Heat-Treated Properties of Low-Alloy Steels

Alloy Grade
Density (g=cm3)
TRS (psi) TRS Tensile Impact UTS (psi) YS (psi) Elongation (%) Impact Energy (ft-lb f) Hardness (HRC)
FL-4205 6.72 6.78 6.72 190,100 129,700 <1 6.0 28.9
6.95 6.97 6.95 (232,000) 150,700 <1 (9.0) 34.8
7.17 7.15 7.17 270,100 179,600 159,400 <1 10.5 40.5
FL-4405 6.76 6.75 6.75 185,900 121,900 <1 6.3 28.2
7.00 6.94 6.94 227,100 155,900 <1 8.7 35.0
7.29 7.31 7.31 299,700 202,200 <1 13.2 41.4
FL-4605 6.61 6.73 6.61 168,700 125,000 <1 5.7 27.6
6.95 6.96 6.95 (240,000) 147,900 <1 (8.5) 33.5
7.17 7.19 7.17 280,600 175,300 <1 11.5 37.8
FL-4205 1.5 Ni 6.70 6.72 6.72 177,100 115,100 <1 7.0 31.6
7.06 7.01 7.01 255,200 159,900 146,700 <1 10.2 39.7
7.32 7.33 7.33 336,000 202,600 179,900 1 17.3 45.2
Note: Values in parentheses estimated from density carbon content data.
Source: From Sanderow, H.I. and Prucher, T., Advances in Powder Metallurgy and Particulate Materials1994, Vol. 7, Metals
Powder Industries Federation, Princeton, NJ,
1994, pp. 355366.

Heat Treatment of Powder Metallurgy Steel Components 771

_ 2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Other specia l co nsideration for que nch and tempe ring P=M parts is the large amount
of surfa ce area associ ated with the porosit y. The signi ficance of this effect can be seen in
Table 13.7. A steel P=M part with a density of 6.81 g=cm 3 c ould have app roximatel y 100 times
the activ e su rface area than expecte d ba sed on part size an d loading . Thi s has important
effe cts on the unifor mity of the load, as the atmos phere composi tion wi ll have a greater
chan ge from the inlet to the exhau st. Ver y good circulati on of gases must be maintained to
achieve a higher de gree of unifor mity.
Table 13.8 lis ts a number of P =M steel alloys and their harden abilities. The harden abilities
are in term s of the depth in Jominy distance (1 =16 in.) to whi ch the Jominy bar was ha rdened
to a minimum of 65 HRA (~29.5 HRC ). The effec ts of de nsity an d alloy content can be
readil y seen .

13.9 SINTER HARDENING

It is common to have a separat e, postsi ntering heat-trea tment unit, but in so me cases, it is
possibl e to incorpora te the hea t treatment in the cooling por tion of the sint ering cycle, as
done in sinter hardening. The term sinter hardening refers to a process in which the cooling
rate, experienced in the cooling zone of the sintering furnace, is fast enough to transform a
TABLE 13.5
The Effect of Varying the Carbon Content on Heat-Treated Properties of Low-Alloy Steels
Alloy Grade % Carbon UTS (psi) TRS (psi) Impact Energy (ft-lbf) Hardness (HRC)
FL-42XX 0.12 88,200 147,600 18.2 8.5
0.38 180,300 270,100 10.5 39.8
0.50 179,600 40.5
0.67 151,300 255,400 9.7 45.5
FL-46XX 0.16 121,200 202,800 13.5 19.8
0.44 175,600 280,600 11.5 40.3
0.50 175,300 37.8
0.68 141,700 249,400 12.2 43.3
Note: All samples tempered at 1768C (3508F) for 1 h with sintered density range of 7.157.20 g=cm3.
Source: From Sanderow, H.I. and Prucher, T., Advances in Powder Metallurgy and Particulate Materials1994,