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HEAT TREATMENT
OF METALS
1996.2 p.40-42
INTRODUCTION
From time to time over the last few decades, interest has been
shown in the effect of low temperatures during the heat treat
ment cycle on the performance of steels, particularly tool steels.
Published articles range from the merely promotional,
publicising various proprietary processes, to more detailed
metallurgical investigations.
To the casual reader, there may appear to be some confusion
between the conflicting claims of some of the literature. The
purpose of this review is to present a bibliography, to sum
marise the current state of knowledge in this area, and point to
the underlying mechanisms involved. In a future article, results
of work done on several grades of tool steel will be reported.
In order to avoid confusion, a distinction will be drawn between
"cold treatment", at temperatures down to about -80C
or thereabouts, and "deep cryogenic treatment", at about
liquid-nitrogen temperatures (-196C) since, as will be
discussed later, these two temperature ranges result in
different effects.
BASIC MICROSTRUCTURAL CONSIDERATIONS
The usual purpose of heat treating a tool steel is to achieve a
microstructure consisting of a suitable distribution of carbides
of desired type in a matrix of tempered martensite. In most
high-carbon and alloy tool steels, significant amounts of
austenite are retained after initial hardening, because the M f
may be substantially below room temperature. After comple
tion of the heat treatment cycle, the performance of the com
ponent will depend on the combined effect of each of the
microstructural constituents. In order to make any sense of the
effects of deep cryogenic treatment on properties, it is
necessary to view the process in the context of phenomena
relating to each of these main constituents.
Retained Austenite
Although the factors affecting retained austenite are numerous
and interrelated, the phenomena are reasonably well under
stood:
+ Alloying elements, especially carbon, in solution, strengthen
the austenite. More energy is thus required to effect the
shearing mechanism to produce martensite. A greater
degree of undercooling is thus required, lowering the Ms.
Strong carbide-formers may tie up carbon as undissolved
carbides, having little effect on Ms.
Increasing
austenitising
temperature
increases
austenite grain size, and also alloy and carbon dissolution,
further reducing Ms.
The transformation of austenite to martensite during cool
ing is not time-dependent, but related to the degree of cool
ing below the Ms.
Slow or interrupted cooling may allow stress relief and
possibly diffusion to occur, reducing the driving force for
40
Martensite
A full treatment of the metallurgy of martensite is outside the
scope of this article. In relation to deep cryogenic treatment,
only a few points need to be noted:
Martensite is supersaturated with carbon which, during
tempering, precipitates out as carbides, the nature of which
depend on alloy content and tempering temperature.
The instability of martensite is associated with the strain
energy relating to its dislocation/twin structure, and with
interfacial energy associated with lath boundaries and
martensite/retained austenite boundaries (when the
austenite is present as thin inter-lath films).
Carbon atoms segregate to dislocation sites and interfaces,
and tend to cluster at such sites.
At very low temperatures, the activation energy for carbon
diffusion (and alloy diffusion) is too high to permit
formation of carbide precipitates as in the final stages of
tempering.
Tempered-martensite embrittlement may result from
cementite films precipitating from inter-lath austenite
during tempering.
Carbides
As with martensite, only a few points need to be noted here,
with specific reference to deep cryogenic treatment:
The type of carbide formed during tempering depends
mainly on alloy content and tempering temperature.
Some carbides in the final microstructure will be those that
remained undissolved during the austenitising treatment.
The size and distribution of carbides precipitated out from
the martensite (or retained austenite) during tempering will
be dependent on nucleation and growth phenomena,
influenced in turn by a number of factors, including prior
thermal history.
Nucleation and growth are time-dependent.
Secondary Hardening
The phenomenon of secondary hardening in some high-alloy
tool steels is caused by a combination of two main mecha
nisms:
Transformation of "conditioned" retained austenite to
martensite on cooling.
Precipitation of a fine distribution of alloy carbides
(especially the very hard, abrasion-resistant M2C and MC).
Other strengthening/hardening mechanisms include solution
hardening by the alloying elements, and strengthening due to
the prevention of grain coarsening by some of the alloy
carbides.
Heat Treatment o f Metals 1996.2
HEAT TREATMENT
OF METALS
review
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bayer H.E. Can I benefit from the use of low temperature treatment?
Steel Processing. Oct. 1953,502-508.
Nordquist W.N. Low-temperature treatment of metals. Tooling and
Production. July 1953, 72-100.
Morris V. Below zero chilling toughens metals, increases tool life.
Machine and Tool Blue Book. Jan. 1955, 124-134.
Andrews K.W. Empirical formulae for the calculation of some trans
formation temperatures. Journal o f the Iron & Steel Institute, 1965,
Vol.203, No. 7, 721-727.
Cryogenic quenching cuts warpage. Iron Age. May18, 1967,88-89.
Moore C. Development of the BOC Ellenite process (cold treatment of
metals with liquid nitrogen). Heat Treatment '73. The Metals Society,
1975, Book no. 163, 157-161.
Barron R.F. Effect of cryogenic treatment on lathe tool wear. Progress
in Refrigeration Science and Technology. 1973, Vol. 1,529-534.
Barron R.F. Yes, cryogenic treatment can save you money! Here's
why. Tappi Corrugated Containers Conference, Denver, Colorado,
1973,35-40.
Bowes R.G. The theory and practice of sub-zero treatment of metals.
HEAT TREATMENT OF METALS. 1974.1, Vol.1,29-32.
Barron R.F. Cryogenic treatment produces cost savings for slitter
knives. Tappi J. May 1974, Vol. 57, No. 5, 137-139.
Taylor J. Cold plunge gives tools an extra lease of life. Metalworking
Production. May 1978, 73-77.
Barron R.F. and M ulhem C. Cryogenic treatment of AISI-T8 and
C1045 steels. Advances in Cryogenic Engineering Materials. 1980,
Vol. 26, 171-179.
Miller P. Cryogenics: deep cold solves. Tooling and Production. 1980,
Vol 45, No. 11,82-86.
Popandopulo A.N. and Zhukova L.T. Transformations in high
speed steels during cold treatment. Metal Science and Heat Treatment.
1980, Vol.22, 708-710.
Barron R.F. Cryogenic treatment of metals to improve wear
resistance. Cryogenics. Aug. 1982, Vol.22, No.5,409-413.
Keen A.R. Cryogenic treatment to improve wear resistance of steel by
the "Cryotough" process. Metals Australasia. Aug. 1982, Vol. 14, No.7,
12-13,21.
Alexandru I., Picos C. and Ailincai G. Contributions on the study of
the increase of durability of the high-alloyed tool steels by thermal
treatments at cryogenic temperatures. Proceedings o f the 2nd
International Congress on Heat Treatment o f Materials (Florence,
Sept.20/24, 1982), 573-579.
Frey R. Cryogenic treatment improves properties of drills and P/M
parts. Industrial Heating. Sept 1983, Vol. 50, No.9,21-23.
Leonard L. Enhancing metals properties with supercold; fact or fancy.
Materials Engineering. 1985, Vol. 102, No. 2,29-32.
Sweeney T.P. Deep cryogenics: the great cold debate. Heat Treating.
Feb. 1986, Vol. 18, No.2,28-32.
Pillai R.M., Pai P.C. and Satyanarayana K. Deep cryogenic
treatment of metals. Tool and Alloy Steels. June 1986,205-208.
New dry refrigerent treatments improve characteristics and wear
resistance of metal parts. Industrial Heating. Mar. 1986, Vol. 53, No.3,
36-38.
Alexandru I., Coman G. and Bulancea V. The change of the
substructure elements and the redistribution of the alloying elements
by means of cryotreatments in alloy tool steels. Proceedings o f the 5th
International Congress on Heat Treatment o f Materials (Budapest, Oct.
20/24, 1986), Vol.2,901-908.
Gilmore V.E. Frozen tools. Popular Science. June 1987,64-67, 106-109.
Reasbeck R.B. Improved tool life by the Cryotough treatment.
Metallurgia. Apr. 1989, Vol. 56, No.4, 178-179.
Alexandru I., Ailincai G. and Baciu C. Influence of cryogenic
treatments on life of alloyed high-speed steels. Memoires et Etudes Sci.
Rev. Metall. 1990, Vol 87, No.6, 383-389.
Carlson E.A. Cold treating and cryogenic treatment of steel. ASM
Handbook. 1991, Vol. 4,203-206.
Paulin P. Mechanism and applicability of heat treating at cryogenic
temperatures. Industrial Heating. Aug. 1992, Vol. 59, No.8,24-27.
Albert M. Cutting tools in the deep freeze. Modern Machine Shop.
Jan. 1992,54-61.
Moore K. and Collins D.N. Cryogenic treatment of three heat-treated
tool steels. Key Engineering Materials. 1993, Vol. 86-87, 47-54.
AUTHOR'S ADDRESS
David Collins is with the National Heat Treatment Centre,
University College Dublin, Department of Mechanical
Engineering, Dublin 4, Ireland.
0
42
S3
C.G. Williams.
HEAT TREATMENT
OF METALS
notes fo r contributors
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REFERENCES should be indicated in the text by a superscript(8) and in the bibliography as:
8. Hick A.J. What's new in surface heat treatment? The
Metallurgist and Materials Technologist. Dec. 1979, Vol.11,
No.12,685-691.
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