Research into Grinding Hardening of Microalloyed Non-quenched and Tempered Steel

Grinding hardening is a new technology of hardening steel piece surfaces with grinding heat generated in the grinding process instead of with a high or medium frequency induction heating method,which can effectively integrate grinding and surface hardening. Experimental studies were carried out on grinding hardening of non-quenched and tempered steel. Through grinding experiments with variable depths of cut and feeding rate,the variation in the depth of the hardening layer was studied and the microstructure of the hardening zone of the test pieces was subsequently ana-lyzed. In the end,the hardening effect of non-quenched and tempered steel was compared with that of 40Cr steel,which revealed the superiority of non-quenched and tempered steel in grinding hardening technology.

Development of non-quenched and tempered bolt steel

The 8.8 grade non-quenched and tempered bolt steel was studied according to the process conditions of wire rod plant and customer requirments.Three types of experimental steel grades were selected.10MnSiTi Nb and 20Mn2VTi(N) were chosen as the formal steel after several experimemts.

Effects of Mg–Ca treatment and Ca treatment on impact toughness and morphology of sulfides in 45MnVS non-quenched and tempered steel

An industrial experiment was conducted at a certain steel plant in China to compare and analyze the effects of Ca treatment and Mg–Ca treatment on inclusions in 45MnVS non-quenched and tempered steel. Through scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive scanning analysis of the morphology and composition of inclusions, as well as Aspex quantitative analysis of their quantity, type and size, the formation mechanism of MnS–oxide (MnS inclusions with oxide cores) was intensively studied. The influence of sulfide morphology on the impact properties of steel was also analyzed. The results show that the quantity percentage of spindle-shaped sulfides in Ca-treated steel is 19.99%, and that in Mg–Ca-treated steel is 35.38%. Compared with Ca-treated steel, there are more MnS–oxide inclusions in Mg–Ca-treated steel. Controlling the content of Ca and Mg in the oxide core of MnS–oxide inclusion above 10 wt.% and the area ratio below 5 would contribute to the formation of spindle-shaped inclusions after rolling. The mismatch between MnS and oxides decreases with the increase in MgO content in the oxides, which is beneficial to nucleation and precipitation of MnS with this type of oxides as the core. Under the same deformation conditions, the size of sulfide does not affect its aspect ratio. Under the experimental conditions, the inclusion containing a certain amount of MgO can enhance its sulfur capacity, facilitating the formation of composite sulfides. The transverse impact energy of Ca-treated steel is 25.785 J, and that of Mg–Ca-treated steel is 32.119 J. Compared with the traditional Ca-treatment, Mg–Ca treatment can increase the number of spindle-shaped sulfides in the steel, thereby improving the transverse impact toughness of the steel and reducing the anisotropy of the mechanical properties of the material.

Estimation of probable maximum aspect ratio of MnS inclusions in non-quenched and tempered steel after isothermal compression

To clarify the deformation behavior of MnS inclusions in a non-quenched and tempered steel at three different positions (edge, 1/2 radius and center) in the cross-section of the billet in the course of hot rolling, isothermal compression experiments were performed under the deformation temperature range from 1073 to 1473 K, the reduction rates from 25% to 75% and the strain rates from 0.01 to 10 s^(−1). The variations of deformability features (i.e., aspect ratios, size distributions, and morphologies) of MnS inclusions with those isothermal compression parameters were revealed. The evaluation of the probable maximum aspect ratio of MnS inclusions at the three different positions in the cross-section of the billet after hot rolling was examined using the statistical analysis of extreme values. Results showed that the number densities of MnS inclusions at three different positions (edge, 1/2 radius and center) in the cross-section of the steel billet only fluctuated slightly when the deformation parameters varied in the isothermal compression, while the average inclusion aspect ratios in all cases generally have a negative correlation with the deformation temperature and positive correlations with the reduction ratio and the strain rate. Statistical analysis reveals that larger inclusions deform more easily during hot rolling. The effect of rolling temperature on the extreme value of the aspect ratio of inclusions is the smallest, while the effects of initial size, reduction ratio and strain rate are more significant.

Morphological transformation of elongated MnS inclusions in non-quenched and tempered steel during isothermal heating

Elongated MnS inclusions in rolled non-quenched and tempered steel tend to cause the mechanical anisotropy of steel,deteriorate the mechanical properties and degrade the quality and service life of the steel products.To reveal the mechanisms of morphological transformation of strip-shaped MnS inclusions during isothermal heating,the effects of heat treatment time and temperature on the morphology,number density and size distribution of elongated MnS inclusions were systematically studied and discussed.A diffusion couple experiment was also conducted to clarify the diffusion mode of MnS inclusions.The experimental results showed that with the increase in isothermal heating time(from 0 to 10 h at 1473 K)and temperature(from 1173 to 1573 K for 3.0 h),the number density and average aspect ratio of MnS inclusions generally showed an increase and decrease trend,respectively,while the area fraction remained stable and only slightly fluctuated around 0.4%.In the diffusion couple,after the isothermal heating at 1473 K for 3.0 h,the elements Mn and S in the steel near the steel-MnS interface were very stable without any concentration gradient.The morphology change sequence of the elongated MnS inclusions in the rolled non-quenched and tempered steel during the isothermal heating was strip→cylinderization→spindle→spheroidization.Relationship between the diameter of MnS inclusion and the spacing between two MnS inclusions after splitting,and the fitting goodness of different n values under different experimental time and temperature confirmed that the driving force for the transformation of MnS inclusions during the isothermal heating was surface diffusion,instead of volume diffusion.

Review on regulation of MnS in non-qquenched and tempered steel

An overview of the current research status and control methods of MnS in non-quenched and tempered steel was provided.As a low-melting plastic inclusion,the morphology and distribution of MnS were influenced by various production processes.Therefore,control of MnS is a systematic problem that must be integrated into the entire production process.Based on the production process,the factors affecting the morphology and distribution of MnS in steel were introduced.The effects of oxygen activity,manganese,sulfur,and some alloys on MnS inclusion precipitation were summarized,mainly including MnS modification treatment and oxygen-sulfide composite precipitation control.It is believed that MnS precipitates during the solidification process of steel,and controlling the solidification cooling rate could effectively regulate the size and morphology of MnS,avoiding the precipitation of II-MnS.Additionally,by changing the deformation rate,deformation amount,deformation temperature during the hot deformation process,and heating time and temperature during heat treatment,the distribution and morphology of MnS could be improved.Through the fine control of the above process parameters,the number of II-MnS in steel could be effectively reduced,and their morphology could be improved,thereby enhancing the performance of non-quenched and tempered steel and promoting its wider application.Furthermore,applying laboratory research results to industrial production is an important direction for future research efforts in this field.

Theoretical calculation of the impact work in the alloying non-quenched and tempered steel

Coupled with hot-continuous rolling technology and based on the calculation of the finishing rolling impact work in the non-quenched and tempered Si-Mn steel, the calculations of the finishing rolling impact work in the alloying non-quenched and tempered steel with the elements of Cr, Ni, Mo, W, Cu, V, Nb and Ti are studied with the covalent electron number nA of the strongest bond in alloying phases, the smallest electron density difference ?ρ of phase interfaces, and the number of atom states σ (σ′) which keep the interface electron density continuous. The calculated results show that the finishing rolling impact work of the alloying non-quenched and tempered steel intensely depends on strengthening mechanisms. The solution strengthening, interface strengthening, precipita- tion strengthening of pearlite, and dispersion strengthening will result in the decrease of the finishing rolling impact work; the refinement strengthening, the precipitation strength- ening of V, Nb and Ti in α-Fe-C-V(Nb, Ti), and the residual austenite containing Ni on the boundary of α-Fe-C-Ni will increase the impact work; and the increments or decrements can be calculated with nA, ?ρ, σ (σ′) and weights of alloying elements. The calculation formulas of the finishing rolling impact work in this paper are intergraded with the sug- gested ones of the finishing rolling tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation of the non-quenched and tempered steel. The calculated results agree well with the measured ones.

Theoretical calculation of the finishing rolling impact work in non-quenched and tempered Si-Mn steel

Based on the hot-continuous rolling technology, the finishing rolling impact work α k of the non-quenched and tempered Si-Mn steel is theoretically calculated with the covalent electron number nA of the strongest bond in alloying phases, and the smallest interface electron density difference Δρ of alloying phase interface and the number of atom states σ which keep the interface electron density continuous. Calculations show that the solution strengthening, the precipitation strengthening, and the interface strengthening will result in the decrease of the finishing rolling impact work α k, and the effects of the number of atom states σ which keep the interface electron density continuous on the finishing rolling impact work α k are different. Taking the impact work and the number of atom states σ 0 keeping the electron density continuous of the phase interface α-Fe/α-Fe-C between α-Fe and α-Fe-C as reference values, the impact work of the interface will increase when σ of some interface is larger than σ 0; otherwise, the impact will decrease. Therefore, the finishing rolling impact work α k can be calculated with the impact value of the refined α-Fe matrix and the influence amounts caused by the solution strengthening, the precipitation strengthening, the interface strengthening, and the number of atom states σ which keep the interface electron density continuous. The calculated results agree well with the measured ones. In this paper, the effect of S on the impact work is also discussed.

Effect of Nb-V Microalloying on Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of Medium Carbon Non-Quenched and Tempered Steel

Based on optical microscope(OM),transmission electron microscope(TEM) and mechanical performance measurement,the microstructures and mechanical properties of Nb-V micro-alloying non-quenched and tempered steels have been studied.The results showed that the microstructure consists of ferrite and pearlite,in which there exists a lot of intragranular ferrite.Niobium carbide is the main form of carbonitrides,Nb-enriched carbonitrides refine grains,V-enriched carbonitrides have precipitation strengthening effect,which promotes the toughness of the studied steel.The mechanical properties for steels 1,2 and 3 have met the standards required by high load automobile crankshaft,in which the comprehensive property for No.2 is the best.

Effects of Ni content and tempering temperatures on microstructure and properties of medium-carbon cast steel

The microstructure evolution and properties of medium-carbon cast steel alloyed with different Ni contents after tempering at various temperatures have been investigated.The addition of 0.47-1.59 wt.%Ni content results in the formation of 16%-36% retained austenite(RA).The blocky and irregular-polygonal RA mainly forms along the prior austenite grain boundaries,and the tempering temperature does not affect the RA content.The hardness of medium-carbon cast steel is affected by the precipitation of carbides and the hardness of martensite.Excessive RA content is the main cause of intergranular impact rupture and low impact energy.The long-strip carbides formed after tempering at 320℃ would further reduce the impact energy of medium-carbon cast steel.When tempering at 220 and 380℃,the increase in impact energy is attributed to the formation of rod-like and spherical carbides and the low-carbon martensite.For the medium-carbon cast steel with high impact energy,its impact-abrasive wear resistance is more excellent.Micro-cutting and delamination are the primary wear mechanisms.

Influence of on-line tempering parameters on microstructure of medium-carbon steel

A new process involving ultra-fast cooling（UFC）and on-line tempering（OLT）was proposed to displace austempering process,which usually implements in a salt/lead bath and brings out serious pollution in the industrial application.The optimization of the new process,involving the evolution of the microstructure of medium-carbon steel during various cooling paths,was studied.The results show that the cooling path affected the final microstructure in terms of the fraction of pearlite,grain size and distribution of cementite in pearlite.Increasing the cooling rate or decreasing the OLT temperature contributes to restraining the transformation from austenite to ferrite,and simultaneously retains more austenite for the transformation of pearlite.It is also noted that bainite was observed in the microstructure at the cooling rate of 45℃/s and the OLT temperature of 500℃.Through either increasing the cooling rate or decreasing the OLT temperature,the distribution of cementite in pearlite is more dispersed and grain is refined.Taking the possibility of industrial applications into account,the optimal process of cooling at 45℃/s followed by OLT at 600℃ after hot rolling was determined,which achieves a microstructure containing nearly full pearlite with an average grain size of approximately 7μm and a homogeneously dispersed distribution of cementite in pearlite.

Microstructural Characteristics and Mechanical Properties of Low-Alloy, Medium-Carbon Steels After Multiple Tempering

The microstructure and mechanical properties of NiCrMoV-and NiCrSi-alloyed medium-carbon steels were investigated after multiple tempering. After austenitising, the steels were hardened by oil quenching and subsequently double or triple tempered at temperatures from 250 to 500 °C. The samples were characterised using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, while the mechanical properties were evaluated by Vickers hardness testing, V-notched Charpy impact testing and tensile testing. The results showed that the retained austenite was stable up to 400 °C and the applied multiple tempering below this temperature did not lead to a complete decomposition of retained austenite in both steels. It was also found that the microstructure, hardness and impact toughness varied mainly as a function of tempering temperature,regardless of the number of tempering stages. Moreover, the impact toughness of NiCrMoV steel was rather similar after single/triple tempering at different temperatures, while NiCrSi steel exhibited tempered martensite embrittlement after single/double tempering at 400 °C. The observed difference was mainly attributed to the effect of precipitation behaviour due to the effect of alloying additions in the studied steels.