Substructures of martensite in Fe–1C–17Cr stainless steel

An Fe-1.0C-17Cr (wt.%) stainless steel was subjected to subzero treatment to investigate the structure of the martensite midrib. During the course of the isothermal holding in liquid nitrogen (-196 degrees C), the thin-plate martensite formed first, and lenticular martensite later. The substructures of thin-plate martensites and lenticular martensite were examined using transmission electron microscopy, focusing on the details of the midrib. The results provide strong evidence to suggest that thin-plate martensite can be transformed into lenticular martensite. (C) 2010 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.