Tempering effects on three martensitic carbon steels studied by mechanical spectroscopy

Tempering effects have been studied in three martensitic carbon steels by mechanical spectroscopy. The mechanical-loss spectra present a relaxation peak similar to the Snoek-Koster peak in ferrite. The peak amplitude decreases upon tempering, indicating a decrease of the dislocation density. Transition carbides start to precipitate at 380K in all the three grades. This tends to decrease the mechanical loss and to increase the modulus. Retained austenite decomposes around 520K in two of the grades. In the third grade, the presence of Si delays this decomposition to 670 K. The decomposition of retained austenite leads to a sudden decrease of amplitude of the relaxation peak and a modulus anomaly. Both these effects can be attributed to a decrease of the dislocation density in martensite, probably associated with the depletion of carbon atoms in the dislocation core. At low frequency, a mechanical-loss peak associated with the decomposition of retained austenite is visible.