Adjusting the linear expansion coefficient Lin Fe-Ni-Co-Ti invars by aging and phase hardening

The N30K10T3 and N40K10T3 invars with the Curie points θC ≈ 200°C and θC ≈ 310°C and the martensite temperatures Ms ≈ −80°C and Ms < −196°C, respectively, have been studied. The two alloys were hardened by quenching in the range of temperatures from 100 to 750°C. In addition, the first alloy was hardened by a combination treatment including phase-transformation-induced hardening and aging. The method of phase hardening consisted in the use of a forward (γ → α) and a reverse (α → γph) martensitic transformations. It has been shown that the temperature dependences of the linear expansion coefficient and the dependences of the hardness on the temperature and time of aging are considerably different for both alloys upon decomposition of the supersaturated solid solution. Both the ordinary and the double aging have been studied.