Temper embrittlement occurs in most low alloy ferritic steels that are held for long periods of time in the temperature range of 600-1100 F (316-593 C). It generally occurs with no forewarning and results in the brittle behavior of the affected steels. In the past 20 years many reviews have been written on temper embrittlement, and since 1967 there have been three excellent reviews on the subject (1-3). Because of these reviews, an in-depth review of temper embrittlement will not be given in this paper. The approach will be to describe the phenomenon of temper embrittlement along with a description of the effects of heat treatment, metallurgical variables, and chemical variables. The methods that are used to identify temper embrittlement will also be discussed. A brief description of the effects of temper embrittlement on other types of embrittlement such as creep embrittlement, stress corrosion cracking, and post weld heat treatment will be given. Finally, some notes on possible methods of prevention and mitigation of temper embrittlement will be presented.

Subject
Embrittlement, Grain size, Materials, Charpy impact test, Transition temperature, Temper embrittlement, Heat, Steel, Nickel, Elements, Fracture, Grain boundary, Heat treatment
© 1976 Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of AMPP. Positions and opinions advanced in this work are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AMPP. Responsibility for the content of the work lies solely with the author(s).
1976
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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