An important task in developing new materials is the study of their structure (substructure). The present study uses a number of complementary methods to determine the size, morphology, phase composition and volume fraction of dispersed precipitates in high-strength medium-carbon steel tempered in the temperature range of up to 600°C. The methods of small-angle neutron scattering, X-ray and neutron diffraction were used. Such an advantage of neutrons as the ability to use large samples, which significantly increases the maximum permissible grain size to obtain statistically reliable results and takes into account texture data, explains the use of neutron sources along with the X-ray ones. The disadvantages include a lower resolution and more complex equipment. The combined use of different techniques made it possible to determine the kinetics of structural changes in the dispersed particles during tempering of steel. The increase in tempering temperature up to 300°C results in a decrease in the amount of retained austenite. At the tempering temperature of 300°C, the growth of Fe 3 C particles instead of retained austenite starts and continues up to 600°C up to which the studies were done. The phases of retained austenite and cementite were identified by means of neutron diffraction, while changes in sizes were determined by means of small-angle neutron scattering. The results obtained do not contradict the previous transmission electron microscopy data. A comprehensive study by means of diffraction and scattering methods of X-rays and neutrons allows one to obtain exhaustive information about disperse particles in steels.
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