Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription or Fee Access

Influence of Quenching Medium on Microstructure, Hardness and Elevated Temperature Sliding Wear of 45C8 Steel

P. Dinesh Babu, K.R. Balasubramanian

Abstract


The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of heat treatment on microstructure, hardness and sliding wear of a medium carbon steel (45C8). The microstructure, hardness and high temperature dry sliding wear properties and behaviour of the as received and heat treated samples quenched in water and oil as quenching medium are investigated using the optical microscope, vicker hardness tester and high temperature pin on disc apparatus respectively. It is observed that the hardness of the water quenched specimens (760 HV0.5) is around 300% more than that of the parent metal (200 HV0.5) and it is 150% more than the oil quenched specimens (300 HV0.5). The microstructure shows hard martensitic structure on the outer surface of water quenched specimens whereas in oil quenched specimens, pearlite and acicular ferrite were observed. The wear test result showed an increased wear rate with increase in load. Furthermore, wear rate is lesser in water and oil quenched heat treated samples than that of the as received samples. The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis of the wear scar indicates ploughing of the metal in as received specimen, while presence of oxides and fine micro cracks in oil and water quenched samples. This conventional heat treatment method increases the hardness and strength of the 45C8 steel, leading to enhanced load carrying capacity and wear resistance, which make them suitable for the industrial applications.

Keywords


Hardness, Microstructure, Quench Hardening, Sliding Wear

Full Text:

PDF

References


I. F. Machado, “Technological advances in steels heat treatment,” Journal of Materials Processing Technology, vol. 172, pp. 169–173, Sept. 2006.

J. R. Cho, W. J. Kang, M. G. Kim, J. H. Lee, Y. S. Lee, and W. B. Bae, “Distortions induced by heat treatment of automotive bevel gears, Journal of Materials Processing Technology,” vol. 153–154, pp. 476–481, Apr. 2004.

A. K. Srivastava, K. Das, “Microstructural characterization of hadfield austenitic manganese steel,” Journal of Material Science, vol. 43 pp. 5654–5658, June 2008

L. Yue-jun, L. Yi-min, and H. B. yun, “Influence of austenitizing temperature on apparent morphologies of as-quenched microstructures of steels,” J. Cent. South Univ. Technol, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 122–129, Apr. 2006.

N. Frage, L. M. Kaputkina, V. G. Prokoshkina, D. E. Kaputkin, and N. R. Sverdlova, “Changes in the phase composition, structure, and hardness of “titanium carbide– high-carbon steel” cermets under heat treatment,” Metal Science and Heat Treatment, vol. 49, nos.3–4, pp. 167–171, April. 2007.

V. V. Shvetsov, Yu.N. Simonov, and N. N. Mitrokhovich, “Effect of hardening and tempering on cyclic crack resistance of maraging steels,” Metal Science and Heat Treatment, vol. 46. nos. 9–10, pp. 388-391, Sept. 2004.

V.I. Savran, Y. Van Leeuwen, D.N. Hanlon, C. Kwakernaak, W.G. Sloof, and J. Sietsma, “Microstructural features of austenite formation in C35 and C45 alloys,” Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, vol.38A, pp. 946 – 955, May 2007.

I. Watanabe, E. Watanabe, Z. Cai, T. Okabe, M. Atsuta, “Effect of heat treatment on mechanical properties of age - hardenable gold alloy at intraoral temperature,” Dental Materials, vol.17, pp. 388 – 393,Oct. 2001.

M. Ueda, K. Uchino, A. Kobayashi, “Effects of carbon content on wear property in pearlitic steel,” Wear, vol. 253, pp. 107–113, 2002.

H. Goto, Y. Amamoto, “Effects of varying load on wear resistance of carbon steel under unlubricated conditions,” Wear, vol. 254, pp. 1256–1266, Feb. 2003.

I. Magnabosco, P. Ferro, A. Tiziani, F. Bonollo, “Induction heat treatment of a ISO C45 steel bar: Experimental and numerical analysis,” Computational Materials Science, vol. 35, pp. 98–106. Mar. 2006.

F. Ravnik and J. Grum, “Relation between sound emission occurring during quenching and mechanical properties of the steel after quenching,” BHM, vol. 155. no. 3, pp. 119–124, 2010.

T. V. Rajan, C. P. Sharma, Ashok Sharma, Heat Treatment Principles and Techniques, Prentice hall of India Private Limited, 1998, ch. 4, pp.55.

V. I. Zel’dovich, “Three mechanisms of formation of austenite and inheritance of structure in iron alloys,” Metal Science and Heat Treatment, vol.50. nos. 9–10, pp. 442-448, Sept. 2008.

V. M. Schastlivtsev, I. L. Yakovleva, L. E. Karkina, Yu. V. Khlebnikova, and T. I. Tabatchikova, “Analysis of the orientation relationships between austenite, widmanstätten carbides, and martensite in the 150G4 high-carbon steel after isothermal – α transformation,” The Physics of Metals and Metallography, vol. 102. no.3, pp. 295–304, Feb. 2006.

S. Serajzadeh, A. Karimi Taheri, “A study on austenite decomposition during continuous cooling of a low carbon steel,” Materials and Design, vol. 25, pp. 673–679, Apr. 2004.

Y. C. Lin, S. W. Wang, and T. M. Chen, “A study on the wear behavior of hardened medium carbon steel,” J. Mater. Process. Technol., vol. 120, pp. 126–132, July 2002.

A. Bahrami, S.H. Mousavi Anijdan, M.A. Golozar, M. Shamanian, and N. Varahram, “Effects of conventional heat treatment on wear resistance of AISI H13 tool steel,” Wear, vol. 258, pp. 846–851, Oct. 2005.

G. V. Kurdjumov, L. M. Utevskii, and R. I. Entin, Transformations in Iron and Steel, Nauka, Moscow, 1977.

V. M. Schastlivtsev, D. A. Mirzaev, and I. L. Yakovleva, Structure of Heat-Treated Steel Metallurgiya, Moscow, 1994.

V. I. Izotov and P. F. Khandarov, “Classification of martensitic structures in iron alloys,” Fiz. Met. Metalloved, vol. 34, no.2, pp. 332–338, 1972.

M. Umomoto, E. Yoshitake, and I. Tamura, “The morphology of martensite in Fe–C, Fe–Ni–C alloys,” J. Mater. Sci. vol. 18, no.10, pp. 2893–2904, 1983.

V. I. Izotov, “Morphology and crystal geometry of lath (massive) martensite,” Fiz. Met. Metalloved, vol. 34, no.1, pp. 123–132, 1972.

M. A. Smirnov, V. M. Schastlivtsev, and L. G. Zhuravlev, Fundamentals of Heat Treatment of Steel, Naukai Tekhnologiya, Moscow, 2002.

J. P. Tu, X. H. Jie, Z. Y. Mao and M. Matsumura, “The effect of temperature on the unlubricated sliding wear of 5CrNiMo steel against 40 MnB steel in the range 400–600°C,” Tribology International, vol. 31, no.7, pp. 347–353, 1998.

D.T.Llewellyn, and R.C. Hudd, Steels Metallurgy and Applications, Reed educational and Professional Publishing Ltd, 2004, ch. 3.

J. capo-sanchez, and J. A. Perez-Benitez, “Dependence of the magnetic barkhausen emission with carbon content in commercial steels,” Journal of Materials Science, vol. 39, pp. 1367 – 1370, 2004.

H. K. D. H. Bhadeshia, and R. W. K. Honeycombe, Steels Microstructure and Properties, Butterworth-Heinemann Elsevier Ltd, 2006, ch. 5.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.36039/AA072011008

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.