Metallurgy of Mo in Alloy Steel & Iron
Alloying elements such as chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, etc. are added to carbon steel to improve properties such as hardness, strength and toughness.
Fig 1: From unalloyed Mild Steel to Low Alloy Steel
The classic methods of strengthening low alloy steels are
- solution hardening
- quenching and tempering
- precipitation hardening
- controlled rolling
Molybdenum is an effective strengthener in all cases.
The large majority of low alloy steels are quenched and tempered – Q+T.
Literature
- Phase Transformation and Hardenability of Medium Carbon Alloy Steels by W.W. Cias : Climax Molybdenum Company, 1972.
- Steels; Microstructures and Properties by R.W.K. Honeycombe
- Functions of the Alloying Elements in Steel by E.C. Bain, ASM 1939
- Molybdenum’s Place in the Pressure Vessel Field. By R G Dunn, G F Whiteley, W Fairhurst, Climax Molybdenum Company 1970
- Steel Deterioration in Hydrogen - What API-sponsored Research has explained. Preprint 63-67, API (May 16, 1967)