Abstract: Although martensitic stainless steel materials are not used in large quantities compared to austenitic and ferritic grades, they play a huge and often unseen part in our modern world due to their combination of strength, toughness and moderate corrosion resistance. However, after wielding the martensitic stainless steel tend to lose their mechanical/micro structural integrity. In this study, the microstructures and mechanical properties of a welded AISI 410 martensitic stainless steel after different heat treatments were studied, with aims to restore the hardness and improve grain refinement of the materials. The results show that the structures of the steel after austenitizing treatment at 1020°C, are of lath martensite mixed with a small amount of retained austenite. Apart from TP2 specimen, where martensite phase was transformed into ferrite structure, the structures of the tempered steel are mixtures of tempered martensite, carbides and reversed austenite dispersed in the martensite matrix. The result indicate that the tempering regimens (500, 600 and 700°C) carried out improved the hardness and grain refinement leading to the existence of finely distributed carbides in the materials. TheTP3 specimen experienced secondary hardening phenomenon, displays the best comprehensive mechanical properties and has the highest hardness value of 370.7 HV close to the parent metal after tempering at 700 °C.

Keywords: Martensitic stainless steel, heat treatment, microstructure, mechanical properties, austenitizing, tempering, welding.