A significant practical advantage of the CA-6NM stainless steel casting alloy is its relative freedom from the rapid drop in hardness when tempered above about 950°F. The graph shows clearly that a given increase in tempering temperature produces a much more gradual decrease in hardness than with CA-15. This makes heat treating much easier and cheaper, and decreases the frequency of rejections and/or the necessity for reheat treatment.
Volume 4D, Heat Treating of Irons and Steels ⇒ Heat Treated High-Alloy Steels ⇒ Heat Treating of Martensitic Stainless Steels ⇒ Casting Alloys
