The evolution of microstructures and mechanical properties with tempering temperature of a novel 2.5 GPa grade ultra-high strength steel with synergistic precipitation strengthening was investigated. With increasing tempering temperature, the experimental steel initially progressed from ε-carbides to M₃C and then to M₂C, followed by further coarsening of the M₂C carbides and β-NiAl. Concurrently, the martensite matrix gradually decomposed and austenitized. The ultimate tensile strength and yield strength initially increased and subsequently decreased with rising tempering temperature, reaching peak value at 460 and 470 °C, respectively. Conversely, the ductility and toughness initially decreased and then increased with rising tempering temperature, reaching a minimum at 440 °C. The increase in strength was attributed to the secondary hardening effects resulting from carbide evolution and the precipitation of β-NiAl. The subsequent decrease in strength was due to the recovery of martensite and coarsening of precipitates. The decrease in ductility and toughness was linked to the precipitation of M₃C, while their subsequent increase was primarily attributed to the dissolution of M₃C and an increase in the volume fraction of reverted austenite. The high dislocation density of martensite, the film of reverted austenite, nanoscale M₂C carbides, and ultrafine β-NiAl obtained during tempering at 480 °C resulted in the optimal mechanical properties of the experimental steel. The strength contributions from M₂C carbides and β-NiAl were 1081 and 597 MPa, respectively.

High-temperature tensile experiments with tensile rates ranging from 0.01 s⁻¹ to 10 s⁻¹ were carried out at various temperatures ranging from 1000 °C to 1250 °C with a Gleeble-3800 thermal simulation tester to evaluate the physical properties of an as-cast Ni–W–Co–Ta medium–heavy alloy. The microstructure evolution of the alloy during high-temperature stretching was characterized by metallographic microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The results indicated the emergence of multiple slip lines and the parallel arrangement of dislocations in the grain of the alloy after high-temperature stretching, and typical characteristics of plane slipping were observed. The plasticity of the Ni–W–Co–Ta medium–heavy alloy increased, but its strength decreased with an increase in the deformation temperature. In contrast, an increase in the strain rate resulted in a noticeable increase in the strength and plasticity of the medium–heavy alloy. The experiments revealed that the maximum tensile strength of the as-cast Ni–W–Co–Ta medium–heavy alloy was 735 MPa (T = 1000 °C, ${\displaystyle \dot{\mathsf{\epsilon }}}$ = 10 s⁻¹). Additionally, the maximum reduction in area and elongation was 38.1% and 11.8% (T = 1250 °C, $\dot{\mathsf{\epsilon }}$ = 10 s⁻¹), respectively. The mode of fracture after high-temperature tensile deformation was brittle fracturing.

A systematical exploration of the effect of aging time on the microstructure and mechanical properties of cold-rolled Ni-W-Co-Ta medium–heavy alloy with 90% thickness reduction at the aging temperature of 700 °C was performed. The results demonstrate that the volume fraction of the precipitation (Ni₄W), which persists under various aging times, increases from 13.7% (2 h) to 28.7% (32 h) with the extension of aging time. Meanwhile, the microstructure after aging treatment is still dominated by dislocation entanglement and dislocation walls, although the degree of lattice distortion and dislocation density attributed to heavy deformation decreases. The maximum tensile strength, yield strength, and microhardness (2286 MPa, 1989 MPa, 766 HV) of the cold-rolled Ni-W-Co-Ta medium–heavy alloy under the 16 h aging treatment at 700 °C are reached, respectively. The ductile–brittle mixed fracture morphology is maintained in the fracture morphology of the medium–heavy alloy before and after aging treatment.

This study investigated the high-temperature tensile durability of G115 steel after aging at 650 °C for different periods of time using a high-temperature tensile testing system. The results show that with the increase in aging time, the microstructure of G115 steel changes to a certain extent, which shows that as the martensite lath width and HAGB increases, the dislocation density decreases and the second precipitate shows obvious growth. As the tensile test temperature increases, the tensile strength decreases from ~750 MPa to ~350 MPa. The effect of aging time on the high-temperature tensile durability of steel after a 3000 h aging process is not significant, which should be related to the relatively high microstructure thermal stability of G115 steel during the aging process.

This study systematically investigates the influence of quenching (850–910 °C) and tempering (160–280 °C) temperatures on the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of a novel low-alloy ultra-high-strength martensitic steel (UHSMS). Comprehensive microstructural characterization combined with mechanical testing demonstrates that quenching at 880 °C results in the finest martensitic laths and the highest dislocation density, leading to an excellent strength–toughness balance. Subsequent tempering treatments reveal that the specimen tempered at 200 °C achieves an optimal combination of properties, with a yield strength of 1517 MPa, ultimate tensile strength of 2017 MPa, elongation of 10.4%, and impact toughness of 80.3 J/cm². This optimum is mechanistically linked to a cooperative effect where the fine tempered martensitic structure and stable film-like retained austenite (RA) enhance toughness and ductility, while the nano-scale precipitates (forming during the ε→θ carbide transition) simultaneously provide substantial precipitation strengthening, thereby minimizing the strength sacrifice typically associated with improved toughness. Furthermore, the 200 °C tempered specimen exhibits the largest shear lip on the tensile fracture surface and the maximum dimple size on the impact fracture surface, indicative of a high plastic strain capacity and excellent crack propagation resistance.