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DOI: 10.1007/s11661-007-9403-3
The Authors(s) 2008
significant change in the final microstructure of the austenitization temperature, whereas in the 0.5Cr steel it
0.5Cr steel. Then the temperature dependence of the is only 0.025 at 1085 K. In the 0.5Cr steel a cementite
cementite fraction was considered (Figure 1(b)) in order volume fraction of 0.04 is expected after austenitization
to choose a lower temperature for austenitization of the at 1045 K (Figure 1(b), triangle).
0.5Cr steel. For successfully spheroidized alloys (1.5Cr, The obtained microstructure shows a completely
2.5Cr, and 3.5Cr) the volume fraction of cementite spheroidized microstructure (Figure 5(a)) with a network
has been found to be between 0.04 and 0.06 at the of grain boundary cementite (Figure 5(b)). However, the
Aspect
Steel dL, lm rL, lm fL dS, lm rS, lm fS Total Cementite Fraction Ratio
*
0.5Cr 0.42 0.17 0.74 0.13 0.02 0.26 0.13 1.4
1.5Cr 0.41 0.17 0.70 0.13 0.02 0.30 0.13 1.5
2.5Cr 0.44 0.18 0.70 0.13 0.02 0.30 0.13 1.4
3.5Cr 0.47 0.20 0.70 0.14 0.02 0.30 0.14 1.4
* Data after improved spheroidization heat treatment.
spheroidization, expressed as the average aspect ratio, and coarsening/dissolution of cementite is slower due to
shows that the cementite in all steels is sufficiently Cr additions. The advantage of using such high austen-
spheroidized. The spheroidization of high-carbon steels itization temperatures is the increased possibility to
with different Cr contents results in a bimodal distribu- dissolve the grain-boundary cementite network present
tion of cementite particles, where almost 30 vol pct of in the initial pearlitic microstructure. In low-Cr steel it is
the particles have a mean size of 0.13 lm and the rest necessary to decrease the austenitization temperature to
have a mean size of 0.41 to 0.47 lm. It should be noted A¢1 + 40 K in order to promote the DET reaction, i.e.,
that the bimodal distribution arises from the particles to reduce the particle spacing after the austenitization
formed at the austenite grain boundary and the particles treatment.
formed within austenite grains. Verhoeven[5] made a A kinetic model for the DET reaction has recently
similar observation of bimodality in the particle size been proposed by Verhoeven.[17] This model assumes
distribution in hypereutectoid steels. In this research, that during austenite to ferrite transformation carbon
almost the same size and size distributions of cementite diffuses away from the moving interface, both into
particles are observed after spheroidization of steels with austenite and ferrite toward the pre-existing cementite
different Cr contents, and the hardness for all steels is particles. The carbon diffusion fluxes make the cement-
approaching the optimal value for good machinability. ite particles grow without nucleation of new cementite
This illustrates that by proper control of the heat particles. Verhoeven[17] has analyzed the carbon flux
treatment parameters, similar microstructures can be balance at the austenite-ferrite interface located between
obtained independent of the Cr content (with an two cementite particles and has shown that the rate of
exception for the 0.5Cr steel, where the boundary the DET reaction can be expressed as a function of the
cementite is spheroidized but not completely elimi- cementite particle spacing at the austenitization temper-
nated). ature and the degree of undercooling at which the ferrite
formation starts. It is clear that large undercoolings lead
to high interface velocities and large particle spacings
IV. DISCUSSION necessitate considerable carbon diffusion for the DET
reaction, so that both (large undercoolings and large
In hypereutectoid steels, the decomposition of aus- particle spacings) favor the pearlitic reaction. Verho-
tenite containing cementite particles can occur either by even[17] has also compared the DET growth velocities
the pearlitic reaction or by the DET reaction, depending for an Fe-C alloy with that of pearlite growth, and
on the austenitization process and cooling rates. found a transition line for undercoolings and particle
Although the existence of the DET reaction has been spacings below which the DET reaction is completed
known for years, only a limited number of studies of the before pearlite has had time to nucleate.
mechanism and especially of the effect of alloying In this research, the undercoolings 0
are found from the
elements on the DET reaction are available. The work dilatometry experiments as DT ¼ A1 Tstart , where Tstart
has mainly been performed on SAE 52100 bearing is the austenite-ferrite transformation starting tempera-
steel,[3–12] for which the achievement of a well-sphero- ture. The particle spacings at the austenitization temper-
idized structure is necessary before the subsequent atures are calculated with DICTRA software, assuming
machining and further bainitic or martensitic heat that the initial particle size is about 0.4 lm. The fact that
treatment.[15,16] the intercritical spheroidization process was studied
This work has shown that a change in Cr content in allows us to assume that pearlite lamellae have already
hypereutectoid steels has a significant influence on the been broken during heating and the dissolution of
cementite spheroidization process. The austenitization cementite particles occurs during the isothermal holding
of high-Cr steels can be performed at higher tempera- at austenitization temperatures. This assumption is
tures without the promotion of the pearlitic reaction, supported by metallurgical observations on the samples
which is opposite to the effect of Mn experimentally quenched immediately after reaching the austenization
found by Verhoeven[5] and Beswick.[12] It is possibly not temperature. For the well-spheroidized microstructures,
only due to an increase of the A¢1 temperature with Cr the particle spacing at austenitization temperatures can
content, but also because Cr is a very strong carbide also be estimated using results of the optical microscopy.
former leading to a sufficient amount of cementite even The number of particles per unit area is the same at room
at austenitization temperatures as high as A¢1 + 75 K, and austenitization temperatures, since there is no
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors gratefully acknowledge the industrial part-
ners SKF and Corus Group, particularly Drs. J. Slycke,
R.H. Vegter, R. Mostert, and Mr. P. Neuman for their
continuous interest in this research.
Fig. 7—(a) Transition lines for cementite particle spacing vs und-
ercooling for steels with different Cr contents. Symbols show experi- OPEN ACCESS
mentally determined undercoolings, whereas particle spacing for each
case was calculated with DICTRA software. Arrows show which This article is distributed under the terms of the Crea-
particle spacings/undercoolings belong to the microstructures of
Figs. 3(b) and 5(a). (b) Effect of Mn and Cr on the transition line tive Commons Attribution Noncommercial License
between the pearlitic and DET reaction. which permits any noncommercial use, distribution,