• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.25 no.11
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• pp.583-589
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• 2015

This paper presents a study on the room- and low-temperature impact toughness of hypoeutectoid steels with ferrite-pearlite structures. Six kinds of hypoeutectoid steel specimens were fabricated by varying the carbon content and austenitizing temperature to investigate the effect of microstructural factors such as pearlite volume fraction, interlamellar spacing, and cementite thickness on the impact toughness. The pearlite volume fraction usually increased with increasing carbon content and austenitizing temperature, while the pearlite interlamellar spacing and cementite thickness mostly decreased with increasing carbon content and austenitizing temperature. The 30C steel with medium pearlite volume fraction and higher manganese content, on the other hand, even though it had a higher volume fraction of pearlite than did the 20C steel, showed a better low-temperature toughness due to its having the lowest ductile-brittle transition temperature. This is because various microstructural factors in addition to the pearlite volume fraction largely affect the ductile-brittle transition temperature and low-temperature toughness of hypoeutectoid steels with ferrite-pearlite structure. In order to improve the room- and low-temperature impact toughness of hypoeutectoid steels with different ferrite-pearlite structures, therefore, more systematic studies are required to understand the effects of various microstructural factors on impact toughness, with a viewpoint of ductile-brittle transition temperature.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.349-355
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• 2019

This study deals with the microstructure and tensile properties of 600 MPa-grade seismic reinforced steel bars fabricated by a pilot plant. The steel bar specimens are composed of a fully ferrite-pearlite structure because they were air-cooled after hot-rolling. The volume fraction and interlamellar spacing of the pearlite and the ferrite grain size decrease from the center region to the surface region because the surface region is more rapidly cooled than the center region. The A steel bar specimenwith a relatively high carbon content generally has a higher pearlite volume fraction and interlamellar spacing of pearlite and a finer ferrite grain size because increasing the carbon content promotes the formation of pearlite. As a result, the A steel bar specimen has a higher hardness than the B steel bar in all the regions. The hardness shows a tendency to decrease from the center region to the surface region due to the decreased pearlite volume fraction. On the other hand, the tensile-to-yield strength ratio and the tensile strength of the A steel bar specimen are higher than those of the B steel bar with a relatively low carbon content because a higher pearlite volume fraction enhances work hardening. In addition, the B steel bar specimen has higher uniform and total elongations because a lower pearlite volume fraction facilitates plastic deformation caused by dislocation slip.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.28 no.10
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• pp.570-577
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• 2018

This study examines the effect of microstructural factors on the strength and deformability of ferrite-pearlite steels. Six kinds of ferrite-pearlite steel specimens are fabricated with the addition of different amounst of Mn and V and with varying the isothermal transformation temperature. The Mn steel specimen with a highest Mn content has the highest pearlite volume fraction because Mn addition inhibits the formation of ferrite. The V steel specimen with a highest V content has the finest ferrite grain size and lowest pearlite volume fraction because a large amount of ferrite forms in fine austenite grain boundaries that are generated by the pinning effect of many VC precipitates. On the other hand, the room-temperature tensile test results show that the V steel specimen has a longer yield point elongation than other specimens due to the highest ferrite volume fraction. The V specimen has the highest yield strength because of a larger amount of VC precipitates and grain refinement strengthening, while the Mn specimen has the highest tensile strength because the highest pearlite volume fraction largely enhances work hardening. Furthermore, the tensile strength increases with a higher transformation temperature because increasing the precipitate fraction with a higher transformation temperature improves work hardening. The results reveal that an increasing transformation temperature decreases the yield ratio. Meanwhile, the yield ratio decreases with an increasing ferrite grain size because ferrite grain size refinement largely increases the yield strength. However, the uniform elongation shows no significant changes of the microstructural factors.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.69-75
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• 2000

The object of the research is to estimate for pearlite structure of quenched carbon steels. The effects of temperature on physical properties metallic structures and the latent heat by phase transformation were considered. In this study a set of constitutive equations relevant to the analysis of thermo-elasto plastic materials with pearlite phase transformation during quenching process way presented on the basis of continuum thermo-dynamics. The iso-thermal transformation curve of the SM50C was formlated by cubic spline curve. The formulated equations of evolution in pearlite transformation was used for structure analysis. The volume fraction of pearlite was obtained from the results of calculated metallic structure by Finite element equation.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.350-358
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• 2004

The effects of alloying elements on microstructural features and mechanical properties in 0.55%C medium carbon steels were investigated. The samples were austenitized at 105$0^{\circ}C$ for 30min. followed by quenching in a salt bath in the temperature range of 500 ~ $620^{\circ}C$. The addition of Cr resulted in the decrease of the volume fraction of pro-eutectoid ferrite and interlamellar spacing in pearlite and the increase of strength. However, the addition of B caused the increase of the volume fraction of pro-eutectoid ferrite. Reduction of area and Charpy impact values were influenced by the combined effect of microstructural features, such as the volume fraction of pro-eutectoid ferrite, interlamellar spacing and the thickness of lamellar cementite in pearlite.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.205-211
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• 2015

The current investigation was performed to study sliding-wear-rate deviation (wear-rate data scatter) in carbon steels with various microstructures. Pure iron, 0.2 wt. % C steel, 0.45 wt. % C steel, and bearing steel (AISI52100) were used for the investigation. These steels possess different microstructures. Microstructures of the pure iron, two carbon steel and the bearing steel were full ferrite, ferrite + pearlite and full pearlite, respectively. Depending on the carbon content, the carbon steel had different pearlite-volume fractions. Dry sliding wear tests of the steel were conducted using a ball-on-disk wear tester at a sliding speed of 0.1 m/s using a bearing ball (AISI52100) as a counterpart. Applied load and sliding distance were 100 N and 300 m, respectively. More than three (up to twelve) tests were conducted for each steel under the same conditions, and the mean deviations in the wear rate of the steel (microstructure) were compared. The wear-rate deviation in the steel with ferrite + pearlite microstructure was higher than that with ferrite microstructure, and the deviation decreased with the increase of pearlite volume fraction. The pure iron and the bearing steel specimens showed much less deviation. The high deviation observed from the ferrite + pearlite steel was attributed to irregular subsurface-crack nucleation and growth at the interface between the two micro constituents (ferrite and pearlite) during the wear test.

• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.211-218
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• 2012

The effects of thickness, silicon and manganese contents on the mechanical properties of 3.3 wt%C-0.1 wt%S thin-section gray cast iron plates were investigated. The eutectic cell counts and volume fraction of pearlite in the matrix decreased with increased thickness and therefore the strength and hardness decreased with it. Even though the eutectic cell count increased with increased silicon content, the volume fraction of pearlite decreased and the strength and hardness decreased with it. The pearlite was refined more with increased manganese content and therefore the strength and hardness increased with it.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.54-60
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• 2001

This study is to investigate the mechanical properties and the fatigue crack propagation of fire resistance steel for frame structure as the chemical composition was changed by addition of N, B and rolled end temperature was varied. We used two kinds of specimen, the one is parallel and the other is perpendicular to the rolling directions. As rolled end temperature increased, volume fraction of ferrite and pearlite decreased, but volume fraction of baintie and grain size increased. Micro-hardness decreased as rolled end temperature increased, but tensile and yield strength increased. Volume fraction of ferrite and pearlite decreased by addition of N. But volume fraction of bainite, tensile and yield strength increased. Microstructure was changed to martensite by addition of B, and tensile and yield strength increased. Fatigue life of TL direction specimen was shorter than that of LT direction specimen. There was no significant effect to fatigue crack propagation rate by addition of N and changing rolling condition, but fatigue life was increased by addition of B.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.8-14
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• 2016

This article presents a study on the tensile properties of hypoeutectoid steels with different ferrite-pearlite microstructures. Nine kinds of hypoeutectoid steel specimens were fabricated by varying carbon content and isothermal transformation temperature. The microstructural factors such as ferrite & pearlite fraction, interlamellar spacing, and cementite thickness were quantitatively measured and then tensile tests were carried out on the specimens in order to investigate the correlation of the microstructural factors with strength and ductility. The pearlite volume fraction usually increased with decreasing transformation temperature, while the pearlite interlamellar spacing and cementite thickness decreased mostly with decreasing transformation temperature, irrespective of carbon content. The tensile test results showed that the yield and tensile strengths of all the steel specimens increased and their ductility was also improved as the transformation temperature decreased. For the steel specimens investigated, the difference in the transformation temperature dependence of strength and ductility could be explained by the fact that the variation in pearlite fraction with transformation temperature noticeably affected various microstructural factors such as pearlite interlamellar spacing and cementite thickness associated with pearlite fracture mechanism such as void initiation, cementite necking, and cracking.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.6-12
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• 2017

In this study tensile and impact properties of three hypo-eutectoid steels containing different micro-alloying elements were investigated in terms of microstructural factors such as pro-eutectoid ferrite grain size, pearlite fraction, interlamellar spacing, and cementite thickness. Yield point phenomenon appeared in all the steel specimens during tensile testing, and ultimate tensile stress was mainly dependent on pearlite fraction. On the other hand, the refinement of austenite grain size caused by the addition of micro-alloying elements resulted in the increment of ferrite volume fraction and carbon contents in pearlite because of the refinement of pro-eutectoid ferrite grain size. As a result, cementite thickness in pearlite increased and had an effect on deteriorating the low temperature impact toughness.