EFEITODATEMPERATURADEAUSTENITIZAONAMICROESTRUTURADOS.docVIP

EFFECTS OF AUSTENITIZATION TEMPERATURE ON THE MICROSTRUCTURE OF 15BCr30 AND PL22 BORON STEELS C. A. Suski1*; C.A.S de Oliveira2 1Instituto Federal de Educa??o, Ciência e Tecnologia de Santa Catarina, 3122, St, n. 340, apt 901, 88330-290, Balneário Camboriú, SC, Brasil, cassio_suski@ 2Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Departamento de Engenharia Mecanica ABSTRACT This paper studies boron precipitation and segregation at austenitic grain boundaries for low carbon boron steels types: PL22 and 15BCr30. The following parameters were evaluated: percentage of martensite/bainite, size and nucleation sites of austenitic grains and precipitates sizes. Three austenitization temperatures were studied (870, 1050 and 1200oC). The highest martensite percentage occurred for 1050oC. Boroncarbides were detected at grain boundaries for all tested temperatures. At 870oC the coarse boroncarbides are due to non-solubility and coalescence. The highest martensite percentage at 1050oC is caused by the discrete precipitation of boroncarbides at austenitic grains boundaries. The discrete precipitation was due to the low non-equilibrium segregation of boron at grain boundaries. The low non-equilibrium segregation and the small grain size at 1050oC reduce the total boron concentration at grain boundaries. Keywords: boroncarbide, precipitates, austenitic grain. INTRODUCTION? The austenitization temperature of quenching thermal treatment of boron steel components has large influence on the resulting martensite percentage due to the boroncarbides precipitation in the matrix and/or at grain boundaries. Grain boundary boron enrichment may be a result of either equilibrium segregation or non-equilibrium segregation. The equilibrium segregation occurs when the material is maintained at high temperature, allowing an effective diffusion of solute atoms. The free interface energy is then reduced by the absorption of solute atoms. The segregate atoms locate at the atom