Structural characteristics of transition-iron-carbide precipitates formed during the first stage of tempering in 4340 steel

Microstructural and crystallographic characteristics of fine-scale transition-iron-carbide precipitates formed in martensite during tempering of 4340 steel at 200 °C for 3.6 ks were studied via transmission electron microscopy. Precipitates of near-equiaxed shapes and about 10 nm in size were observed, and rows of closely spaced precipitates were aligned predominantly along < 100 > martensite directions. Aggregates of aligned precipitates were up to 150 nm in length, although occasional kinks were present that disrupted the alignment, and some of the adjacent precipitates possessed somewhat different crystallographic orientations. Electron-diffraction results were analyzed in detail and found to be consistent with both epsilon-carbide and eta-carbide phases. Similarities between these two phases were highlighted and discussed. Experimental electron-diffraction data were compared with data from five different unit cells, and each was found to be consistent within uncertainty ranges of ± 0.003 nm for interplanar spacings, ± 2° for angles between plane normals, and a few degrees for the orientation relationship between precipitates and the matrix.