Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Enhanced 13Cr Stainless Steel after Different Quenching and Tempering Treatments

The microstructure and mechanical properties of enhanced 13Cr stainless steel treated by three different quenching and tempering processes were studied by microstructure observation,phase analysis,impact and tensile tests.The best quenching and tempering process was determined.The results show that the tensile strength and elongation of tested steel decreased gradually with the increase of quenching and tempering temperature,however,the impact toughness increased first and decreased later.After the quenching and tempering process of 1 000 ℃ AC and 600 ℃ AC,the tested steel had good mechanical properties(Rm=787 MPa,Rp0.2=746 MPa,A=26%,Ak=192 J) which reached the requirement of API 5CT.The microstructure of the steel treated with the process was lath martensite as matrix with retained austenite distributed along the boundaries.