This study aimed to address the limitations of traditional plasma nitriding methods by implementing a short-term plasma oxy-nitriding treatment on the surface of AISI 420 martensitic stainless steel. This treatment involved the sequential formation of nitride and oxide layers, to enhance surface hardness and corrosion resistance, respectively. The process resulted in the formation of a 20 μm-thick nitride layer and a 3 μm-thick oxide layer on the steel surface. Initially, the hardness increased by 2.2 times after nitriding, followed by a subsequent decrease of approximately 31 % after oxidation. While the nitriding process reduced corrosion resistance, the subsequent oxidation process led to the formation of a passive oxide film, effectively resolving this issue. The pitting corrosion of the oxide passive film started at 82.6 mVssc, providing better corrosion resistance characteristics than the nitride layer. Consequently, the trade-off between surface hardness and corrosion resistance in plasma oxy-nitrided AISI 420 martensitic stainless steel is anticipated to be recognized as an innovative and comprehensive surface treatment process for biomedical components.

The effect of Cr and Mo contents on the hydrogen embrittlement of tempered martensitic steels was investigated in this study. After the steels with different Cr and Mo contents were austenitized at 820 °C for 90 min, they were tempered at 630 °C for 120 min. The steels were composed of fully tempered martensite with a lath-type microstructure, but the characteristics of the carbides were dependent on the Cr and Mo contents. As the Cr and Mo contents increased, the volume fraction of film-like cementite and prior austenite grain size decreased. After hydrogen was introduced into tensile specimens by electrochemical charging, a slow strain-rate test (SSRT) was conducted to investigate hydrogen embrittlement behavior. The SSRT results revealed that the steel with lower Cr or lower Mo content showed relatively poor hydrogen embrittlement resistance. The hydrogen embrittlement resistance of the tempered martensitic steels increased with increasing Mo content, because the reduction in the film-like cementite and prior austenite grain size plays an important role in improving hydrogen embrittlement resistance. The results indicate that controlling the Cr and Mo contents is essential to achieving a tempered martensitic steel with a combination of high strength and excellent hydrogen embrittlement resistance.

Martensitic stainless steel is commonly used in the medical implant instrument. The alloy has drawbacks in terms of strength and wear properties when applied to instruments with sharp parts. 440C STS alloy, with improved durability, is an alternative to replace 420 J2 STS. In the present study, the carbide precipitation, and mechanical and corrosion properties of STS 440C alloy are studied as a function of different heat treatments. The STS 440C alloy is first austenitized at different temperatures; this is immediately followed by oil quenching and sub-zero treatment. After sub-zero treatment, the alloy is tempered at low temperatures. The microstructures of the heat treated STS 440C alloy consist of martensite and retained austenite and carbides. Using EDX and SADP with a TEM, the precipitated carbides are identified as a Cr23C6 carbide with a size of 1 to 2 μm. The hardness of STS 440C alloy is improved by austenitization at 1,100 oC with sub-zero treatment and tempering at 200 oC. The values of Ecorr and Icorr for STS 440C increase with austenitization temperature. Results can be explained by the dissolution of Cr-carbide and the increase in the retained austenite. Sub-zero treatment followed by tempering shows a little difference in the properties of potentiodynamic polarizations.

In this study, the effects of Co content on the microstructure and Charpy impact properties of Fe-Cr-W ferritic/martensitic oxide dispersion strengthened (F/M ODS) steels are investigated. F/M ODS steels with 0–5 wt% Co are fabricated by mechanical alloying, followed by hot isostatic pressing, hot-rolling, and normalizing/tempering heat treatment. All the steels commonly exhibit two-phase microstructures consisting of ferrite and tempered martensite. The volume fraction of ferrite increases with the increase in the Co content, since the Co element considerably lowers the hardenability of the F/M ODS steel. Despite the lowest volume fraction of tempered martensite, the F/M ODS steel with 5 wt% Co shows the highest micro-Vickers hardness, owing to the solid solution-hardening effect of the alloyed Co. The high hardness of the steel improves the resistance to fracture initiation, thereby resulting in the enhanced fracture initiation energy in a Charpy impact test at – 40oC. Furthermore, the addition of Co suppresses the formation of coarse oxide inclusions in the F/M ODS steel, while simultaneously providing a high resistance to fracture propagation. Owing to these combined effects of Co, the Charpy impact energy of the F/M ODS steel increases gradually with the increase in the Co content.

This study investigates the effect of thermo-mechanical treatment on the damping capacity of the Fe-20Mn-12Cr- 3Ni-3Si alloy with deformation induced martensite transformation. Dislocation, αʹ and ε-martensite are formed, and the grain size is refined by deformation and thermo-mechanical treatment. With an increasing number cycles in the thermo-mechanical treatment, the volume fraction of ε-martensite increases and then decreases, whereas dislocation and α'-martensite increases, and the grain size is refined. In thermo-mechanical treated specimens with five cycles, more than 10 % of the volume fraction of ε-martensite and less than 3 % of the volume fraction of αʹ-martensite are attained. Damping capacity decreases by thermomechanical treatment and with an increasing number of cycles of thermo-mechanical treatment, and this result shows an opposite tendency for general metal with deformation induced martensite transformation. The damping capacity of the thermomechanical treated damping alloy with deformation induced martensite transformation greatly affect the formation of dislocation, grain refining and α'-martensite and then ε-martensite formation by thermo-mechanical treatment.

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of deformation induced martensite on the damping capacity of Fe-26Mn-4Co-2Al damping alloy. α‘ and ε-martensite were formed by cold working, and; deformation induced martensite was formed with according to the specific direction and the surface relief. With an increasing degree of cold rolling, the volume fraction of α‘-martensite increased rapidly, while the volume fraction of ε-martensite decreased after rising to a maximum value at a specific level of cold rolling. Damping capacity was increased, and then decreased with an increasing of the degree of cold rolling. Damping capacity was influenced greatly by the volume fraction of ε-martensite formed by cold working, but the effect of the volume fraction of α‘-martensite have a actually on effect on the damping capacity.

In this study, we investigated the effect of the residual carbides and tempered carbides precipitated by tempering treatment after quenching on the pitting corrosion of mod. 440A martensitic stainless steel. In quenched specimens and tempered specimens after quenching of mod. 440A martensitic stainless steel, the volume fraction of the residual carbides and total carbides decreased with the increase of the austenitizing temperature. Pitting resistance increased with the increase of austenitizing temperature. With the increase of the volume fraction of the residual and total carbides, the pitting resistance of mod. 440A martensitic stainless steel was decreased. The pitting resistance of mod. 0.5C-17Cr-0.5Ni 440A martensitic stainless steel had stronger affected by residual carbides than precipitated carbides produced by tempering.

In recent years, industrial demands for superior mechanical properties of powder metallurgy steel components with low cost are rapidly growing. Sinter hardening that combines sintering and heat treatment in continuous one step is cost-effective. The cooling rate during the sinter hardening process dominates material microstructures, which finally determine the mechanical properties of the parts. This research establishes a numerical model of the relation between various cooling rates and microstructures in a sinter hardenable material. The evolution of a martensitic phase in the treated microstructure during end quench tests using various cooling media of water, oil, and air is predicted from the cooling rate, which is influenced by cooling conditions, using the finite element method simulations. The effects of the cooling condition on the microstructure of the sinter hardening material are found. The obtained limiting size of the sinter hardening part is helpful to design complicate shaped components.

급냉온도에 따른 전기 저항 측정으로 Cu-17, 25Zn-15AI 및 Cu-17.25Zn-15AI-1Ag형상기억합금의 열처리에 의한 마르텐사이트 변태온도의 영향을 연구하였다. DSC 측정으로 고온 모상에서의 상전이 온도롸 종류를 구별하였고 XRD측정으로 구조 변화를 연구하였다. 그리고 열처리에 의한 온도 변화의 원인을 연구하였17.25Zn-15AI 합금에서 고온 모상의 규칙-불규칙 전이온도인 T2, TL21은 각각 809K와 610K였다. CuZnAI의 경우 T2근방에서의 급냉은 마르텐사이트 변태온도를 높이지만 TL21 근방에서의 급냉은 마르텐사이트 변태온도를 낮춘다. 실험결과 열처리에 따른 상전이온도 변화의 원인은 석출물의 형성이라기 보다는 급냉전의 모상의 구조에 가장 큰 영향을 받는다.받는다.