Relationship between the yield strength-fracture toughness balance and the multiscale microstructure of a maraging stainless steel for aircraft applications

Two grades of Fe-Cr-Ni-Al-Ti-Mo maraging steels, with a different titanium content, were investigated. Particular attention was given to the correlation between the precipitated phases and the yield strength. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction, small-angle neutron scattering and atom probe experiments were performed to determine the crystal structure, shape, size distribution, chemical composition, particle number density and volume fraction of precipitates. Both alloys show a strong increase in strength after an aging treatment, which is attributed to the co-precipitation of two different intermetallic phases. Strengthening by a single precipitation of β-Ni (Al,Ti) particles induces a saturation of yield strength around 1600 MPa above a volume fraction of 6 %. The improvement of yield strength is then obtained by introducing a nanoscale co-precipitation of η-Ni3(Ti,Al) phase.