COMMINUTING MEDIA COMPRISING MARTENSITIC/AUSTENITIC STEEL CONTAINING RETAINED WORK-TRANSFORMABLE AUSTENITE

摘要

Comminuting media comprising a martensitic/austenitic steel which contains atleast about 40 percent by volume retained austenite,a portion of which is work transformable to martensite. The steel containssufficient alloy content such that the steel has a martensitestart and finish temperature sufficiently low to allow partial transformationof austenite to martensite during quenching of the steel fromthe austenitic range, but leaving some retained transformable austenite. Thissteel is used as a comminuting media, the retained austenitetransforming to martensite through working or abrasion of the comminutingmedia during use in a comminution process. The outermostvolume of the comminuting media which forms the wear surface and whichcontains the retained austenite in an amount of at least 40percent by volume comprises at least 25 percent of the total volume of thecomminuting media.