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Effect of Quenching Process on the Microstructure and Hardness of High-Carbon Martensitic Stainless Steel

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Abstract

The microstructure and hardness of high-carbon martensitic stainless steel (HMSS) were investigated using thermal expansion analyzer, Thermo-calc, scanning electron microscope, x-ray diffraction, and Ultra-high temperature confocal microscope. The results indicate that the experimental steel should be austenitized in the temperature range of 1025-1075 °C, which can give a maximum hardness of 62 HRc with the microstructure consisting of martensite, retained austenite, and some undissolved carbides. With increasing austenitizing temperature, the amount of retained austenite increases, while the volume fraction of carbides increases first and then decreases. The starting temperature and finish temperature of martensite formation decrease with increasing cooling rates. Air-quenched samples can obtain less retained austenite, more compact microstructure, and higher hardness, compared with that of oil-quenched samples. For HMSS, the martensitic transformation takes place at some isolated areas with a slow nucleation rate.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51444004), and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2014M560047).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Advanced Metallurgy, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China

    Qin-tian Zhu, Jing Li, Cheng-bin Shi & Wen-tao Yu

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  1. Qin-tian Zhu
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  2. Jing Li
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Correspondence to Qin-tian Zhu.

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Zhu, Qt., Li, J., Shi, Cb. et al. Effect of Quenching Process on the Microstructure and Hardness of High-Carbon Martensitic Stainless Steel. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 24, 4313–4321 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-015-1723-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-015-1723-7

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