Production of maraging steel grades and the influence of specified and nonspecified elements for special applications

摘要

The material properties of maraging steels are greatly affected by the alloy and inclusion content and hence by the production route. This paper describes various past and current production routes at Bohler Edelstahl GmbH and the effect of these routes on the specified element (alloy) and non-specified element (inclusion) contents. Non-metallic inclusions were investigated by EDX analysis. The effects of various alloying and tramp elements on the material properties are presented as a statistical evaluation of previous melts. Nitrogen solubility was calculated with Thermo-Calc for maraging steel Mat.-No. 1.6354 and the precipitation of nitrides is discussed. A proposal is made for the production of melts with improved properties. (C) 2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers.