Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of 45 Steel by Zero Time Holding Quenching

Abstract

45 steel was quenched with zero time holding at different temperatures, followed by a high temperature tempering. The influence of quenching temperature on hardness, yield strength, tensile strength and microstructure of the steels was investigated by Rockwell tester, universal testing machines and metallographic microscopy, respectively. The results show that under quenching condition of zero time holding, hardness and strength of the 45 steel increase with increasing quenching temperature and reach the maximum at 860 °C, where the content of martensite is maximum while that of ferrite is minimum in the specimen. At higher temperatures, the grains become obviously coarse, resulting in decrease of mechanical properties.