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martensite

martensite

1 9.9
A hard, very brittle form of steel with needle-like crystals formed when steel cools very fast
  • noun
  • /ˈmɑrtənˌsaɪt/
  • Specialized
: martensita
  • Engineers analyzed the martensite phase to understand the material's strength and brittleness.

Examples

  • The case microstructure was 100% martensite, and a mixed bainite-martensite microstructure was developed in the core.

    Blog text (16)
  • Both the steels exhibited identical microstructures of tempered martensite at the outer rim and pearlite ferrite at the core.

    Academic text (2016)
  • The case microstructure was 100% martensite, and a mixed bainite-martensite microstructure was developed in the core.

    Blog text (16)
  • The steel was hardened by rapid cooling to form a tough microstructure dominated by martensite.

  • To achieve optimal performance, the alloy was treated to enhance its martensite formation during quenching.

Surface Forms

martensite singular
martensites plural

Etymology

Martensite is named after the German scientist Adolf Martens, and the ending -ite is often used for minerals or chemical 'forms'. So martensite means a particular 'form' of steel, the hard, often brittle structure that appears when steel is cooled quickly.