• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.230-236
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• 2023

The current study deals with the effect of cooling rate and temperature for annealing on medium-carbon Cr-Mo alloy steel, especially for cold heading quality wire rod, to derive the optimum micro-structures for plastic deformation. This is to optimize the spheroidization heat treatment conditions for softening the material. Heat treatment was performed under seven different conditions at a temperature between A_c1 and A_c3, mostly within 720℃ to 760℃, and the main variables at this time were temperature, retention time and cooling rate. Microstructure and phase changes were observed for each test condition, and it was confirmed that they were greatly affected by the cooling rate. It was also confirmed that the cooling rate was changed in the range of 0.1℃/min to 5℃/min and affected by phase deformation and spheroidization fraction. The larger the spheroidization fraction, the lower the hardness, which is associated with the increasing connection of ferrite phases.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.345-350
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• 2014

The current study elucidates the effects of cementite spheroidization and pro-eutectoid ferrite on the sliding wear resistance in medium carbon (0.45wt%C) and high carbon (1wt%C) steels. Both steels were initially heat treated to obtain a fully pearlite or ferrite + pearlite microstructure. Spheroidizing heat treatments were performed on both steels to spheroidize the pearlitic cementite. Sliding wear tests were conducted using a pin-on-disk wear tester with the steel specimens as the disk and an alumina ($Al_2O_3$) ball as the pin. The sliding wear tests were carried out at room temperature in air with humidity of $40{\pm}2%$. Adapted sliding distance and applied load was 300m and 100N, respectively. Sliding speed was 0.1m/s and the wear-track radius was 9 mm. Worn surfaces and cross-sections of the wear track were examined using an SEM. Micro Vickers hardness of the wear-track subsurface was measured as a function of depth from the worn surface. Hardness and sliding-wear resistance of both steel decreased with increased spheroidization of the cementite. The decrease was more significant in the fully pearlitic steel (1wt%C steel). The steel with the pro-eutectoid ferrite showed relatively higher wear resistance compared to the spheroidized pearlitic steel.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.302-317
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• 1995

After initial structure of AISI 9260 steel is changed into pearlite and martensite, one is isothermally annealed at $700^{\circ}C$ below of $A_1$ transformation point and the other is isothermally annealed at the same condition after 3 cycles of heating and cooling between $680^{\circ}C$ and $780^{\circ}C$ of $A_1$ transformation point. Analyzing the changes of microstructure, mechanical properties and fractography of tension test, we obtained result as follows. The fastest spheroidization rate by changes of initial structure and heat treatment cycles is appeared at the heat treatment cycle which is isothermally annealed after 3 cycles of heating and cooling at below and above $A_1$ transformation point for martensite. At the above condition, the perfect spheroidization structure is appeared after 60hrs and after then, globular carbide is being coarsened. The mean diameter of globular carbide is $2.4{\times}10^{-3}mm$ after 90hrs. The changes of tension strength during spheroidization heat treatment follows Orwan function, ${\sigma}_o={\sigma}_i+Gb/l$, where l is interspacing of carbide particles and at the above condition, ${\sigma}_o=70.48+2.5{\times}10^{-3}/l(kg/mm^2)$. Fractography of fracture of spheroidization structure in tension test is appeared as dimple which is ductile rupture type by nucleation and growth of void, size of dimple is larger and deeper with increasing of heat treatment time.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.239-249
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• 2015

Various amount of NbC carbide was intentionally formed in a matrix-type cold-work tool steel by controlled amount of Nb and C addition. And the effect of NbC addition on the mechanical properties was investigated. Four alloys with different Nb and C contents were cast by vacuum induction melting, then hot forging and spheroidizing annealing were conducted. The machinability of the annealed specimens was examined with 3 different cutting tools. And tensile tests at room temperature were conducted. After quenching and tempering, hardness and impact toughness were measured, while wear resistance was evaluated by disk-on-plate type wear test. The increasing amount of NbC addition resulted in degraded machinability with increased strength, whereas the absence of NbC also led to poor machinability due to high toughness. After quenching and tempering, the additional NbC improved wear resistance with increasing hardness, whereas it deteriorated impact toughness. Therefore, it could be found that a moderate addition of NbC was desirable for the balanced combination of mechanical properties.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.181-189
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• 2015

Two types of advanced cold-work tool steels were characterized and compared. A higher-alloyed ledeburitic steel with primary carbides (denoted as 9Cr) and a lower-alloyed steel without primary carbides (5Cr) were fabricated by vacuum induction melting and subsequent hot forging. They were spheroidizing-annealed at $870^{\circ}C$, quenched at $1030^{\circ}C$ and tempered at 180 or $520^{\circ}C$. Their machinability after annealing and hardness, impact toughness, wear resistance after tempering were compared and interpreted in association with their characteristic microstructures. After annealing, 5Cr showed higher resistance to machining due to higher ductility and toughness in spite of lower strength and smaller carbide volume. Owing to smaller carbide volume fraction and the absence of coarse primary carbides, 5Cr showed even better impact toughness although the hardness was lower. The improved toughness of 5Cr resulted in excellent wear resistance, while smaller volume fraction of retained austenite also contributed to it.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.138-144
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• 1989

It has been very important in various industry fields to improve the fatigue strength characteristics of bearings such as bearing life, fatigue limit, etc., because such poor properties could result in shortening the machinery life as well as in decreasing the accuracy. However, no successful heat treatment criterion seems to be available at present. In this study, the effect of the $170^{\circ}C\times120min$ tempering cycles repeated after $380^{\circ}C\times80min$ oil quenching for $800^{\circ}C$ spheroidizing-annealed bearing steel (STB2) as base metal on the $120^{\circ}C$ high temperature rotary bending fatigue strength characteristics were investigated, including the effects on hardness, Charpy impact value and micro-structure, in order to seek for the best heat treatment condition finally. The important results obtained are as follows : 1) The optimal cycle of tempering so that the fatigue strength .sigma. could become the highest was the 4th cycle. And it is confirmed that this $\sigma_{F}$ is about 6 times more increased than that of base metal, and about 1.3 times more increased than the case of the 1 cycle tempered. 2) As a result of the investigation for the effects of tempering cycles on hardness, the hardness at the tempering number of 2 thru 5 cyles was not decreased severely ; only about 10% decrease from those of the quenched and 1 cycle tempered case. Such hardness is equivalent to $H_{R}$/C61-62 with no bad effect on anti-abrasion of bearing steel. 3) In the case of 2 thru 5 cycle tempering as well as 1 cycle tempering, the impact value was not so improved comparing with the case of quenching, but an increase of 5 to 10% could be expected at least. 4) It was experimentally confirmed that the control of the mechanical properties improvement such as fatigue strength and fatigue life for bearing steels could be possible by the number of tempering cycles.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.638-638
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• 1989

It has been very important in various industry fields to improve the fatigue strength characteristics of bearings such as bearing life, fatigue limit, etc., because such poor properties could result in shortening the machinery life as well as in decreasing the accuracy. However, no successful heat treatment criterion seems to be available at present. In this study, the effect of the $170^{\circ}C\times120min$ tempering cycles repeated after $380^{\circ}C\times80min$ oil quenching for $800^{\circ}C$ spheroidizing-annealed bearing steel (STB2) as base metal on the $120^{\circ}C$ high temperature rotary bending fatigue strength characteristics were investigated, including the effects on hardness, Charpy impact value and micro-structure, in order to seek for the best heat treatment condition finally. The important results obtained are as follows : 1) The optimal cycle of tempering so that the fatigue strength .sigma. could become the highest was the 4th cycle. And it is confirmed that this $\sigma_{F}$ is about 6 times more increased than that of base metal, and about 1.3 times more increased than the case of the 1 cycle tempered. 2) As a result of the investigation for the effects of tempering cycles on hardness, the hardness at the tempering number of 2 thru 5 cyles was not decreased severely ; only about 10% decrease from those of the quenched and 1 cycle tempered case. Such hardness is equivalent to $H_{R}$/C61-62 with no bad effect on anti-abrasion of bearing steel. 3) In the case of 2 thru 5 cycle tempering as well as 1 cycle tempering, the impact value was not so improved comparing with the case of quenching, but an increase of 5 to 10% could be expected at least. 4) It was experimentally confirmed that the control of the mechanical properties improvement such as fatigue strength and fatigue life for bearing steels could be possible by the number of tempering cycles.