Formation and Growth Kinetics of Reverted Austenite During Tempering of a High Co-Ni Steel

It is well known that high Co-Ni steels exhibit excellent toughness. Since the good toughness in these steels is supposed to be related to thin layers of austenite between martensite crystals, this work presents an experimental study corroborated with diffusional calculations to characterize the evolution of reverted austenite. Atom probe measurements were conducted for analyzing the element distribution in austenite and martensite during tempering. These results were correlated with crystallographic information, which was obtained by using transmission electron microscopy investigations. Additionally, the experimental findings were compared with kinetic calculations with DICTRA™. The investigations reveal that reverted austenite formation during tempering is connected with a redistribution of Ni, Co, Cr, and Mo atoms. The austenite undergoes a Ni and Cr enrichment and a Co depletion, while in the neighboring martensite, a zone of Ni and Cr depletion and Co enrichment is formed. The changes in the chemical composition of austenite during tempering affect the stability of the austenite against phase transformation to martensite during plastic deformation and have thus decisive influence on the toughness of the material.