PHASE-TRANSFORMATIONS DURING TEMPERING OF THE FE-15CR-1MO MARTENSITES CONTAINING NITROGEN OR CARBON

Hardness measurements, dilatometry, internal friction measurements, Mossbauer spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy are utilized in order to study the effect of tempering on the microstructure of a stainless martensitic steel containing 15% Cr, 1% Mo and 0.6% N. A similar carbon steel containing 15% Cr, 1% Mo and 0.6% C is used for comparison. Tempering of alloy Fe-15Cr-1Mo-0.6N in the low temperature range of 353-473 K leads to formation of hexagonal epsilon-nitride (Fe,Cr)2N, which is followed by precipitation of the orthorombic xi-nitride (Fe,Cr)2N at temperatures of 573-773 K. The hexagonal nitride Cr2N is precipitated at 923 K and preferably formed at grain boundaries. The alloy Fe-15Cr-1Mo-0.6C shows the expected tempering behaviour. epsilon-carbide (Fe,Cr)2C and cementite (Fe,Cr)3C are precipitated during low temperature ageing, followed by the formation of Cr7C3 carbides after the temperature has risen to 873 K. With a similar interstitial content the amount of retained austenite in the nitrogen martensite is nearly twice as high as in the carbon one. Furthermore, the thermal stability of the retained austenite of the nitrogen alloy is substantially higher than that of the carbon steel.