Correlation between phase transformation and stress evolution in nitrogen-implanted iron

Phase transformation and iron lattice parameters for nitrogen-implanted XC06 steel were simultaneously studied by means of conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy and grazing incidence X-ray diffraction techniques. The results revealed that the transformation from ε-Fe3 − xN into ε- ζ-Fe2N phase correlates with the stress relaxation. The mechanism and possible practical implications of this effect are discussed.