Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of X6CrNiMoVNb11-2 stainless steel after heat treatment

X6CrNiMoVNb11-2 supermartensitic stainless steel, a special type of stainless steel, is commonly used in the production of gas turbine discs in liquid rocket engines and compressor disks in aero engines. By optimizing the parameters of the heat-treatment process, its mechanical properties are specially adjusted to meet the performance requirement in that particular practical application during the advanced composite casting-rolling forming process. The relationship between the microstructure and mechanical properties after quenching from 1040 °C and tempering at 300–670 °C was studied, where the yield strength, tensile strength, elongation and impact toughness under different cooling conditions are obtained by means of mechanical property tests. A certain amount of high-density nanophase precipitation is found in the martensite phase transformation through the heat treatment involved in the quenching and tempering processes, where M23C6 carbides are dispersed in lamellar martensite, with the close-packed Ni3Mo and Ni3Nb phases of high-density co-lattice nanocrystalline precipitation created during the tempering process. The ideal process parameters are to quench at 1040 °C in an oil-cooling medium and to temper at 650 °C by air-cooling; final hardness is averaged about 313 HV, with an elongation of 17.9%, the cross-area reduction ratio is 52%, and the impact toughness is about 65 J, respectively. Moreover, the tempered hardness equation, considering various tempering temperatures, is precisely fitted. This investigation helps us to better understand the strengthening mechanism and performance controlling scheme of martensite stainless steel during the cast-rolling forming process in future applications.