Influence of Austenite Grain Size on Mechanical Properties after Quench and Partitioning Treatment of a 42SiCr Steel

Härtel, S.; Awiszus, B.; Graf, M.; Nitsche, A.; Böhme, M.; Wagner, M. F.-X.; Jirkova, H.; Masek, B.

doi:10.3390/met9050577

Influence of Austenite Grain Size on Mechanical Properties after Quench and Partitioning Treatment of a 42SiCr Steel (bibtex)

by S. Härtel, B. Awiszus, M. Graf, A. Nitsche, M. Böhme, M. F.-X. Wagner, H. Jirkova, B. Masek

Abstract:

This paper examines how the initial austenite grain size in quench and partitioning (Q-P) processes influences the final mechanical properties of Q-P steels. Differences in austenite grain size distribution may result, for example, from uneven heating rates of semi-finished products prior to a forging process. In order to quantify this influence, a carefully defined heat treatment of a cylindrical specimen made of the Q-P-capable 42SiCr steel was performed in a dilatometer. Different austenite grain sizes were adjusted by a pre-treatment before the actual Q-P process. The resulting mechanical properties were determined using the upsetting test and the corresponding microstructures were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). These investigations show that a larger austenite grain size prior to Q-P processing leads to a slightly lower strength as well as to a coarser martensitic microstructure in the Q-P-treated material.

Reference:

Härtel, S., Awiszus, B., Graf, M., Nitsche, A., Böhme, M., Wagner, M. F.-X., Jirkova, H., Masek, B.: Influence of Austenite Grain Size on Mechanical Properties after Quench and Partitioning Treatment of a 42SiCr Steel, Metals 9, 577, 2019.

Bibtex Entry:

@Article{Haertel2019a,
  author    = {Härtel, S. and Awiszus, B. and Graf, M. and Nitsche, A. and Böhme, M. and Wagner, M. F.-X. and Jirkova, H. and Masek, B.},
  title     = {Influence of Austenite Grain Size on Mechanical Properties after Quench and Partitioning Treatment of a 42SiCr Steel},
  journal   = {Metals},
  year      = {2019},
  volume    = {9},
  number    = {5},
  pages     = {577},
  month     = {may},
  abstract  = {This paper examines how the initial austenite grain size in quench and partitioning (Q-P) processes influences the final mechanical properties of Q-P steels. Differences in austenite grain size distribution may result, for example, from uneven heating rates of semi-finished products prior to a forging process. In order to quantify this influence, a carefully defined heat treatment of a cylindrical specimen made of the Q-P-capable 42SiCr steel was performed in a dilatometer. Different austenite grain sizes were adjusted by a pre-treatment before the actual Q-P process. The resulting mechanical properties were determined using the upsetting test and the corresponding microstructures were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). These investigations show that a larger austenite grain size prior to Q-P processing leads to a slightly lower strength as well as to a coarser martensitic microstructure in the Q-P-treated material.},
  doi       = {10.3390/met9050577},
  publisher = {{MDPI} {AG}},
}