Quantitative analysis of complex carbo-nitride precipitates in steels

Two new types of extraction replicas for precipitate analysis in steels have been developed. These replicas, based on alumina, allow accurate quantification of the carbon to nitrogen ratios in carbo-nitride precipitates using parallel electron energy loss spectroscopy in the TEM. Experiments on microalloyed steels show the importance of the nitrogen content in promoting precipitation even at low temperatures.