Analysis of the influence of cooling rate associated with change of short-range order on the martensitic point

The question of the dependence of the martensitic point Ms of carbon steels on cooling rate is important in connection with the use of different cooling methods during quench-hardening of steel. In the present paper, we give a theoretical analysis of the change of short-range order during cooling and its influence on the position of the martensitic point. The calculations have shown that freezing-in of carbon ordering processes during very rapid quenching (102-106 K/sec) cannot lead to a 100-150 K increase in Ms. The maximum effect for carbon steel U11 is 8 at quench rate 106 K/sec, which is hard to achieve.