Hardening (metallurgy)

About: Hardening (metallurgy) is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 25584 publications have been published within this topic receiving 376012 citations.

Tempering Kinetics of the Martensitic Phase in DP Steel

Abstract: The increase in the yield stress of dual phase (DP) steels, resulting from the static strain ageing phenomenon, commonly referred to as bake hardening (BH), gives an important contribution to the additional in-service strength of outer auto body parts, e.g. with respect to the dent resistance of the components made with DP steel. In order to understand this large BH effect, the role of the different constituents of the DP steel during this process needs to be considered. The various stages of tempering phenomena taking place in the martensite phase were investigated in detail by means of precision dilatometry and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). The succession of the various tempering reactions that are characterised by typical volume changes was determined using both constant heating rate and isothermal dilatometric tests. The measurements made it possible to distinguish five distinct stages of structural changes during tempering: (I) the redistribution of carbon atoms, (II) the precipitation of η- or e-carbide, (III) the formation of Hag-carbide, (IV) the decomposition of retained austenite, and (V) the transformation of transition carbides to cementite.

Effect of metallurgical parameters on the hardness and microstructural characterization of as-cast and heat-treated 356 and 319 aluminum alloys

Abstract: The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of metallurgical parameters on the hardness and microstructural characterization of as-cast and heat-treated 356 and 319 alloys, with the aim of adjusting these parameters to produce castings of suitable hardness and Fe-intermetallic volume fractions for subsequent use in studies relating to the machinability of these alloys. By measuring the amount of Fe- and Cu-intermetallics formed and the changes in the eutectic Si particle characteristics resulting from alloying additions (Fe, Mn, Mg), Sr-modification, and heat treatment of the 356 and 319 alloys, and the corresponding hardness values, it was possible to determine which conditions or metallurgical parameters yielded the required Fe-intermetallic volume fractions of 2 and 5% and hardness levels of 85 and 115 BHN. These levels conform to the most common levels observed in the commercial application of these alloys. The 356 and 319 alloys were examined in the as-cast and heat-treated conditions, using different combinations of grain refining, Sr-modification, and alloying additions. Aging treatments were carried out at 155, 180, 200, and 220 °C for 4 h, followed by air cooling, as well as at 180 and 220 °C for 2, 4, 6, and 8 h to determine conditions under which the specified hardness levels of 85 and 115 HBN could be obtained. Hardness measurements were carried out using a Brinell hardness tester. Peak hardness was observed in the 356 and 319 alloys at different aging conditions, depending upon the Fe-intermetallic type present in the alloy and whether the alloy was modified or not. Aging at 220 °C revealed a hardness peak at 2 h aging time in both 356 and 319 alloys. Addition of Mg to 319 alloys produced a remarkable increase in hardness at all aging temperatures. This may be explained on the basis of the combined effect of Cu- and Mg-intermetallics in the 319 alloys, where hardening during aging occurs by the cooperative precipitation of Al 2 Cu and Mg 2 Si phase particles [P. Ouellet, F.H. Samuel, J. Mater. Sci. 34 (1999) 4671–4697; P.N. Crepeau, S.D. Antolovich, J.A. Worden, AFS Trans. 98 (1990) 813–822]. Iron-intermetallic volume fraction measurements were carried out on polished specimens of the 356 and 319 alloys using electron probe microanalysis, for both as-cast and heat-treated conditions. Copper-intermetallic volume fractions were also measured for the 319 alloys to determine the amount of undissolved CuAl 2 phase. It was observed that the unmodified alloys displayed higher Fe-intermetallic surface fractions than the modified alloys. The copper-intermetallic surface fractions, on the other hand, were higher in the Sr-modified alloys than the unmodified alloys. These observations may be attributed to the effect of Sr on (a) the dissolution and fragmentation of the β-Fe-intermetallics in the matrix, the solution heat treatment also contributing to this effect; (b) severe segregation of Al 2 Cu and Al 2 MgCu phases in areas away from the eutectic Si regions, slowing down the dissolution of the Al 2 Cu phase during solution treatment; (c) altering the precipitation sequence of α-Al 15 (Fe, Mn) 3 Si 2 from post-dendritic to pre-dendritic, the latter being expected to improve the alloy strength due to its precipitation within the α-Al dendrites.

On the effect of dose rate on irradiation hardening of RPV steels

Abstract: The effect of dose rate (DR), or neutron flux (ϕ), on irradiation hardening (Δσy) and embrittlement of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels is a key unresolved issue. We report a rigorous evaluation of DR effects based on a very large Δσy database we developed for RPV steels with a wide range of compositions, including a set of split-melt alloys with controlled and systematic variation in Cu, Ni and Mn content. The steels were irradiated at 290°C in three ϕ-regimes to a wide range of overlapping fluences (ϕt). The contribution of copper-rich precipitates (CRPs) to Δσy increases up to a plateau hardening that is a strong function of the alloy Cu, Ni and Mn content, but is relatively independent of DR. However, the pre-plateau region is shifted to higher ϕt with increasing DR. The shift can be approximately accounted for by defining an effective fluence (ϕte) as ϕte ≈ ϕt(ϕr /ϕ)1/2, where ϕr is a reference flux. The ϕ −1/2 scaling is consistent with a vacancy plus self-interstitial-atom (SIA) recombination r...