Characterization of Inoculated Low Carbon Equivalent Iron at Lower Austempering Temperature

The response of inoculated low carbon equivalent iron to austempering heat treatment has remained as an unchartered area of investigation. The carbon equivalent of inoculated low carbon equivalent iron is much lesser than that of ductile iron, while modulus of elasticity is higher than it. This paper examines and compares the austempering transformations and microstructural changes during austempering of ductile iron and inoculated low carbon equivalent iron with respect to austempering parameters. The optical metallography and X-ray diffraction techniques are used to study the changes in the austempered structure. The alterations in austempered microstructure and structural parameters like, austenite volume fraction (X) and its carbon content (C) at an austempering temperature of 250?°C are studied in the present investigation. It is observed that, austempering heat treatment produces fine ausferritic microstructure, similar to that present in austempered ductile iron at this temperature. However, some significant differences between the austempered microstructure of two alloys are noted.     

Investigation on grinding wear behaviour of austempered ductile iron as media material during comminution of iron ore in ball mills

An attempt has been made to assess the grinding wear behaviour of austempered ductile iron (ADI) as media material in comminution of Kudremukh haematite iron ore in a ball mill. Spheroidal graphite (S.G) iron balls were austenitised at 900°C for one hour and austempered at 280°C and 380°C for different time durations. These materials were characterized by measuring hardness, carrying out X-ray diffraction analysis, studying microstructures using scanning electron microscope (SEM). Grinding wear behaviour of ADI was assessed during wet grinding at different pH of the mineral slurry. The wear resistance of ADI was compared with that of forged En 31 steel balls under similar grinding conditions. It was found that ADI balls austempered at 280°C for 30 minutes which contains lower bainite registered superior wear resistance. It was also noted that the wear resistance of ADI was more at higher pH range of the slurry.     

Examination of Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI) As Per Austempering Temperature and Time

Austempered ductile iron is a heat treated form of as-cast ductile iron. The heat treatment process-austempering, was developed with the intent of improving the strength and toughness of ferrous alloys. It offers a range of mechanical properties superior to those of other cast iron, and shows excellent economic competitiveness with steels and aluminum alloys. The main aim is to analyze the mechanical properties and microstructural characteristics of as-cast ductile iron austenitized at 900 °C for 90 min and afterward austempered over a range of temperatures to obtain distinctive microstructures. The samples were austempered for durations of 60, 90 and 180 min at each austempering temperature of 340, 360, 380, and 400 °C. The influence of these austempering temperatures and times on the microstructure and tensile properties were investigated at room temperature.     

热处理工艺对Cr12MoV钢组织、硬度及耐磨性的影响

本试验研究了不同淬火和回火工艺热处理对Cr12MoV钢组织、硬度和磨损性能的影响。实验结果表明:当在1050~1100℃范围内淬火、520℃回火时,得隐针马氏体+少量残余奥氏体组织,材料硬度与耐磨性均较好;当在1100℃淬火,各温度二次回火硬度均较一次回火高,当在550℃回火时,试验钢实现二次硬化,且残余奥氏体大量转变,硬度和耐磨性达最大值,材料性能最优。     

Selection of Heat Treatment Process and Wear Mechanism of High Wear Resistant Cast Hot-Forging Die Steel

 Dry sliding wear tests of a Cr-Mo-V cast hot-forging die steel was carried out within a load range of 50-300 N at 400 ℃ by a pin-on-disc high-temperature wear machine. The effect of heat treatment process on wear resistance was systematically studied in order to select heat treatment processes of the steel with high wear resistance. The morphology, structure and composition were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS); wear mechanism was also discussed. Tribo-oxide layer was found to form on worn surfaces to reduce wear under low loads, but appear inside the matrix to increase wear under high loads. The tribo-oxides were mainly consisted of Fe3O4 and Fe2O3, FeO only appeared under a high load. Oxidative mild wear, transition of mild-severe wear in oxidative wear and extrusive wear took turns to operate with increasing the load. The wear resistance strongly depended on the selection of heat treatment processes or microstructures. It was found that bainite presented a better wear resistance than martensite plus bainite duplex structure, martensite structure was of the poorest wear resistance. The wear resistance increased with increasing austenizing temperature in the range of 920 to 1120 ℃, then decreased at up to 1220 ℃. As for tempering temperature and microstructure, the wear resistance increased in following order: 700 ℃ (tempered sorbite), 200 ℃ (tempered martensite), 440 to 650 ℃ (tempered troostite). An appropriate combination of hardness, toughness, microstructural thermal stability was required for a good wear resistance in high-temperature wear. The optimized heat treatment process was suggested for the cast hot-forging steel to be austenized at 1020 to 1120 ℃, quenched in oil, then tempered at 440 to 650 ℃ for 2 h.     

Wear resistance of quenched and tempered AISI 4137H steel

Abrasive wear resistance of quenched and tempered AISI 4137H steel was studied using the dry sand/rubber wheel test. The variables studied included hardness, tempering temperature, and cleanliness of the steel. The effect of sulfide inclusions on the relative wear performance of the steel was examined. Debris from the wear tests was analyzed using SEM and sieve analysis. The effects of steel cleanliness and sulfide inclusion shape on abrasion resistance are explained in terms of the relative ease for chip formation and its subsequent detachability during the abrasion process.     

MICROSTRUCTURE AND MECHANICAL BEHAVIOUR OF Ni-ALLOYED AUSFORMED AUSTEMPERED DUCTILE IRON

Abstract

The abrasion wear behaviour of ausformed austempered ductile iron (AADI) as well as conventional austempered ductile iron (ADI) was investigated. The effects of both Ni content and rolling reduction during the ausforming process on wear resistance of AADI and ADI were studied thoroughly. The ausforming process has created a finer and more homogeneous ausferrite structure that has a direct influence on the mechanical properties of AADI. Maximum hardness and tensile strength were obtained with a 35% rolling reduction. On the other hand, ductility and impact strength were reduced with increasing rolling reduction during the ausforming process. AADI showed superior abrasion wear resistance due to its finer and harder structure.

On a investigué le comportement de résistance à l’abrasion de la fonte ductile austénitoformée, à trempe étagée bainitique (AADI) ainsi que de la fonte ductile conventionnelle à trempe étagée bainitique (ADI). On a étudié à fond l’effet de la teneur en Ni ainsi que de la réduction par laminage lors du traitement d’austénitoformage sur la résistance à l’usure de l’AADI et de l’ADI. Le traitement d’austénitoformage créait une structure ausferritique plus fine et plus homogène qui a une influence directe sur les propriétés mécaniques de l’AADI. On a obtenu une dureté et une résistance à la traction maximales avec une réduction par laminage de 35%. D’un autre côté, la ductilité et la résistance à l’impact étaient réduites avec une augmentation de la réduction par laminage lors du traitement d’austénitoformage. L’AADI a montré une résistance supérieure à l’abrasion, grâce à sa structure plus fine et plus dure.     

Mechanical behaviour of an austempered ductile iron

Austempering of a ferrite-pearlitic grade of ductile iron was carried out to assess the potential use of the material for crank shaft application reported. A commercial material was austempered at 340°C to realize the properties. The austempered ductile iron gave good strength although the ductility values were lower. The material developed had complete ausferritric structure free of pearlite. The various phase constitution and phase transformation associated with the treatment and during mechanical deformation was examined. Using XRD analysis the volume fraction of the austenite in the matrix was estimated. The various aspects of processing a commercial cast iron during ausetmpering, the phase transformation, microstructural evolution have been examined along with the property of the material. The mechanical behaviour of the material and the scope for further improvement is discussed.     

High-tensile bolts without heat treatment

According to DIN-ISO 898-1 high tensile bolts of class 8.8 must have a quenched and tempered structure. Therefore either quenched and tempered wire rod is used for cold heading or the bolts are quenched and tempered after the bolt forming process. This paper presents a new wire rod, which offers the chance to get comparable or even better final properties and lower production costs: a low-carbon MnSi wire rod is used as basic material. The final tensile strength is produced by drawing and cold forming. The conventional final quenching and tempering is omitted and for many cases also baking can be avoided. An increased fatigue resistance and the elimination of final straightening of the bolts are additional advantages of the new process.     

Influence of microstructure on fracture toughness of austempered ductile iron

An investigation was carried out to examine the influence of microstructure on the plane strain fracture toughness of austempered ductile iron. Austempered ductile iron (ADI) alloyed with nickel, copper, and molybdenum was austenitized and subsequently austempered over a range of temperatures to produce different microstructures. The microstructures were characterized through optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Plane strain fracture toughness of all these materials was determined and was correlated with the microstructure. The results of the present investigation indicate that the lower bainitic microstructure results in higher fracture toughness than upper bainitic microstructure. Both volume fraction of retained austenite and its carbon content influence the fracture toughness. The retained austenite content of 25 vol pct was found to provide the optimum fracture toughness. It was further concluded that the carbon content of the retained austenite should be as high as possible to improve fracture toughness.     

The Fracture Behavior of Quenched and Tempered Manganese Steels

Manganese is present in all commercial low alloy steels, but its various effects on fracture are not completely understood. In this paper we report a study of the fracture behavior of quenched and tempered manganese steels. The steels were austenitized, quenched, and then tempered at temperatures between 150 °C and 500 °C. If the steel contained phosphorous, the fracture energy after all tempering treatments was very low and the fracture was intergranular. Tempering at temperatures near 350 °C produced especially low fracture energies because of the occurrence of intergranular tempered martensite embrittlement. Manganese does not increase the amount of phosphorous segregation during austenitization or tempering. However, it may increase the embrittling potency of phosphorous. If the steel did not contain a sufficient concentration of a grain boundary embrittling element such as phosphorous, the fracture mode was ductile microvoid coalescence. In this case manganese can be very important because it scavenges all of the residual sulfur in the alloy to form MnS precipitates. These are the initial sites of microvoid formation during ductile fracture, and their presence, especially in the form of elongated stringers, can lead to a reduced fracture energy.     

Cu–(Fe–C)合金中Fe–C相的固态转变对其摩擦磨损行为及机理的影响

采用光学显微镜（OM）、扫描电子显微镜（SEM）、纳米力学探针、力学性能测试以及室温摩擦磨损实验研究了Cu–(Fe–C)合金的铸态组织、形变态组织、Fe–C相形貌、力学性能和摩擦磨损行为。结果表明，Cu–(Fe–C)合金中弥散分布着微米级和纳米级的Fe–C相，其中微米级的Fe–C相在淬火和回火过程中发生了固态转变，这种固态转变与钢中的马氏体转变和回火转变类似。合金先在850 ℃淬火，然后在200、400和650 ℃回火，Fe–C相由针状马氏体逐渐向颗粒状回火索氏体转变，Fe–C相纳米硬度分别为9.4、8、4.2和3.8 GPa，实现了对强化相硬度的控制。室温摩擦磨损实验结果表明，随着回火温度升高，合金的磨损机制逐渐由犁削向黏着磨损和大塑性变形转变，导致合金的耐磨损性能降低。这一结论可以为通过Fe–C相的固态转变的方法调控Cu–(Fe–C)合金的摩擦磨损性能提供参考作用。      

Mechanical Characterization of Austempered Ductile Iron Obtained by Two Step Austempering Process

Austempered ductile iron (ADI) is known to have a good combination of mechanical properties due its unique ausferrite microstructure. The strength of ADI is mainly a function of the austempering temperature and the stability of ausferrite matrix. To increase the stability of the ausferritic matrix, two stage austempering processes was developed. During this investigation, in the Ist step, ductile iron specimens were austenitized at 900 °C for 60 min followed by quenching to 250 °C in salt bath. In the IInd step, after quenching at 250 °C, the salt bath was gradually heated to 350 °C, 400 °C and 450 °C respectively where specimen were soaked for 120 min. The tensile strength and impact strength were evaluated according to ASTM standards. The results were compared with that obtained by conventional austempering process by quenching directly into salt bath at 400 °C for 120 min. Both tensile and impact strength were found to have improved by two step austempering process. During Ist stage of austempering, martensite was observed while during IInd stage of austempering microstructures revealed acicular ferrite and carbon stabilized austenite. The fractographic examination revealed mixed type of fracture mode and intergranular fracture was seen under SEM. It was further observed that the tensile strength decreased whereas the impact strength increased with IInd stage of austempering temperature.     

热处理对超级13Cr不锈钢组织及拉伸性能的影响

 为了研究热处理工艺对超级13Cr不锈钢组织及拉伸性能的影响,采用了光学显微镜、X射线衍射仪、透射电子显微镜、显微硬度测试及应变速率拉伸等试验方法。结果表明,经过水淬和油淬处理的超级13Cr不锈钢组织及拉伸性能相差不大。但相比于水淬,采用油淬的试样经回火处理后塑性得到更大提升。淬火试样经回火处理后,组织变为回火索氏体。随着回火温度升高,材料的塑性先增加后减小,硬度与强度变化则相反。620 ℃回火试样含有逆变奥氏体,强度塑性组合较好。二次回火能够增加超级13Cr不锈钢中逆变奥氏体含量,但塑性变化不明显,强度下降较大。     

正火预热处理对42CrMo曲轴钢调质后的组织与性能影响

利用金相显微观察及力学性能分析,研究调质处理、正火+调质热处理对42CrMo曲轴钢组织与性能的影响。结果表明,经过860℃淬火+580℃回火处理后,曲轴钢基体组织为回火索氏体,但轴颈心部区域白色铁素体数量较多且晶粒粗大、分布不均。其力学性能为抗拉强度997～1 211 MPa,屈服强度990～1 204 MPa,伸长率11%～13%,断面收缩率40%～48%,冲击功72～90 J。而在调质热处理前增加一次(880℃空冷)正火预处理后,42CrMo曲轴钢的显微组织更趋均匀化,其力学性能为抗拉强度1 100～1 220 MPa,屈服强度1 107～1 188 MPa,伸长率13%～15%,断面收缩率50%～56%,冲击功83-91 J。因此,880℃空冷正火预处理+860℃淬火与580℃高温回火是42CrMo曲轴钢优化的热处理工艺。     

热处理渗铜烧结钢的性能和组织

研究了不同原料铁粉，基体骨架铜含量以及不同淬火温度对渗铜钢热处理后密度，硬度和抗弯强度的影响。结果表明，采用水雾化铁粉添加少量铜中高碳基体骨架，溶渗后经淬火－冷处理－低温回火，其硬度大于ＨＲＣ４５，密度大于７．６０ｇ／ｃｍ＾３抗弯强度达１６００ＭＰａ，组织为回火马氏体加铜相；断裂主要是通过铜相的撕裂，显示出塑性断裂的特微。     

Comparison of High-Temperature Properties and Thermal Shock Resistance of Austempered Ductile Irons (ADI) with Those of Pearlitic Ductile Cast Irons

High-temperature strength and thermal shock resistance of austempered ductile iron (ADI) in high temperatures because of instability of ausferrite phase has been less interest. The aim of this study is to investigate the tensile properties of ADI and pearlitic ductile cast iron by using the short-time tensile test in high temperatures. Tensile test was conducted in temperatures of 298 K, 673 K, 873 K, and 1073 K (25 °C, 400 °C, 600 °C, and 800 °C). Thermal shock test also was conducted by using the molten lead bath at 1273 K (1000 °C). In this experiment, samples of pearlitic ductile cast iron and ADI were divided in two groups; that after immersing in the molten lead bath for 25 seconds, one group was cooled in the air and other one was quenched in the water. Results showed that strength and thermal shock resistance of ADI samples are higher than those of the pearlitic ductile cast iron.     

Effects of Copper and Austempering on Corrosion Behavior of Ductile Iron in 3.5 Pct Sodium Chloride

Although alloying and heat treatments are common industrial practices to obtain ductile irons with desired mechanical properties, related information on how the two practices affect corrosion behavior is scarce. In this study, two ductile irons—with and without 1 wt pct copper addition—were austempered to obtain austempered ductile irons (ADIs). Polarization tests and salt spray tests were conducted to explore how both copper-alloying and austempering heat treatments influenced the corrosion behavior of ductile irons. The results showed that the corrosion resistance of 1 wt pct copper-alloyed ductile iron was better than that of the unalloyed one, while ADI had improved corrosion resistance compared with the as-cast. In particular, the ductile iron combined with the copper-alloying and austempering treatments increased the corrosion inhibition efficiency up to 84 pct as tested in 3.5 wt pct NaCl solution.     

薄板坯连铸连轧低合金耐磨钢磨料磨损特性

 研制了30CrMo,50CrV4两种牌号的薄板坯连铸连轧低合金耐磨钢板,对试验钢板进行淬火和低温回火热处理,并且与传统热轧工艺生产的热轧态的45,16Mn,Q235钢对比进行低应力磨料磨损试验,研究其磨损特性。结果表明,淬火低温回火态薄板坯连铸连轧30CrMo,50CrV4钢的相对耐磨性都达到了热轧Q235钢的1.6倍以上。在低应力磨料磨损下,显微切削机制为主要磨损机制,淬火回火态薄板坯连铸连轧低合金耐磨钢具有高硬度因而具有较好的耐磨性能,并在试验钢板硬度高于450HBW以后相对耐磨性明显提高。对比两种牌号的薄板坯连铸连轧低合金耐磨钢的显微组织、硬度、韧性及耐磨性能,30CrMo钢的综合性能较好。50CrV4钢耐磨性能较好,但其冲击韧性较低。     

Effects of austenitisation heat treatment on the fracture resistance and temper embrittlement of MnMoNi steels

The resistance to ductile and brittle fracture of four experimental melts of MnMoNi steel containing varying levels of sulphur, copper and phosphorus has been examined as a function of austenitisation heat treatment, with and without subsequent ageing at 500°C following tempering at 650°C. Fracture resistance was assessed by Charpy impact tests, fracture modes were studied using the scanning electron microscope, grain boundary segregation was quantified from Auger spectroscopy, and boron distribution determined by boron autoradiography. The results indicate that austenitisation heat treatment strongly influences the ductile-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) and upper shelf fracture energy (USE) in the quenched and tempered condition. The subsequent susceptibility to temper embrittlement is also markedly affected, high austenitisation temperatures being detrimental in all respects. Phosphorus segregation has been shown to occur during air cooling from tempering and during isothermal ageing, the degree of segregation increasing with austenitisation temperature, resulting in an increase in DBTT and a reduction in USE. Changes in DBTT and USE on isothermal ageing have been attributed to phosphorus segregation in all four composition melts. Microstructures susceptible to embrittlement have also shown enhanced levels of boron or boron-containing particles at prior austenite grain boundaries.