Heat Treatment, Microstructure and Properties of Carbon Steels

Effect of Carbon Content on the Properties of Normalised Steels Heat Treatment of Carbon Steels
When carbon steels are rapidly quenched from the austenite field (typically 8501000oC), a non-equilibrium phase forms, called martensite (a super-saturated solid solution). Martensite is very hard but also very brittle, making it unsuitable for most applications. We therefore temper martensite, i.e. reheat to an intermediate, typically 500-600oC for 1 hour.

Tempering

Quenching

Normalised steels have been cooled slowly in air - their microstructure is close to equilibrium, as predicted by the phase diagram. The microstructure consists of grains of the phase ferrite, and grains of pearlite (made of fine layers of the phases ferrite and cementite). Increasing the carbon content increases the fraction of cementite (iron carbide, Fe3C), and hence the amount of pearlite (the darker grains in the micrographs). Cementite is a hard phase, so the strength of normalised carbon steels increases with carbon content. However, the ferrite-cementite interfaces form easier paths for cracks, so increasing carbon content decreases the fracture toughness.

Tempering gives the carbon atoms enough thermal energy to diffuse out of the supersaturated solid solution and to react with the iron to form fine, hard precipitates of Fe3C. The remaining lattice reverts to ferrite. The final strength is higher than in the normalised condition, but the fracture toughness is restored to similar levels. This reflects the uniform fine dispersion of ferrite and cementite, which gives efficient precipitation hardening. The combination of strength and fracture toughness achieved is controlled by the choice of temper conditions - higher temperatures and longer times lead to coarser precipitates of Fe3C and the strength falls (see property chart).

A Willoughby, W Rentzsch, H Shercliff, and M F Ashby