Improving the Thermal Fatigue Strength of Hot-Working Tools by Laser Treatment

A method for increasing the thermal fatigue strength of a tool used in hot forming of bearing rings by applying circular laser tracks to the working surfaces is considered. Laser treatment is carried out with a power of 2.0...2.5 kW by applying on the end face working surface of the tool in the direction from the center to the periphery of the circular tracks with a common center coinciding with the center of the circumference of the end face; the tool is rotated at a constant angular rate, the spot diameter ds for each track is selected according to the dependence ds,i+1/ds,i = 0.85...0.90, and the laser radiation spots of adjacent tracks have a common point of contact. The results of pilot testing are presented, which confirmed the high technical and economic efficiency of the use of laser quenching for ejectors and punches. A tool made by machining, for example, an ejector of an AMP-70 automatic press, is subjected to volume quenching and tempering. The ejector material was steel 3Kh3M3F, quenching temperature in oil – 1030...1050 °С, tempering temperature – 580...610 °С. After volume quenching, additional machining is carried out, usually grinding, in order to remove the decarbonized layer of material formed during heat treatment and to give the working surface the required roughness class. The final stage in the tool manufacturing is the quenching of its working surface by laser treatment. Pilot testing showed that the use of laser treatment made it possible to increase the durability of ejectors of various types by 2 ... 3 times, of deforming punches – by 2.2 times.

Verification of the Thermal Expansion Effect of Silicone Molds Intended for Production of the Prototype Components using Vacuum Casting Technology

The article deals with vacuum casting technology and especially with the assessment of the influence of the tempering temperature of silicone molds on the dimensions of future castings. The aim was to evaluate the actual size of the castings, using different tempering temperatures of the molds and different casting materials. After examining the resulting dimensions of the individual castings, a procedure was established by which these effects could be minimized. In the end, a test of the proposed procedure is performed, which confirmed its correctness.

Effect of Tempering Treatment on Microstructural Evolution and Mechanical Behavior of Heavy-Wall Heat Induction Seamless Bend Pipe

In this paper, the microstructure and mechanical properties of heavy-wall seamless bend pipe after quenching at different tempering temperatures, including 550 °C, 600 °C, 650 °C, and 700 °C, were studied. Microstructure and dislocations observations were characterized by means of an optical microscope, a scanning electron microscope, a transmission electron microscope, and X-ray diffraction. As the tempering temperature increases, the dislocation density in the test steel gradually decreases, and the precipitation behavior of (Nb, V)(C, N) increases. The sample tempered at 650 °C exhibits a granular bainite structure with a dislocation cell structure and a large number of smaller precipitates. The yield platforms of tempered samples at 650 °C and 700 °C are attributed to the pinning effect of the Cottrell atmosphere on dislocations. The sample tempered at 650 °C not only presents the highest strength, but also the highest uniform elongation, which is attributed to the higher strain-hardening rate and instantaneous work-hardening index. This is closely related to the multiplication of dislocations, the interaction between dislocations and dislocations, and the interaction between dislocations and precipitates during plastic deformation of the 650 °C-tempered samples with low dislocation density, which delays the occurrence of necking.

Effect of Temperature on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Fe-9Ni-2Cu Steel during the Tempering Process

In this paper, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray stress meter (XRSA), atom probe tomography (APT), hardness, and tensile tests were used to study the effect of tempering temperature on the microstructure and properties of Fe-9Ni-2Cu steel. The results show that after the quenched samples were tempered at 460 °C for 2 h, the hardness values increased from 373 to 397 HV, and elongation also increased from 13% to 16%. With the tempering temperature increasing from 460 to 660 °C, the hardness firstly decreases from 397 to 353 HV and then increases to 377 HV, while the elongation increases to 17% and then decreases to 11%. The variation of the mechanical properties greatly depends on the evolution of the Cu-rich phase and carbides. The precipitation strengthening of the Cu-rich phase and carbides leads to the increase of hardness, but when the precipitate is coarsened, the precipitation strengthening weakens, and then, the hardness increases. When the tempering temperature is 560 °C, a large amount of stable reverse transformation austenite was formed with a content of 7.1%, while the tensile strength reached the lowest value of 1022 MPa and the elongation reached the maximum value of 17%.

Effect of Tempering Temperature on Microstructure and Corrosion Resistance of Plastic Mould Steel S136 SUP

Since the 21st century, the development of automotive and home appliance industries has greatly contributed to the prosperity of the plastics industry, which has led to an increasing demand for molding molds. In the production process, the molds will be impacted, worn and corroded, especially in the production of plastic products made of PVC, fluoroplastics and flame retardant ABS, etc. The molds will be corroded by the corrosive gases generated such as hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride and sulfur dioxide, which requires plastic molds to have a certain degree of corrosion resistance while ensuring strong toughness.S136 SUP is a modified martensitic stainless steel based on S136 from ASSAB, Sweden, which has fine-tuned the content ratio of some elements to ensure a certain strength and high toughness at the same time. The chemical composition, heat treatment and microstructure of the steel have a certain influence on its corrosion resistance, and the tempering temperature of the heat treatment has a greater influence on the corrosion resistance of martensitic stainless steel. Therefore, in this paper, the microstructure and corrosion resistance of S136 SUP at different tempering temperatures are explored and studied.