Austenite Stabilization Potential

Measure of the ability of alloying elements such as nickel or manganese to thermodynamically favor the face-centered cubic crystal structure down to low temperatures.

When you weld steel with high carbon content, the weld can become hard and brittle if it cools quickly - that's called martensite formation. This mainly happens when the alloy doesn't contain elements like nickel or manganese that keep the structure stable. To avoid this, you need to slow down the cooling, for example by preheating or letting it cool slowly. For critical steels, better use a filler material that brings nickel or manganese, then the weld stays tough and doesn't crack.

MetallurgieSchweißtechnik