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Plate martensite
A lens-shaped martensitic morphology occurring in high-carbon steels that is often susceptible to microcracking. It provides high hardness but causes severe brittleness.
Plate martensite forms in rapidly cooled, high-carbon steel and makes the material extremely hard and brittle. In welding, this is a problem because it can cause cracks in the weld and in the heat-affected zone. You have to slow down the cooling after welding so that no plate martensite forms. You can do this by preheating or letting it cool slowly, then the structure stays tougher.
MetallurgieSchweißtechnik