Electron Backscatter Diffraction Investigation Of Tempered Martensite In Chromium Pre-Alloyed PM Steels

Authors:

Fredrik Olsson (Höganäs AB, Sweden),
Maheswaran Vattur Sundaram (Höganäs AB, Sweden)

Abstract:

The enhanced strength and performance of the PM steels are attributed to its martensitic microstructure from heat treatment process. However, in the as-quenched state, the metastable martensite is brittle, and to improve the toughness and the phase stability, tempering is performed. In PM steels, the performance can be further enhanced by the addition of Ni and heat treatment after sintering in form of casehardening by low-pressure carburizing (LPC). The combined effect on the obtained microstructure needs to be understood and optimized to maximize the overall performance. This paper investigates the effect of microstructural changes due to tempering a chromium pre-alloyed PM steel with and without Ni additions after LPC utilizing Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD).

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59499/WP225371528