SELECTION OF STEELS TO BE LASER-HARDENED

L. S. Kremnev, E. V. Kholodnov,
and O. V. Vladimirova

UDC 669.14:621.9.048.7

At present laser hardening is being effectively used in tool production for hardening of
cutting tools, die parts, and molds [i, 2]. There is strong practical interest in the use
of laser technology for the purpose of increasing the wear resistance of the working surfaces
of measuring tools and a number of high-precision parts. Through hardening, normally used
for this, does not answer one of the most important requirements imposed on the above parts,
maintenance of dimensional stability during long service and storage.
The majority of laser-hardened tools and parts must have a quite thick-hardened case.
This is important, first, in those cases in which the parts experience increased contact
loads and, second, in order to provide the presence of a hardened case after grinding of their
working surfaces. As a result of this, the hardened case depth must be not less than 0.6-0.8
mm. However, this is frequently not done.
There is much information on laser treatment of previously annealed steels. The depth of
the hardened case is 0.2-0.3 mm, which does not make it possible to use such a heat treatment
for high precision parts and measuring tools to be subsequently machined (grinding, honing).
Earlier, we proposed a significant influence of thermal conductivity on the laser-hardened
case depth [3]. On the basis of this, a method was proposed making it possible to significantly increase the depth and hardness of the hardened case by a preliminary heat treatment
of the steels providing the obtaining in them of a relatively stable structure, sorbite or
troostite [4].
This work presents the results of an investigation on determination of additional factors
influencing the depth and hardness of the CO2-1aser hardened case.
The investigation was made on 45, U8, UI0, UI2, Kh, 12Khl, 9KhS, KhVG, KhI2M, 60S2, 65G,
and 7N3 steels in the annealed condition.
The selection of the steels was the result of the fact that they make it possible to
determine the influence of carbon, the content of which varied from 0.45 to 1.5%, and also
of the various alloy elements on the depth and hardness of the hardened case. It is also
characteristic that this series includes hypoeutectic, eutectic, hypereutectic, and ledeburitic
steels having all possible structures in the original condition.
The i0 I0 30 mm specimens were irradiated with a continuous action CO2-1aser with
a radiation power of 1.25 kW, a rate of scanning of the beam of 5 mm/sec, and a diameter of
the spot of 9 mm. For better absorption of the laser radiation, the specimens were first
oxidized.
As may be seen from Fig. i, after laser hardening the hardness of the steels of different
groups is different.
The eutectic steels U8 and 60S2 have the greatest depth and hardness of the hardened
case and the hypoeutectic steel 45 and the ledeburitic steel KhI2M the least. The different
depths of the hardened case may be explained by the difference in hardening temperatures of
the investigated steels, which are highest for the hypoeutectic and ledeburitic steels. As
the result of irradiation of these steels to the hardening temperatures, a thinner layer is
heated, as the result of which the martensitic transformation occurs in a limited volume.
For the eutectic and hypereutectic steels, the hardening temperatures are lower.
However,
for the hypereutectic steels a portion of the heat is expended on solution of the excess
carbides, which are centers of decomposition of austenite into a ferrite-cementite mixture
and decrease the hardenability of the steel.

Translated from Metallovedenie i Termicheskaya Obrabotka Metallov, No. 9, pp. 49-52,

September, 1987.

0026-0673/87/0910-0695512.50

1988 Plenum Publishing Corporation

695

800 ~

2~

700 - -

800 '!!

~o

700

600

500

600 > ' ~

500

~00

~00

3oo

300

o,2

o,o

o,6

o,8

1,o h, rmn

0,2"0,4, 0,6

H
800 -

'~1

0,8

l,O ti, m m

.5

7OO
,oo

\\\
O,Z .0,#

0,6

0,8

1,0 h,

mrn

Fig. i. Hardness profiles of carbon (a), alloy (b), and

eutectic (c) steels across the thickness of the hardened
case (h is distance from the surface): i) U8 steel; 2)
UI0; 3) UI2; 4) 45; 5) 60S2; 6) KhVSG; 7) 9KhS; 8) KhVG;
9) 12Khl; i0) Kh; ii) KhI2M; 12) 65G; 13) 7N3.
The results of microstructural investigation of the hardened zone of the hypoeutectic,
hypereutectic, and ledeburitic steels showed that their structures are inhomogeneous. In
the structure of 45 steel areas of martensite with an increased hardness (750-800 H) and
areas with excess ferrite were observed (Fig. 2a).
Low-carbon martensite and also areas of austenite are observed in the structure of KhI2M
steel (Fig. 2b). In the hypereutectic steels small areas with a troostitic structure are
observed at the boundaries of the secondary carbides (Fig. 2c). The structure of the eutectic
steels is completely martensitic (Fig. 2d).
The depth of the laser-hardened case is determined by the austenitic grain size. To
confirm this the grain size in the eutectic steels U8 and 60S2 and in the hypereutectic
steels UIO, Kh, and KhVG was determined with the use of quantitative metallographic analysis.
The grain boundaries were revealed by oxidation. For each specimen the average nominal grain
diameter was determined by the method of counting the intersections of the grain boundaries
with sections of straight lines [5]. The results of determination of the grain size were
(error 2 pm):
Steel
d, pm
U8
60C2
UI0
Kh
KhVG

696

20.9
22.2
14.3
14.4
16.8

Fig. 2. Structures of the laser-hardened zone of 45 (a),

KhI2M (b), Kh (c), and 60S2 (d) steels. 500.
The grain size of the eutectic steels is approximately 1.5 times greater than of the
hypereutectic. A decrease in grain size retards the austenitic transformation since the
centers of crystallization are formed primarily at the grain boundaries and with coarsening
of the grains the total extent of boundaries decreases. This causes an additional increase
in the hardened case thickness of the eutectic steels in comparison with the hypereutectic
ones.
As a rule, in laser irradiation alloy steels harden to a greater depth than carbon steels.
The thermal conductivity of the steel also has a significant influence on the depth of the
hardened case. The thermal conductivity of alloy steels is half that of carbon steels [6].
Consequently, in hardening of alloy steels, a thicker layer is heated than in hardening of
carbon steels when the heat is dispersed into a depth of the metal as the result of the higher
thermal conductivity and a shallower case is heated to hardening temperatures.
It is known that, as a rule, with the addition of alloy elements to a steel the critical
hardening speed decreases. However, in laser hardening the rate of flow of heat into the
depth of the metal and the influence of this factor on the depth of the hardened case is less
significant than in through hardening. This makes it necessary to consider the question of
selection of specific alloy elements for steels to be laser-hardened differently than in
through hardening. Such alloy elements must decrease the thermal conductivity of steels to
the greatest degree (silicon, for example, has such an action). With addition of nickel to a
steel the thermal conductivity drops to a lesser degree [7]. This is indicated by the results
of irradiation of different eutectic steels shown in Fig. Ic with 60S2 steel having the
greatest depth of hardening and 7N3 steel the shallowest.
The differences in hardening temperatures of the investigated steels and in the size of
the carbides in their structure and many other factors make difficult a quantitative comparison
of the influence of individual elements on the thermal conductivity of a steel. Analyzing
the relationships of the thermal conductivity of a steel to volume content of alloy elements
[6, 8], it must be noted that the more of elements with a low thermal conductivity in the
composition of the steel, the lower the thermal conductivity of the steel. The greatest
depth of hardened case is obtained in such steels as the result of laser hardening.
Therefore, the hardenability of steels in laser hardening is determined by different
factors than in through hardening. Actually, while in through hardening the hardenability
of steels increases under the action of alloy elements as the result of an increase in the
stability of supercooled austenite, in laser hardening their influence on hardenability is
determined by the decrease in thermal conductivity and also by the change in hardening temperature of the steels as the result of alloying of them.
Consequently, to obtain a hardened case of the maximum depth it is necessary to select
a eutectic steel, to alloy it with elements reducing the thermal conductivity, and to first
heat treat it to troostite [3].

697

TABLE 1
~res,
Steel
45
U8
UI0
UI2
Kh
12Khl

I %
/
o
18
29
~6
2z

Steel

870
820
78o
760

9KhS
KhVSG
60S2
65G
qN3
KhI2M

81o
8] o

Ares'
%

26

810
800
870
77Q
870
640

6
9
59

To establish the reasons for the different hardnesses of the investigated steels (Fig. i)
the quantity of residual austenite after laser irradiation was determined by x-ray diffraction
analysis [9].
The results of the investigation are given in Table i.
It may be seen that with an increase in residual austenite the hardness of the steels
drops. In the eutectic steels the quantity of residual austenite is the lowest (5-10%) while
the microhardness is the highest (820-870 H). With a change to hypereutectic steels the
quantity of residual austenite increases to 25-30% while the hardness drops slightly (to 810
H). For the ledeburitic steel KhI2M the residual austenite content is the highest (60%) and
the hardness the lowest, 640 H. Consequently the quantity of residual austenite has a significant influence on the hardness of the laser hardened case.
Conclusions.
i. In laser hardening the influence of alloy elements on the increase in
hardenability in the steel is determined by the decrease in its thermal conductivity under
their action and also by the change in hardening temperature of the steels.
2. For an increase in hardened case thickness in laser hardening it is necessary to
select a steel of eutectic composition alloyed with elements decreasing its thermal conductivity to the greatest degree and for the same purpose to give it a preliminary heat treatment
for troostite.
LITERATURE CITED
I.
2.

V. S. Velikikh et al., "Pulsed laser hardening of a production tool," ~lektron. Promysh.,

No. I (49), 64 (1976).
V. S. Kovalenko (ed.), Hardening of Parts with a Laser Beam [in Russian], Tekhnika, Kiev

(1981), p. 131.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

L. S. Kremnev et al., "Hardening of the working surfaces of plane-parallel end standards

of length by laser irradiation," Fiz.-Khim. Obrab. Mater., No. 3, 13 (1985).
Inventors' Cert. 1014925 USSR. IPC S 2 1 D 1/09.
"A method of heat treatment of high
precision parts and tools with laser irradiation.
GOST 5639-82. Steels and Alloys. Methods of Revealing and Measuring Grain Size [in
Russian].
A. A. Shmykov, Heat Treater's Handbook [in Russian], Mashgiz, Moscow (1961), pp. 15, 17.
G. V. Samsonov (ed.), The Properties of the Elements [in Russian], Part I, Metallurgiya,
Moscow (1976), p. 185.
R. E. Krzhizhanovskii, "The relationship of the thermal conductivity of certain hightemperature strength alloys to condition and heat treatment," Teploenergetika, No. I, 44

(1958).
9.

698

V. A. Landa, "The structure of the secondary hardened layer occurring in grinding,"

Metalloved. Term. Obrab. Met., No. 12, 12-18 (1959).