This article is an atlas of fractographs that helps in understanding the causes and mechanisms of fracture of precipitation-hardening stainless steels and in identifying and interpreting the morphology of fracture surfaces. The fractographs illustrate the cup-and-cone tension-overload fracture, low-cycle and high-cycle fatigue fracture, fracture surface, brittle intergranular fracture, hydrogen embrittlement, and intergranular stress-corrosion cracking of stainless steel components of these steels. The components include high-pressure compressor parts, springs, deflector yokes of aircraft main landing gears, and aircraft engine mount beams.

This article commences with a brief description of the solidification characteristics and microstructures of martensitic precipitation hardening (PH) stainless steels. It reviews the welding parameters for types 17-4PH, 15-5PH, PH13-8 Mo, Custom 450, and Custom 455. The article describes the microstructural evolution and weld parameters associated with semiaustenitic PH steels. It discusses the weldability and welding recommendations for A-286 and JBK-75 austenitic PH stainless steels. The article also presents tables that list properties and heat treatments for the PH stainless steels.

Precipitation hardening is a hardening mechanism found in various steels and alloy systems, such as nickel-, cobalt-, titanium-, copper-, and iron-base alloys. This article provides a brief description of precipitation hardening process, furnace equipment, surface-related problems, and protective atmospheres used in heat treatment of iron-base precipitation-hardenable (PH) superalloys. It focuses on various factors to be considered in heat treating of PH stainless steels: cleaning prior to heat treatment, furnace atmospheres, time-temperature cycles, variations in cycles, and scale removal after heat treatment. The article describes the mechanical properties, solution treatment, and aging treatment for many martensitic PH alloys, including: Alloy 17-4 PH, Alloy 13-8 Mo, Alloy 15-5 PH, Custom 450, and Custom 455; as well as semiaustenitic PH stainless steels such as Alloy 17-7 PH, Alloy PH 15-7 Mo, AM-350, Pyromet 350, AM-355, and Pyromet 355; austenitic PH stainless steel, A-286; cast PH stainless steels; and iron-nickel PH superalloys.

Heat treating of stainless steel produces changes in physical condition, mechanical properties, and residual stress level and restores maximum corrosion resistance when that property has been adversely affected by previous fabrication or heating. This article focuses on annealing of different types of stainless steels such as austenitic, ferritic, duplex, martensitic, and precipitation-hardening, and on the heat treatment of superalloys and refractory metals. It discusses the recommended procedures for solution annealing, austenite conditioning, transformation cooling, and age tempering of precipitation-hardening stainless steels. The article also lists general recommendations for the annealing temperatures of tantalum, niobium, molybdenum, tungsten, and their alloys.

Stainless steels are used for medical implants and surgical tools due to the excellent combination of properties, such as cost, strength, corrosion resistance, and ease of cleaning. This article describes the classifications of stainless steels, such as austenitic stainless steels, martensitic stainless steels, ferritic stainless steels, precipitation-hardening stainless steels, and duplex stainless steels. It contains a table that lists common medical device applications for stainless steels. The article discusses the physical metallurgy and physical and mechanical properties of stainless steels. Medical device considerations for stainless steels, such as fatigue strength, corrosion resistance, and passivation techniques, are reviewed. The article explains the process features of implant-grade stainless steels, including type 316L, type 316LVM, nitrogen-strengthened, ASTM F1314, ASTM F1586, ASTM F2229, and ASTM F2581 stainless steels.

This article discusses the composition, characteristics, and properties of the five groups of wrought stainless steels: martensitic stainless steels, ferritic stainless steels, austenitic stainless steels, duplex stainless steels, and precipitation-hardening stainless steels. The selection of stainless steels may be based on corrosion resistance, fabrication characteristics, availability, mechanical properties in specific temperature ranges and product cost. The fabrication characteristics of stainless steels include formability, forgeability, machinability, and weldability. The product forms of wrought stainless steels are plate, sheet, strip, foil, bar, wire, semifinished products, pipes, tubes, and tubing. The article describes tensile properties, elevated-temperature properties, subzero-temperature properties, physical properties, corrosion properties, and fatigue strength of stainless steels. It characterizes the experience of a few industrial sectors according to the corrosion problems most frequently encountered and suggests appropriate grade selections. Corrosion testing, surface finishing, mill finishes, and interim surface protection of stainless steels are also discussed.

Stainless steels, based on forging pressure and load requirements, are more difficult to forge because of the greater strength at elevated temperatures and the limitations on the maximum temperatures at which stainless steels can be forged without incurring microstructural damage. This article discusses the forging methods, primary mill practices (primary forging and ingot breakdown), trimming, and cleaning operations of stainless steels. It describes the use of forging equipment, dies, and die material in the forging operation. The article provides an overview of the forgeability of austenitic stainless steels, martensitic stainless steels, precipitation-hardening stainless steels, and ferritic stainless steels. It concludes with a discussion on the heating and lubrication of dies.

Stainless steels are essential for the modern industrial civilization because of their corrosion resistance, especially in the chemical, petrochemical, and food industries. This article discusses the classification of the various types of stainless steels, including martensitic, ferritic, austenitic, duplex (ferritic-austenitic), and precipitation-hardening stainless steels. It presents a checklist of characteristics to be considered in selecting the proper type of stainless steel for a specific application. The article also outlines the need to promote the formation of an effective protective passive layer in stainless steels. It discusses hardness, fatigue and fretting properties, tribological properties, wear resistance, and corrosion-wear process of the S-phase layer. The article describes two thermochemical nitriding techniques of stainless steels: plasma-assisted nitriding techniques and non-plasma assisted nitriding processes. It also describes the difficulties in stainless steel nitriding/carburizing.

This article provides an overview of the identification systems for various grades of wrought stainless steels, namely, the American Iron and Steel Institute numbering system, the Unified Numbering System, and proprietary designations. It elaborates on five major families of stainless steels, as defined by the crystallographic structure. These include ferritic stainless steels, austenitic stainless steels, martensitic stainless steels, and precipitation-hardening stainless steels. The mechanism of corrosion protection for stainless steels is reviewed. The article examines the effects of composition, processing, design, fabrication, and external treatments on the corrosion of stainless steels. Various forms of corrosion, namely, general, galvanic, pitting, crevice, intergranular, stress-corrosion cracking, erosion-corrosion, and oxidation, are reviewed. Corrosion testing for; corrosion in atmosphere, water, and chemical environments; and the applications of stainless steels in various industries are also discussed.