Structure and properties of titanium-free maraging alloys

The changes in the structure, phase composition, and physicomechanical properties of titanium-free maraging alloys based on the Fe-15–23% Ni-(Co, Mo, V) system after heating to the single-phase α field and two-phase α + γ field have been studied. It has been established that the strengthening of N15K10M5F5-type maraging alloys is caused by the precipitation of fine particles (20–50 nm) of intermetallic phases such as the fcc Ni₃(Mo, V) phase and the Fe₂(Mo, V) Laves phase (in the N23K9M6 alloys, with the formation of the Ni₃Mo and Fe₂Mo phases). It has been shown that the two-step aging of the N15K10M5F5 alloy leads to an additional strengthening by 200–250 MPa and provides the achievement of the ultimate tensile strength σ_u=2400?2500 MPa. The high-strength N15K10M5F5 maraging alloys are obtained with two levels of the coercive force H _c: (a) semihard maraging alloys with H _c=20?50 Oe and σ_u=2100?2400 MPa; and (b) hard magnetic maraging alloys with H _c=180?230 Oe and σ_u=1500?1800 MPa. The high-strength titanium-free N15K10M5F5 and N23K9M6 maraging alloys possess many properties characteristic of structural, elastic, and magnetic alloys and are thus multifunctional materials. These alloys can be used for advanced high-tech articles and as high-strength magnetic materials.