Influence of phosphorus content and quenching/tempering temperatures on fracture toughness and fatigue life of SAE 5160 steel

This study investigates the influence of quenching/tempering temperatures on the fracture toughness and fatigue life of SAE 5160 steel, considering different phosphorus contents. Quenching and tempering treatments were applied to samples removed from different bars of commercial SAE 5160 steel with different P content. Three different austenitizing temperatures for quenching: 850, 900 and 1000 ºC and a constant holding time of 15 minutes were used. The oil temperature for quenching was kept at 66 ºC and the tempering conditions were 470, 500 and 530 ºC with the necessary time for a final hardness of 45 ± 3 HRC. Therefore, the heat treatments cycles were applied to specimens containing low (0.012 wt. (%)), medium (0.017 wt. (%)) and high (above 0.025 wt. (%)) phosphorus contents, in order to observe the effects of this element on the susceptibility of these steels to enhance quench and tempering embrittlements. The Charpy tests results showed that the phosphorus content analyzed in this work has caused embrittlement, even in the bars with the lowest P content, leading to intergranular fracture. However, if the nucleation life is taken into consideration, this embrittlement has no effect on the nucleation fatigue life of the component

Fatigue behavior of ASTM A-297 grade HP steel modified with niobium in high temperatures

Este trabalho teve por objetivo estudar o comportamento mecânico em elevadas temperaturas do aço ASTM A-297 Gr HP modificado ao nióbio. Este tipo de aço é utilizado em suportes de tubos que permanecem longos períodos de tempo expostos em temperaturas de operação próximas a 900ºC. Nesta pesquisa, foram estudadas a microestrutura, a resistência mecânica, a tenacidade ao impacto e a resistência à fadiga, considerando o efeito da temperatura de ensaio. Para a avaliação do efeito da temperatura e tempo de permanência na microestrutura e, consequentemente, nas propriedades mecânicas, foram realizados ensaios de dureza, tração e impacto para cada uma das condições apresentadas. Todas as condições do material envelhecido apresentaram a presença de precipitados nos contornos interdendríticos e precipitados secundários no seio da matriz austenítica, fazendo com que o material elevasse seus parâmetros de resistência mecânica, quando comparado com a condição de como-recebido (CR). Após esta etapa, foi estudado o comportamento mecânico em temperaturas elevadas, apenas para as condições CR e T1000 (envelhecido a 927°C durante 1000 horas). Ensaios mecânicos de tração, impacto e fadiga (E-N e da/dN-\'delta\'K) foram realizados nas seguintes temperaturas: 25ºC, 871ºC, 899ºC, 927ºC, 954ºC e 982ºC. Para a avaliação dos ensaios de impacto, utilizaram-se corpos de prova Charpy do tipo convencional (presença do entalhe) e pré-trincados (entalhe mais pré-trinca). Em todas as temperaturas de ensaio de tração, observou-se que a condição T1000 resultou em aumento do valor dos parâmetros de resistência mecânica e diminuição da sua ductilidade, em relação à condição CR. Em ensaios nas temperaturas elevadas, observou-se que a precipitação de carbetos secundários na matriz austenítica da condição T1000 é capaz de evitar uma queda acentuada dos parâmetros de resistência mecânica, quando comparada com a condição CR. As duas condições (CR e T1000) mostraram-se sensíveis à presença de um concentrador de tensão (entalhe mais pré-trinca), quando submetidas a ensaios de impacto. Os resultados de tração e impacto corroboram as evidências fractográficas encontradas para cada condição, indicando que há uma maior parcela de fratura dúctil nas amostras ensaidas em temperaturas elevadas do que na temperatura ambiente. Em relação ao comportamento em fadiga do material, observou-se que a vida em fadiga do material ensaiado em 25ºC foi muito maior do que a 927ºC, principalmente na região de fadiga de alto ciclo. Este fato pode ser atribuído a dois fatores dependentes do tempo: nucleação prematura decorrente de uma significativa redução do limite de escoamento e devido ao efeito da oxidação superficial das bandas de deslizamento permanentes. Os ensaios de propagação de trinca por fadiga mostraram que a taxa da/dN foi maior na temperatura de 927ºC do que em 25ºC, devido ao fato da maior ductilidade que o material apresenta em elevadas temperaturas, associado aos efeitos de oxidação e de fluência. Alguns resultados de fadiga de baixo ciclo foram confrontados com modelos teóricos de plasticidade. As curvas teóricas foram capazes de simular relativamente bem os resultados experimentais.This work aims to study the mechanical behavior at high temperatures of ASTM A-297 Gr HP steel changed with niobium. This type of steel is used for pipe supports that remain exposed long periods of time at operating temperatures near 900°C. In this study, was studied the microstructural composition, the mechanical strength, impact toughness and fatigue resistance, considering the effect of temperature test. To evaluate the effect of temperature and residence time in the microstructure and hence the mechanical properties were performed hardness, tensile and impact test for each of the conditions presented. All conditions of the aged material showed the presence of precipitates in the interdendritic boundaries and secondary precipitates within the austenitic matrix, causing the material to elevate its mechanical strength, compared to CR condition. After this step was studied the mechanical properties at elevated temperatures only for the conditions CR and T1000 (aged at 927°C for 1000 hours). Tensile, impact and fatigue tests (E-N and da/dN-\'delta\'K), were performed at the following temperatures: 25°C, 871ºC, 899ºC, 927ºC, 954ºC and 982°C. To evaluate the impact tests, were used Charpy specimens of the conventional type (presence of the notch) and pre-cracked (pre crack more notch). In all test temperatures of traction, it was observed that the T1000 condition resulted in an increase of the value of mechanical strength and reduction of its ductility, compared to CR conditions. In tests at elevated temperatures, it was observed that the precipitation of carbides in the austenitic matrix of the secondary condition T1000 is able to avoid a sharp decline in mechanical strength compared with the proviso CR. The two conditions (CR and T1000) were sensitive to the presence of a stress raiser (notch further pre-crack) when subjected to impact tests. The results of tensile and impact fractographies corroborate the evidence found for each condition, indicating a greater share of ductile fracture in testing samples at elevated temperatures than at room temperature. Regarding the fatigue behavior of the material, it was found that the fatigue life of the material tested at 25°C was much greater than 927°C, especially in the region of high cycle fatigue. This fact can be attributed to two factors dependent on the time: premature nucleation due to a significant reduction in yield strength and due to the effect of surface oxidation of permanent slip bands. The tests of crack propagation by fatigue showed that the rate da/dN was greater at a temperature of 927°C than at 25°C, because of higher ductility that the material exhibits at high temperatures associated with the effects of oxidation and creep

The Influence of the Austenitizing Temperatures for Quenching and Tempering on the Toughness and Fatigue Life of SAE 5160 Steel with Different P Contents

O objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar a influência das temperaturas de austenitização de têmpera e de revenimento na tenacidade ao impacto e na vida em fadiga do aço-mola SAE 5160, considerando diferentes teores de fósforo. Foram efetuados tratamentos térmicos de têmpera e revenimento em lâminas de aço SAE 5160 com bitolas de 70x10 mm, utilizando três diferentes temperaturas de austenitização: 850ºC, 900ºC, e 1000ºC, com tempo de permanência em forno durante 15 minutos. A temperatura do óleo de têmpera foi de 66ºC. As condições de revenimento foram de 470ºC (70 min), 500ºC (64 min), e 530ºC (59 min), desde que a dureza final fosse mantida no intervalo de 45±3 HRC. Foram efetuados tratamentos térmicos em lâminas com baixo, médio e altos teores de fósforo (0,012%, 0,017%, 0,025% e 0,031% em peso), com a finalidade de observar o efeito do teor de fósforo sobre uma possível fragilização do aço-mola. Analisando os resultados obtidos, foi possível observar que o P, mesmo em teores abaixo do máximo permitido e dependendo das temperaturas de austenitização e revenido, pode causar a fragilização induzindo à fratura frágil do tipo intergranular, como foi observado nas análises das superfícies de fratura. No entanto, se a vida de nucleação for considerada, pode-se observar também que a fragilização não possui efeito algum sobre a vida em fadiga do componente.The aim of this work was to analyze the influence of austenitizing and tempering temperatures on the impact and fatigue life of the SAE 5160 spring steel, considering two different P amount. Bars (70 x 10 mm) were heat treated using three different austenitizing temperatures, 850ºC, 900ºC and 1000ºC, with a 15 min furnace soaking time. The quenching temperature was 66ºC. The tempering conditions were 470ºC (70 min), 500ºC (64 min), e 530ºC (59 min), since the final hardness has to be kept in the range of 45±3 HRC. Heat treatment was carried out in materials with similar chemical compositions but with different P levels, this is, 0,012%, 0,017%, 0,025% and 0,031 wt%, looking at the effect of the P level to quench and temper embrittlement. From the results was possible to observe that the P content, even bellow the maximum level, depending on the quench and temper temperatures may cause embrittlement, as observed by the absorbed impact energy and fracture surface analysis. However, if nucleation life is considered, it was also observed that this embrittlement has no effect on the fatigue life

Equivalence between hot tensile and creep testing data for Kanthal A1 alloy

Hot tensile and creep tests were carried out on Kanthal A1 alloy in the temperature range from 600 to 800 degrees C. Each of these sets of data were analyzed separately according to their own methodologies, but an attempt was made to find a correlation between them. A new criterion proposed for converting hot tensile data to creep data, makes possible the analysis of the two kinds of results according to usual creep relations like: Norton, Monkman-Grant, Larson-Miller and others. The remarkable compatibility verified between both sets of data by this procedure strongly suggests that hot tensile data can be converted to creep data and vice-versa for Kanthal A1 alloy, as verified previously for other metallic materials

Influence of Annealing Heat Treatment and Cr, Mg, and Ti Alloying on the Mechanical Properties of High-Silicon Cast Iron

The influence of annealing on the mechanical properties of high-silicon cast iron for three alloys with distinct chromium levels was investigated. Each alloy was melted either with or without the addition of Ti and Mg. These changes in the chemical composition and heat treatment aimed to improve the material's mechanical properties by inhibiting the formation of large columnar crystals, netlike laminae, precipitation of coarse packs of graphite, changing the length and morphology of graphite, and rounding the extremities of the flakes to minimize the stress concentration. For alloys with 0.07 wt.% Cr, the annealing reduced the impact resistance and tensile strength due to an enhanced precipitation of refined carbides and the formation of interdendritic complex nets. Annealing the alloys containing Ti and Mg led to a decrease in the mechanical strength and an increase in the toughness. Alloys containing approximately 2 wt.% Cr achieved better mechanical properties as compared to the original alloy. However, with the addition of Ti and Mg to alloys containing 2% Cr, the chromium carbide formation was inhibited, impairing the mechanical properties. In the third alloy, with 3.5 wt.% of Cr additions, the mechanical strength improved. The annealing promoted a decrease in both hardness and amount of iron and silicon complex carbides. However, it led to a chromium carbide formation, which influenced the mechanical characteristics of the matrix of the studied material