Martensite in solid solution/preciptation heat treatment
Martensite in solid solution/preciptation heat treatment
(OP)
Hello,
Probably a bit of a noob question here, hope you don't mind.
I'm reading somewhere that the first step in precipitation hardening is a solid solution quench process that leaves the alloy in a soft and ductile state.
Hold on, I thought quenching a solid solution in the a-phase produces martensite which is hard and brittle?
Or does this only apply for iron-carbon steels? Are high-alloy steels soft in a martensitic state?
Thanks for your time,
Angus101
Probably a bit of a noob question here, hope you don't mind.
I'm reading somewhere that the first step in precipitation hardening is a solid solution quench process that leaves the alloy in a soft and ductile state.
Hold on, I thought quenching a solid solution in the a-phase produces martensite which is hard and brittle?
Or does this only apply for iron-carbon steels? Are high-alloy steels soft in a martensitic state?
Thanks for your time,
Angus101





RE: Martensite in solid solution/preciptation heat treatment
There are no noob questions. The hardness of martensite is direct function of carbon content. Low carbon martensite can be very ductile, as quenched. The strengthening of the low carbon martensite is obtained from precipitation hardening.
RE: Martensite in solid solution/preciptation heat treatment
It's very confusing when textbooks make solid statements like that, they never explain the contradictions between something in one chapter and something else 10 pages previously.
RE: Martensite in solid solution/preciptation heat treatment
Not all alloy systems subject to precipitation hardening have a martensitic transformation from an FCC structure upon quenching.
RE: Martensite in solid solution/preciptation heat treatment
RE: Martensite in solid solution/preciptation heat treatment
Please review the facts below regarding low carbon martensitic stainless steel preciptation hardening alloys;
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