Increasing the resistance to hydrogen embrittlement in martensitic steel by partial phase transformation and tempering

This paper presents a method to increase the hydrogen-embrittlement (HE) resistance of martensite steel using by partial phase transformation and tempering. Dual-tempered martensitic (DTM) steel was produced by two-step quenching and tempering after austenitization: (1) quenching between Ms and Mf t...

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Published in:Materials science & engineering. A, Structural materials : properties, microstructure and processing Structural materials : properties, microstructure and processing, 2022-10, Vol.856, p.143960, Article 143960
Main Authors: Jo, Jang Woong, Kim, Jae Nam, Lee, Chong Soo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cemented carbides
Cementite
Chemical precipitation
Dual-tempering
Hydrogen
Hydrogen embrittlement
Interrupted quenching
Martensite
Martensitic stainless steels
Phase transitions
Precipitates
Quenching and tempering
Tempered martensite
Tempering
Tensile strength
Vanadium carbide
Water quenching
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Summary:This paper presents a method to increase the hydrogen-embrittlement (HE) resistance of martensite steel using by partial phase transformation and tempering. Dual-tempered martensitic (DTM) steel was produced by two-step quenching and tempering after austenitization: (1) quenching between Ms and Mf temperatures and tempering at 600 °C, then (2) water quenching and tempering at 300 °C. The resulting martensite was composed of two different lath morphologies: one that contained fine cementite precipitates, and the other that contained fine vanadium carbide precipitates. Compared to the conventional tempered martensite (TM), DTM had much higher HE resistance, especially at low hydrogen content. Moreover, the process did not significantly decrease the tensile strength of DTM. Analysis using a multi-trap diffusion model attributed the increase of HE resistance in DTM mainly to strong trapping of hydrogen by vanadium carbide precipitates produced during the first quenching and tempering process. Our results suggest a new approach that can simultaneously increase the HE resistance and strength of martensitic steel. •Two-step quenching and tempering increased HE resistance of martensitic steel.•Vanadium carbides (VC) formed in thick martensite packets increased HE resistance.•The improvement was limited to the low H region due to the very low VC content.•Hydrogen trapping behavior was analyzed by multi-trap diffusion model.
ISSN:0921-5093
1873-4936
DOI:10.1016/j.msea.2022.143960