Increasing of the steels properties by an ecological method of isothermal and step quenching

The relevance. Improving the mechanical properties of steels makes it possible to increase the service life of machine parts, which is an important task in materials science. One of the promising directions in its solution is to obtain in steel a multiphase structure, one of the main components of which is metastable austenite, which undergoes a dynamic deformation martensitic transformation (DDMT) - self-hardening effect under loading (SHL). Methods providing the required structure are isothermal and step quenching. However, at present, when they are carried out for cooling from the austenitizing temperature and holding at the constant temperature used non-environmentally friendly substances: heated oil, molten salts or alkalis. In this regard the actual problem is the exclusion of them from the technological process. The possibility of solving this problem on several steels has shown. Purpose is to show the possibility of increasing the mechanical properties of the studied steels 30ХГСА, 38ХС, 45Г, 40ХН, 10Г12, 60Х18 by using rational modes of an environmentally friendly method of steels quenching (isothermal - for low-alloyed and step - for high-alloyed) due to obtaining in their structure along with other components of metastable residual austenite and the implementation of the SHL effect. Research methods. Samples of the investigated steels after austenitization (in some cases with holding in IСIT) were cooled in water to the temperature of lower bainite formation (isothermal quenching) or stabilization of supercooled austenite to martensitic transformation upon cooling (step quenching), after which they were kept in a furnace and cooled in air to room temperature. Durometric, metallographic and X-ray research methods were used. The tensile properties and impact strength were determined. These properties were compared with those obtained for the studied steels after a typical heat treatment, including quenching in oil and tempering. Results. It is shown that isothermal and step quenching of the investigated steels without the use of non-environmentally friendly substances, carried out according to rational modes, makes it possible to increase the mechanical properties in comparison with their level after the commonly used quenching in oil (fire hazard, the vapors are cancerogenic) and tempering. This is achieved by obtaining a multiphase structure with metastable austenite. Scientific novelty. It is proposed to obtain a multiphase structure with metastable austenite in them to improve the mechanical properties of the studied steels by conducting isothermal and step quenching in an environmentally friendly way without using heated oil, molten salts or alkalis. Practical value. For the studied steels the modes of isothermal and step quenching are determined in an environmentally friendly way, which make it possible to increase the mechanical properties in comparison with the level achieved by quenching and tempering. Wherein in contrast to a similar typical quenching method are excluded the costs of purchasing salts or alkalis, their disposal and washing of products from them. Compared to quenching and tempering, the new method does not require the use of oil and tempering. The latter improves ecology and reduces energy consumption during heat treatment.

Adjusting Mechanical Properties of Forging Dies Produced by Ausforming

Due to high thermo-mechanical loads, tools used in hot forming operations need a high resistance to different damage phenomena, such as deformation, cracking and abrasion. They are exposed to cyclic thermo-mechanical stress conditions, which leads to tool failure and subsequent tool replacement during cost-intensive production interruptions. To increase wear resistance, forging tools can be produced in the metastable austenite area. Forming of steel below the recrystallisation temperature, also known as “ausforming”, offers the possibility to increase strength without affecting ductile properties. This is due to grain refinement during forming. In this study, the thermo-mechanical treatment ausforming will be used to form the final contour of forging dies. For this purpose, an analogy study was performed where a cup-preform is ausformed, which represents the inner contour of a highly mechanically loaded forging die. It is investigated to what extent a fine-grained microstructure generated in the last forming stage can be achieved and how it influences the tool’s performance. The hot-working tool steel X37CrMoV5-1 (AISI H11) was used as workpiece material. To achieve optimal properties, process routes with tempering temperatures from 300 °C to 500 °C and global true plastic strains of φ = 0.25 and φ = 0.45 were examined. The results were evaluated by pulsation tests, metallographic analysis and hardness measurements of the formed parts. Optimal ausforming parameters were derived to produce a high performance forging die.