Effect of Tempering Temperature on Microstructures and Wear Behavior of a 500 HB Grade Wear-Resistant Steel

Abstract

The microstructure and wear behavior of a 500 Brinell hardness (HB) grade wear-resistant steel tempered at different temperatures were investigated in this study. The tempering microstructures and wear surface morphologies were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The relationship between mechanical properties and wear resistance was analyzed. The microstructure of the steel mainly consisted of tempered martensite and ferrite. Tempered troosite was obtained when the tempering temperature was over 280 °C. The hardness decreased constantly with the increase of tempering temperature. The same hardness was obtained when tempered at 260 °C and 300 °C, due to the interaction of Fe3C carbides and dislocations. The impact toughness increased first and reached a peak value when tempered at 260 °C. As the tempering temperature was over 260 °C, carbide precipitation would occur along the grain boundaries, which led to temper embrittlement. The best wear resistance was obtained when tempered at 200 °C. At the initiation of the wear test, surface hardness was considered to be the dominant influencing factor on wear resistance. The effect of surface hardness improvement on wear resistance was far greater than the impact toughness. With the wear time extending, the crushed quartz sand particles and the cut-down burs would be new abrasive particles which would cause further wear. Otherwise, the increasing contact temperature would soften the matrix and the adhesive wear turned out to be the dominant wear mechanism, which would result in severe wear.

Bowtie Method: Study of Occupational Health and Safety Risks in Cement Production Process

“…Based on Brinell's hardness to temperature linkage diagram, the strength of steel can be reduced when the temperature is more than 300°C. 14 During the production process, steel which is the constituent component of the kiln shell has a temperature range between 200°C to 250°C. 14 Therefore, heat can become dangerous when the temperature increases from 100°C to1800°C in the burning zone without control.…”

Effect of tempering on the impact-abrasive and abrasive wear resistance of ultra-high strength steels

“…This might lead into a more severe impacts requiring higher toughness properties. A study by Wen et al [14] showed that the improved impact toughness by tempering might provide better wear resistance when steels are tested in severe impact loading conditions. Therefore, the balance of mechanical properties and wear resistance is essential when choosing the suitable steel for a given application.…”

“…Thus, the effect of tempering on the wear resistance is of great interest. Some examples of studies conducted on the topic can be found by Trevisiol et al [13], Wen et al [14], and Wei et al [15]. However, the wear tests have been typically done using pin-on-disc or another similar very simplified device.…”

The size effect of martensite laths and precipitates on high strength wear-resistant steels

“…In the manufacturing process of wear-resistant steels, quenching and tempering can effectively control the comprehensive properties such as wear resistance and hardness, which has been widely studied [13][14][15][16]. Abbasi et al compared the properties of low alloy steels after multiple tempering [17].…”