Development of the Metallography of Corrosion-Resistant Steels.

The author describes the development of the principles of the metallography of corrosion-resistant steels, namely, steels containing 12% Cr, steels with a controlled phase transformation, and high-chromium ferritic and austenitic steels. For each main group of steels the effect of the chemical composition on the structure and phase transformations is discussed, and, where possible, these dependences are described quantitatively. In the case of steels of the 12% Cr group and steels with a controlled phase transformation the phenomena occurring during tempering are described, including carbide precipitation and the transformations accompanying secondary hardness, and the range of applicability of aging processes to increase the strength of the steels is discussed. In the case of high-chromium ferritic and austenitic steels particular attention is paid to the plastic compliance of these steels, particularly austenitic steels, and to the use of the martensitic transformation to satisfy specific deformation conditions.