn-0.003 pct B* in common, with additions of 1 pct Cr, 0.5 pct Mo, 0.25 pct Mo + 1 pct Cr, 0.2 pct Ti + 1 pct Cr. They were designated, accordingly, as Cr, Mo, Mo-Cr, and Cr-Ti steels. All the steels exhibited a complete lath martensite microstructure with thin interlaths of retained austenite (≈0.05 pct) in the quenched condition. The normalized microstructures, granular bainite, contained massive areas of ferrite and granules of bainite laths. Both microconstituents contained a fine dispersion of cementite particles (size ≈50 Å) together with high dislocation densities. A mechanism explaining their for-mation has been given. The Cr steel, due to its low hardenability, showed in addition polygonal ferrite in the neighborhood of the so-called M-A constituent (twinned martensite and/or austenite). The annealed microstructure (using a cooling rate of 0.033 °C s^?1) of the Cr steel consisted of coarse ferrite-pearlite. Addition of 0.2 pct Ti to the Cr steel markedly refined the structure, whereas an addition of 0.25 pct Mo altered the microstructure to ferrite-lower bainite. In the 0.5 pct Mo steel, polygonal ferrite was found to be completely missing. The mechanical properties of the four steels after quenching, normalizing, and annealing were investigatedvia hardness and tensile test mea-surements. An empirical equation, relating the ultimate tensile strength to the steel composition, for steels that had granular bainite microstructures in the normalized condition, was proposed. The fracture surfaces exhibited cleavage and variable-size dimples depending on the microstructure and steel composition.     

Effects of Microalloying on the Impact Toughness of Ultrahigh-Strength TRIP-Aided Martensitic Steels

The effects of the addition of Cr, Mo, and/or Ni on the Charpy impact toughness of a 0.2 pct C-1.5 pct Si-1.5 pct Mn-0.05 pct Nb transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP)-aided steel with a lath-martensite structure matrix (i.e., a TRIP-aided martensitic steel or TM steel) were investigated with the aim of using the steel in automotive applications. In addition, the relationship between the toughness of the various alloyed steels and their metallurgical characteristics was determined. When Cr, Cr-Mo, or Cr-Mo-Ni was added to the base steel, the TM steel exhibited a high upper-shelf Charpy impact absorbed value that ranged from 100 to 120 J/cm² and a low ductile–brittle fracture appearance transition temperature that ranged from 123 K to 143 K (?150 °C to ?130 °C), while also exhibiting a tensile strength of about 1.5 GPa. This impact toughness of the alloyed steels was far superior to that of conventional martensitic steel and was caused by the presence of (i) a softened wide lath-martensite matrix, which contained only a small amount of carbide and hence had a lower carbon concentration, (ii) a large amount of finely dispersed martensite-retained austenite complex phase, and (iii) a metastable retained austenite phase of 2 to 4 vol pct in the complex phase, which led to plastic relaxation via strain-induced transformation and played an important role in the suppression of the initiation and propagation of voids and/or cleavage cracks.     

Identification of M5C2 carbides in ex- service 1Cr-0.5Mo steels

Rod-shaped precipitates up to 6μm} long and 0.25μm wide, observed as a common feature within proeutectoid ferrite grains of ex-service lCr-0.5Mo steels, have been characterized using electron microdiffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and electron energy loss spectroscopy. The majority of the rods have been identified as M₅C₂ carbides, although some were M₃C. The M₅C₂ carbide, also known as the Hägg orX-carbide, is a monoclinic phase that is not known to have been identified previously in creep-resistant Cr-Mo steels. The M₅C₂ rods appeared to nucleate heterogeneously on M₂C carbides and persist in ferrite regions from which the needlelike M₂C carbides had disappeared. This suggests that the M₅C₂ carbide is more stable thermodynamically than M₂C in lCr-0.5Mo steels under typical service conditions. The metallic element compositions of the rodlike carbides varied, but the average compositions were in the range 48 to 56 at. pct Fe, 32 to 42 at. pet Cr, 8 to 12 at. pct Mn, and about 1 at. pct Mo. The Mn content of the rods varied systematically with exposure temperature and thus might be applied to the estimation of the effective service temperature of lCr-0.5Mo steel components.     

Influence of annealing treatment on the formation of nano/submicron grain size AISI 301 Austenitic stainless steels

Nano/submicron austenitic stainless steels have attracted increasing attention over the past few years due to fine structural control for tailoring engineering properties. At the nano/submicron grain scales, grain boundary strengthening can be significant, while ductility remains attractive. To achieve a nano/submicron grain size, metastable austenitic stainless steels are heavily cold-worked, and annealed to convert the deformation-induced martensite formed during cold rolling into austenite. The amount of reverted austenite is a function of annealing temperature. In this work, an AISI 301 metastable austenitic stainless steel is 90 pct cold-rolled and subsequently annealed at temperatures varying from 600 °C to 900 °C for a dwelling time of 30 minutes. The effects of annealing on the microstructure, average austenite grain size, martensite-to-austenite ratio, and carbide formation are determined. Analysis of the as-cold-rolled microstructure reveals that a 90 pct cold reduction produces a combination of lath type and dislocation cell-type martensitic structure. For the annealed samples, the average austenite grain size increases from 0.28 μm at 600 °C to 5.85 μm at 900 °C. On the other hand, the amount of reverted austenite exhibits a maximum at 750 °C, where austenite grains with an average grain size of 1.7 μm compose approximately 95 pct of the microstructure. Annealing temperatures above 750 °C show an increase in the amount of martensite. Upon annealing, (Fe, Cr, Mo)₂₃C₆ carbides form within the grains and at the grain boundaries.     

Microstructure and Properties of Hot Working Die Steel H13MOD

Compared with H13 steel, the influences of different heat treatment process on the microstructure and properties of the new type of hot working die steel H13MOD were studied. The results show that the complete austenitizing temperature of H13MOD is around 1030 °C and the quenching hardness achieves the maximum value at this temperature. While for H13, the complete austenitizing temperature is above 1100 °C and the quenching hardness rise constantly with the quenching temperature increasing. In quenching process, the undissolved MC carbides can prevent the coarsening of grain in both steels. With the rise of quenching temperature, when MC carbides dissolve completely, the grain grows quickly. The hardness and strength of H13MOD at higher tempering temperature (above 570 °C) are nearly the same as those of H13, but its toughness is higher than that of H13. Mo₂ C carbide is the main strengthening phase in H13MOD, which is attributed to the higher content of Mo. The quantity of VC eutectic carbides is reduced because of lower content of V in H13MOD, which plays an important role in enhancing the impact toughness of H13MOD. Under a certain strength condition, H13MOD steel can be used in the environment that higher toughness is required and the service life of die casting mold can be improved.     

Structure and mechanical properties of tempered martensite and lower bainite in Fe−Ni−Mn−C steels

The structure and mechanical properties of tempered martensite and lower bainite were investigated in a series of high purity 0.25 pct C steels with varying amounts of nickel and manganese. The martensites in 0.25 C-5 Ni?Fe and 0.25 C-3 Mn?Fe alloys were mainly untwinned, while those in 0.25 C-5 Ni-7 Mn?Fe and 0.25 C-7 Mn?Fe alloys were heavily twinned. Manganese appears to promote carbide precipitation along the lath boundaries in tempered martensite. At equivalent yield and ultimate tensile strength levels, the tempered martensite of lower manganese steels showed better impact toughness than the tempered martensite of higher manganese steels. The impact toughness (compared at similar strength levels) of untwinned tempered martensite of 0.25 pct C steel with Widmanstatten precipitation of carbide was higher than that of lower bainite, which showed unidirectional carbides. The reasons for the difference in impact toughness between the alloys, and also between the structures are rationalized in terms of internal twinning, grain boundary precipitation and carbide morphology together with other microstructural features.     

M5C2 Carbides in a High-Chromium Ferritic/Martensitic Steel

The precipitate phases in an 11 pct Cr ferritic/martensitic steel normalized at 1323 K (1050 °C) for 0.5 hour and tempered at 1053 K (780 °C) for 1.5 hours have been investigated. Except for dominant phases, Cr-rich M₂₃C₆ carbide and Nb-rich, Ta-Nb-rich, and V-rich MC carbides, needle-like precipitates with a typical size of 70 to 310 and 10 to 30 nm for the length of the long and short axis of the needles, respectively, were also observed on the extraction carbon replica of the steel. The typical metallic element composition of the needle-like precipitates is about 53-82Fe, 14-26Cr, 0.5-18Ta, 1-6W, and 2-5Co in atomic pct. Through energy dispersive X-ray analysis and electron diffraction along with calculations regarding lattice parameter and interplanar spacing, the needle-like precipitates were identified as a Fe-rich M₅C₂ carbide, which is not known to have been reported previously in high-chromium steels. The M₅C₂ carbide has a base-centered monoclinic crystal structure with the approximate lattice parameters a/b/c = 1.142/0.5186/0.5383 nm and β = 104.68 deg. The formation of the Fe-rich M₅C₂ carbides in the steel has been discussed. The effect of chromium content in matrix and boron addition on the precipitate phases in ferritic/martensitic steels has also been discussed.     

Influence of tempering temperature on stability of carbide phases in 2.6cr-0.7mo-0.3v steel with various carbon content

The present work evaluates the influence of the bulk carbon content (0.1, 0.006, and 0.005 wt pct) and tempering temperature (823, 853, and 913 K) on stability, chemical composition, and size of carbide particles in 540 ks tempered states of 2.6Cr-0.7Mo-0.3V steel. The scanning transmission electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (STEM/EDXS) and electron diffraction methods were used to analyze the carbide particles. A characteristic energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrum can be attributed to each of the identified carbides. The MC carbide is stable in all experimental states. The phase stability of Fe-Cr-rich carbides increased in the order ε, Fe₃C → M₃C → M₇C₃, with tempering temperature increasing. In steels with higher carbon content tempered at low temperature, M₂₃C₆ carbide was also noted. The Mo₂C and M₆C carbides were not observed. It was shown that the decrease of the bulk carbon content has the same influence on the carbide phases stability as the increase of the bulk vanadium content at the unchanged Cr, Mo, C bulk contents and tempering temperature. Similarly, the decrease of tempering temperature has the same influence on the carbide phases stability as the decrease of the bulk Cr content at the unchanged V, Mo, and C bulk contents.