Characterization of the behavior under impact loading of a maraging steel strengthened by nano-precipitates

Abstract
Nanometer-sized precipitates are responsible for the high strength of steel alloys well known as maraging steels. The term maraging relates to aging reactions in very low-carbon martensitic steels. Due to precipitation hardening 0.2% yield stress values of up to 2.4 GPa can be achieved. The class of stainless maraging steels exhibits an excellent combination of very high strength and hardness, ductility and toughness, combined with good corrosion resistance. In many applications like crash worthiness or ballistic protection the materials are loaded at high strain-rates. The most important characteristic of material behavior under dynamic load is the dynamic yield stress. In this work compression tests had been conducted at strain-rates in the order of 5 x 10 ^{- 3} s ^{- 1} up to 3 x 10³ s ^{- 1} to study the materials behaviour. Additionally high dynamic compression tests had been performed in the temperature range from -40C up to 300C.