martensite

American  

[mahr-tn-zahyt] / ˈmɑr tnˌzaɪt /

noun

Metallurgy.

1. a metastable microconstituent of any of various forms of carbon steel, produced by undercooling sufficiently below the normal transformation temperature, especially a hard, brittle product of the decomposition of austenite, produced in this way.

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martensite British  

/ ˈmɑːtɪnˌzaɪt /

noun

1. a constituent formed in steels by rapid quenching, consisting of a supersaturated solid solution of carbon in iron. It is formed by the breakdown of austenite when the rate of cooling is large enough to prevent pearlite forming

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Other Word Forms

• martensitic
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of martensite

1895–1900; named after Adolf Martens (died 1914), German metallurgist; see -ite ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

martensite

Moderate reheating or annealing changes this structure largely into troostite, which is a partly transformed martensite, possessing much of the hardness of martensite, but with a largely increased toughness and shock resistance.

From The Working of Steel Annealing, Heat Treating and Hardening of Carbon and Alloy Steel by Fred H. (Fred Herbert) Colvin

When heated to 670 degrees, it becomes homogeneous, an amount of carbon up to two per cent. dissolves in the iron, and hard steel or martensite is formed.

From Popular Science Monthly Oct, Nov, Dec, 1915 — Volume 86 by Anonymous

He is then able to pick out its component minerals, ferrite, austenite, martensite, pearlite, graphite, cementite, and to show how their abundance, shape and arrangement contribute to the strength or weakness of the specimen.

From Creative Chemistry Descriptive of Recent Achievements in the Chemical Industries by Edwin E. Slosson

Austenite is not nearly as hard as martensite, owing to its content of the soft gamma iron.

From The Working of Steel Annealing, Heat Treating and Hardening of Carbon and Alloy Steel by Fred H. (Fred Herbert) Colvin

When cooled rapidly, however, as in the tempering of steel, martensite remains a homogeneous solid solution, or hard steel.

From Popular Science Monthly Oct, Nov, Dec, 1915 — Volume 86 by Anonymous

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