Maraging steels

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Introduction
MARAGING STEELS are low-carbon, ironnickel steels that possess an excellent
combination of strength and toughness
superior to carbon-hardened steels
very high nickel, cobalt, and molybdenum
contents and very low carbon contents
Strength due to the formation of ironnickel martensite and then formation of
iron nickel intermetallic compounds as
precipitate phase during aging
Hence the name maraging steel martensite+aging
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Advantages of maraging
steels

High yield strength(2000-3000MPa)

High weldability
High fracture toughness
Intricate shapes can be easily
machined

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History of maraging steel

development
20 % and 25% Ni added to steel - with 0.3% Al, 1.4% Ti,
and 0.4% Nb, 0.03%C - resulted in precipitation hardening
of the low-carbon martensitic structure when aged at 425
to 510 C
These alloys exhibited good combinations of strength and
ductility at hardness levels of 53 to 56 HRC but were
abandoned because of their brittleness at extremely high
strength levels
With 18% Ni, martensite of required hardness and
toughness was obtained through the addition of cobalt
and molybdenum
Current Maraging steels based on Fe-18%Ni-Co-Mo
quaternary alloy system eg: 18 Ni Marage 200, 250, 300
and 350 alloys
Carbon content restricted to less than 0.03%
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Compositions of commercial maraging

steels
18 Ni Marage 350 alloy is
essentially a
modified version of the 300 grade
that contains higher cobalt and
titanium levels and a slightly
reduced molybdenum
Content
Yield strength > 2100MPa
Low cobalt maraging steels also
developed

Ultrahigh-strength maraging steel

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Strength of maraging steels

1. Formation of lath martensite
2. Precipitation/age hardening of lath
martensite

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1. Formation of iron nickel lath

martensite
Iron nickel martensite martensitic structure
formed when iron nickel alloy is heated
above 800C(austenite formation
temperature) and then cooled to temp below
300C
Iron nickel martensite is called lath
martensite with BCC structure formed by
diffusionless transformation of FCC
austenite(no diffusion to phase during
cooling,but crystal structure changes from
fcc to bcc )
LATH martensite is not as hard as ordinary
martensite but more tough and ductile
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Phase diagram of iron nickel

alloys

nickel levels > 18% results in the retention of austenite and thus
prevent complete transformation into martensite
18 Ni chosen as the standard maraging steel composition as it
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promotes complete transformation into martensite during

Martensite formation &

morphology
For iron containing 5 to 10% Ni, martensite
is formed with rapid cooling
Excess of 10% Ni lowers the cooling rate
required for martensite formation
lath martensite is formed in iron containing
up to 23% Ni
If the nickel content is increased above
23%, the lath martensitic structure is
replaced by a twinned martensite
lath martensitic structure is preferred in
maraging steels because, following aging,
this structure is tougher than a twinned
martensitic structure
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Lath martensite
The lath martensitic structure
of maraging steels consists
of several martensitic
packets and numerous blocks
within each packet
packets and blocks are
planar, lie along one
direction, and are parallel to
each other
Packets are the predominant
structure of lath martensite
followed by the block
structures that appear as
discrete areas within each
packet
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2. Precipitation Aging of lath

martensite

Lath martensite is again reheated in the

temperature range 450-500C and aging is
done for a certain time period( 1 6 hr)
Aging is done to minimize or eliminate the
reversion of martensite into austenite() and
ferrite()
During aging, ordered precipitate phase of
nickel-rich intermetallic compounds is formed
in the lath martensitic structure
precipitation of the Ni3Mo and Ni3Ti
intermetallic compounds

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Effect of Ti, Mo and Cobalt

Ti strong hardener and Mo - moderate
hardener
Co helps the precipitation of Ni3Mo and a finer,
more uniform distribution of Ni3Mo precipitates
is formed
the good structural fit between (Ni 3Mo and Ni3Ti
) precipitates and the bcc martensitic matrix
gives coherence and ordered precipitate phase
necessary for required hardness and toughness
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Effect of aging time on hardness

Plots of aged hardness versus aging time at 455

C (850 F) for Fe-18Ni-5Mo and Fe-18Ni-5Mo-8Co
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maraging steels

Effect of aging time on

hardness

Hardness of 18Ni(250) maraging steel versus aging time

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various aging temperatures
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Effect of alloying elements Ni,

Mo, Ti, Co, Al
Ni, Mo, Ti lowers Ms (martensite formation start
200-300C) temperature, low Ms favors formation of
twinned martensite which is not desirable
Ni, Mo, Ti helps in precipitation hardening(desirable)
Co increases Ms temp and favors formation of lath
martensite (upto 6-8% composition)
Hence Co added to compensate for excess use of Ni,
Mo, Ti and maintains Ms temperature required for lath
martensite formation
In the absence of cobalt, other elements such as
nickel, molybdenum, and titanium must be
maintained or reduced to levels to ensure an
adequately high Ms temperature
Nickel lowers Ms temperature heavily if in excess of
18%, hence Ni level kept at 18%
Upto 0.1% Al slightly increases Ms temperature
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Variation of strength and

hardness in maraging
steels

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Strength/toughness combination of 18 Ni maraging

steels compared to conventional high-strength
carbon
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Weldability of maraging
steels
Weldability of maraging steels is due to tough,
ductile lath martensite
Heat-affected zone(HAZ) in maraging steels can
be divided into three regions
First region closest to the fusion line contains
coarse martensite
Second region is a narrow region containing
reverted austenite produced by temperatures
595 to 805 C
Third region contains martensite that has been
age hardened by temperatures from ambient up
to 595 C
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Strength of welded zone

Heat-affected zone in an as-welded
structure is relatively soft
Because the metal in the area
immediately surrounding the weld is soft
and ductile, residual stresses are low, and
weld cracking is considerably less
than in steels hardened by quenching
Subsequent aging brings the hardness of
the weld zone up to that of the base
metal
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