Noun
a solid solution of carbon in alpha-iron that is formed when steel is cooled so rapidly that the change from austenite to pearlite is suppressed; responsible for the hardness of quenched steel
Source: WordNetQuenching is the process of cooling a high-carbon steel very quickly after heating, thus "freezing" the steel's molecules in the very hard martensite form, which makes the metal harder. Source: Internet
The steel can then be tempered by reheating to a temperature in between, changing the proportions of pearlite and martensite. Source: Internet
Internal stresses from this expansion generally take the form of compression on the crystals of martensite and tension on the remaining ferrite, with a fair amount of shear on both constituents. Source: Internet
There is no thermal activation energy for the transformation from austenite to martensite. Source: Internet
When rapidly cooled, a diffusionless (martensite) transformation occurs, in which the carbon atoms become trapped in solution. Source: Internet