Title: Nitrogen alloyed steels – a new generation of materials with extraordinary properties

Authors: G. Stein, J. Menzel

Addresses: Quality Department, Vereinigte Schmiedewerke GmbH, Westendstr. 15, Tor 46, D-4300 Essen, Germany. ' Quality Department, Vereinigte Schmiedewerke GmbH, Westendstr. 15, Tor 46, D-4300 Essen, Germany

Abstract: A new steel producing technique, based on pressurised electroslag remelting, has spawned a new generation of engineering materials, the nitrogen-alloyed steels. The paper describes the properties of these ferritic and austenitic N-alloyed steels and their potential for future applications, and compares the mechanical properties or the standard steel grades with the in which carbon is partially replaced by nitrogen. A number of clear advantages over carbon-containing steel are worth mentioning: (i) nitrogen in solid solution increases the strength and corrosion resistance or austenitic and ferritic-martensitic chrome-steels by way of solid-solution hardening: (ii) in the form of nitrides nitrogen induces precipitation hardening, which greatly improves the high-temperature strength and creep strength of heat-treatable steels; (iii) interstitially dissolved nitrogen improves strain hardening in austenitic steels when cold-worked and suppresses the formation of marrensite. Our research is therefore focused on the development of ultra-high-strength, stress-corrosion-cracking-resistant austenitic steels, high-hardness stainless heat treatable steels and high-temperature heat-treatable steels.

Keywords: austenitic N-alloyed steels; corrosion behaviour; heat-treatable N-alloyed steels; massively nitrogen-alloyed steels; pressurised electroslag remelting; PESR; steel properties; stainless cold work N-steels; stainless steel; ultra high strength; corrosion resistance; precipitation hardening; strain hardening.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMPT.1995.036456

International Journal of Materials and Product Technology, 1995 Vol.10 No.3/4/5/6, pp.290 - 302

Published online: 03 Nov 2010 *

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