Heat Treatment Effect on the Microstructural, Hardness and Tribological Behavior of A105 Medium Carbon Steel

Abstract

The present work is a contribution in investigating the effect of heat treatment on microstructure, hardness and friction wear of A105N steel. Samples of 25x25 mm2 cross-section and 15mm thickness have been prepared from the as-received material and then heat-treated. The samples were austenitized at 1050°C for 60 minutes followed by water quenching, then tempered at 500 and 700°C for 120 minutes. Microstructural changes and their effect on the wear resistance and hardness were investigated according to the applied heat treatments. The main results show that after quenching the structure is mostly composed of quenched martensite, which confers high hardness and friction resistance to the steel. While the tempered structure is composed of tempered martensite and ferrite. As the temperature rises to 700°C, the tempered martensite decreases and is fully transformed to ferrite and cementite. A good wear resistance expressed by a low friction coefficient and a low wear rate is achieved by tempering at 500°C.

Investigation of Changes in the Structural-Phase State and the Efficiency of Hardening of 30CrMnSiA Steel by the Method of Electrolytic Plasma Thermocyclic Surface Treatment

“…The increase in hardness is due to the presence of solid Fe 3 C and martensite, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction. According to the changes in microstructure and microhardness, it is clear that electrolytic plasma heating affects the structure and properties of the material, so the modified layer can be clearly distinguished from the main microstructure using simple optical microscopy to assess the effectiveness of the material hardening [47]. At the periodical switching of high voltage (320 V), medium voltage (200 V), and low voltage (50 V) the heating rate is periodically increased and decreased, which allows an increase in time and obtaining a thicker heated layer.…”

The Relationship between Surface and In-Depth Hardness for the Nitrocarburizing Treatment Process

“…For example, mono-and multi-layers have a very big effect on the lifetime and cutting ability of cutting tools [22][23][24][25]. The carbonized and nitrided surfaces also have a great effect to the microstructural, hardness, tribological, and corrosion behavior of parts [26][27][28][29].…”