Influence of thermal aging on microstructure and mechanical properties of CLAM steel

In order to investigate the influence of thermal aging on microstructure and mechanical properties of CLAM (China low activation martensitic) steel, a comparison study was made on the as-tempered and the aged steels. The tempered CLAM steels were subjected to aging treatment at 600 °C for 1100 h and 3000 h, and at 650 °C for 1100 h, respectively. The changes of microstructure were characterized by both transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The mechanical properties were evaluated by Charpy impact, tensile and Vickers hardness tests. The upper shelf energy (USE) of the thermal aged CLAM steel decreased with the extension of aging time, while the yield strength changed slightly. After long-term thermal aging, the MX type precipitates remained stable. The coarsening of M23C6 and the formation of Laves phase were confirmed by scanning/transmission electron microscopes. The Laves phase was the main factor leading to the increase of DBTT.