Martensitic steels alloy applications

Materials such as metals, alloys, steels and plastics form the theme of the fourth chapter. The behavior and use of cast irons, low alloy carbon steels and their application in atmospheric corrosion, fresh waters, seawater and soils are presented. This is followed by a discussion of stainless steels, martensitic steels and duplex steels and their behavior in various media. Aluminum and its alloys and their corrosion behavior in acids, fresh water, seawater, outdoor atmospheres and soils, copper and its alloys and their corrosion resistance in various media, nickel and its alloys and their corrosion behavior in various industrial environments, titanium and its alloys and their performance in various chemical environments, cobalt alloys and their applications, corrosion behavior of lead and its alloys, magnesium and its alloys together with their corrosion behavior, zinc and its alloys, along with their corrosion behavior, zirconium, its alloys and their corrosion behavior, tin and tin plate with their applications in atmospheric corrosion are discussed. The final part of the chapter concerns refractories and ceramics and polymeric materials and their application in various corrosive media. 

For such systems, metals, oxide dispersion-strengthened (ODS) alloys, ferritic-martensitic steels, and some superaUoys offer potential solutions but some require significant R D in terms of their properties and behavior under component conditions. Such systems may also require the deployment of nonmetallic materials (e.g., high-temperature fibrous insulation, composites, and ceramics) as alternatives to metals for different applications and components. The following sections provide a brief description of the six systems being considered within the GIF technology roadmap. 

A multitude of steels are responsive to a martensitic heat treatment, and one of the most important criteria in the selection process is hardenability. Hardenability ciuwes, when used in conjunction with plots such as those in Figure 11.18 for various quenching media, may be used to ascertain the suitability of a specific steel alloy for a particular application. Conversely, the appropriateness of a quenching procedure for an alloy may be determined. For parts that are to be involved in relatively high stress applications, a minimum of 80% martensite must be produced throughout the interior as a consequence of the quenching procedure. Only a 50% minimum is required for moderately stressed parts. 

Metallurgy was one of the first fields where material scientists worked toward developing new alloys for different applications. During the first years, a large number of studies were carried out on the austenite-martensite-cementite phases achieved during the phase transformations of the iron-carbon alloy, which is the foundation for steel production, later the development of stainless steel, and other important alloys for industry, construction, and other fields was produced. 

A preliminary approach to the selection of the stainless steel for a specific application is to classify the various types according to the alloy content, microstructure, and major characteristic. Table 3 outlines the information according to the classes of stainless steels-austenitic, martensitic, and ferritic. Table 4 presents characteristics and typical applications of various types of stainless steel while Table 5 indicates resistance of stainless steels to oxidation in air. 

Corrosion of Stainless Steels in Acids Stainless steels are iron-based alloys with chromium as the main alloying element. The most interesting alloys for technical applications are ferritic stainless steels, austentic stainless steels, and duplex stainless steels. The distinction between the stainless steels comes from their different crystallographic structures. Ferritic-martensitic stainless steels and martensitic stainless steels have less nickel and a higher carbon content and can be hardened by heat treatment. The corrosion behavior of these steels is mainly influenced by the formation of carbides, which generally increase the corrosion rate. 

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