Effect of Explosive Processing on Martensitic Transformation of High-Tensile Steel

This paper evaluates the effect of preliminary explosive processing of high-tensile steel on the martensite reaction and structure formation in repeated thermal hardening or in a welding thermal cycle. It is found that dislocation structures formed in hardened low-alloy steel 14Cr2MnMoB in a plane wave mode of explosion with a pressure of 13 GPa are stable during quenching from intercritical temperatures and in the conditions of the thermal welding cycle. A relationship between the effects of steel dilatation and carbide reactions is shown. The inherited dislocation structures contribute to the refinement of the martensitic structure. It is shown that preliminary explosive processing of steels with martensitic structure intensifies the martensite reaction in the high-temperature region of austenite cracking and causes the preferential formation of lath martensite. Repeated structural transformation leads to a two-fold increase in the energy intensity of the static fatigue process.