Spheroidizing of medium carbon steels.

Abstract

An investigation has been made of spheroidization of medium carbon steels used in the bolt industry. Two process cycles were considered. One was the intercritical cycle, widely used in industry, in which the steel was heated above the A₁ temperature for approximately 2 hours and then cooled to 688°C (1270°F) and held for various periods. The other was a subcritical cycle that involved heating to 704°C (1300°F) for various times. Wire samples were 0.4-in. diameter AISI 1541, considered high in manganese and difficult to spheroidize. Although AISI 4037 is considered easier to spheroidize, this alloy was also tested due to its extensive industrial use. It was found that the intercritical cycle produced a somewhat faster drop in hardness. However, one hour of the subcritical cycle yielded greater ductility than 32 hours of the intercritical process, as measured by tensile tests. Similar ductility results were achieved using a new flare test. The level of spheroidization was defined in this study to be the percentage of carbide particles with aspect ratios less than 3. The subcritical cycle produced the same level of spheroidization in 1/2 hour as that reached by the intercritical cycle in 32 hours. Faster spheroidization of cementite plates in the subcritical process appears to be due to the fine pearlite generated by the current practice of rapid cooling off the hot mill. This advantage is lost in the intercritical process because the original pearlite is dissolved above the A₁ temperature.