Industrial Process of Martensite Fornation PPT<script src="//www.scribd.com:8011/bar17808.js" type="text/javascript" ></script>
Abhishek Kumtakar (1RV11ME004) Amit Vijay Dodmani (1RV11ME016) Brian Nikil Quadras (1RV11ME036) G K Shivakumar (1RV11ME044)
Martensite: Rapidly cooled austenite. No carbon diffusion - trapped in martensite. Shear transformation involved. Supersaturated solution of carbon in alpha iron (ferrite). Trapped carbon induces built-in stresses. Martensite is very hard and brittle. Must be toughened by tempering. End result is still harder and stronger than typical slow-cooled pearlitic steel.
Definition of Martensite
Quenching
Tempering
Martempering
Common Industrial processes
Quenching Rapid quenching of austenite to room temperature often results in the formation of martensite.
A very hard structure in which the carbon, formerly in solid solution in the austenite, remains in solution in the new phase.
Unlike ferrite or pearlite, martensite forms by a sudden shear process in the austenite lattice which is not normally accompanied by atomic diffusion.
Ideally, the martensite reaction is a diffusion less shear transformation, highly crystallographic in character, which leads to a characteristic lath or lenticular microstructure.
Quenching
Microstructure of Martensite
Quenching The martensite reaction in steels normally occurs athermally.
During cooling in a temperature range which can be precisely defined for a particular steel.
Quenching The reaction begins at a martensitic start temperature M s which can vary over a wide temperature range from as high as 500C to well below room temperature.
It depends on the concentration of -stabilizing alloying elements in the steel.
Martensite Formation By Quenching
Quenching Once the M s is reached, further transformation takes place during cooling until the reaction ceases at the M f temperature.
At this temperature all the austenite should have transformed to martensite but frequently, in practice, a small proportion of the austenite does not transform.
Larger volume fractions of austenite are retained in some highly alloyed steels, where the M f temperature is well below room temperature.
Quenching Martensite is a supersaturated solid solution of carbon in iron which has a body-centred tetragonal structure, a distorted form of bcc iron.
It is interesting to note that carbon in interstitial solid solution expands the fcc iron lattice uniformly.
But with bcc iron the expansion is nonsymmetrical giving rise to tetragonal distortion.
Martensitic planes in steel are frequently not parallel-sided.
They are often perpendicular as a result of constraints in the matrix, which oppose the shape change resulting from the transformation.
This is one of the reasons why it is difficult to identify precisely habit planes in ferrous martensite.
All ferrous martensites show very high dislocation densities of the order of 10 11 to 10 12 cm 2 , which are similar to those of very heavily cold-worked alloys.
FCC BCC BCT Due to fast cooling, diffusion of carbon is restricted. To make room for carbon atoms, the lattice stretches along one crystal direction.
Lath martensite
This type of martensite is found in plain carbon and low alloy steels up to about 0.5 wt% carbon.
The morphology is lath or plate-like, where the laths are very long.
These are grouped together in packets with low angle boundaries between each lath, although a minority of laths is separated by high angle boundaries.
In plain carbon steels practically no twin-related laths have been detected.
Lath Martensite
It is perhaps unfortunate that the term acicular is applied to this type of martensite because its characteristic morphology is that of perpendicular plates.
A fact easily demonstrated by examination of plates intersecting two surfaces at right angles.
These plates first start to form in steels with about 0.5% carbon, and can be concurrent with lath martensite in the range 0.5 %-l.0 % carbon.
Light optical image of plate martensite in Fe-C
Tempering As-quenched martensite is too hard and brittle for most practical uses, but it can be tempered to recover some toughness and ductility.
Tempering consists of reheating the martensite to temperatures typically between 275-750F (135400C) for several hours.
During the temper heat treatment, carbides precipitate in the martensite matrix
This transformation increases the toughness of the steel by the carbide precipitates as well decreasing the carbon content of the martensite. In some steels, an increase in strength and toughness occurs.
For tempering, the important process parameters are temperature and time.
The temperature must be selected to control the size and distribution of the carbides that precipitate during the tempering process and to convert any retained austenite to tempered martensite.
Tempering
Tempering
The time must be long enough to heat the entire load to the desired temperature. In addition, time is needed for the nucleation and growth of the carbides to form the tempered martensite.
The rate of cooling from tempering temperature, though not critical in many applications, must be rapid enough to avoid temper embrittlement (TE and TME) conditions.
The process to prevent the formation of quench cracks in steel.
Cooling is carried as fast as possible, to a temperature over M s of steel.
The steel is maintained at T> M s untill the inner core and outer surface of the steel are at the same temperature.
The steel is then cooled below M F to obtain 100% Martensite.
There is a need to increase the ductility of steel by tempering. Martempering