Metal435.docVIP

MatSE 471 Laboratories 7-8 Tempering of Lath Martensite 1. Objective The objective of this laboratory is to monitor the changes that occur during the tempering of a steel using Rockwell hardness testing, microhardness and metallography. 2. Background When a low to medium carbon steel is quenched sufficiently rapidly, it transforms by shear to lath martensite (a slightly distorted A2 structure (ex: ?-Fe) phase). Martensite is very hard and extremely brittle. Because of this brittleness, it is normally tempered prior to use to imbue the material with toughness, while maintaining the hardness, usually, at a variety of high levels. The various changes that occur during the tempering of ferrous martensites are summarized in Table 1. The temperature intervals are very approximate and considerable overlap occurs between each range. Similar information is also presented in Figure 1, which plots hardness as a function of tempering temperature, and also outlines the temperature regions within which each reaction occurs. Table 1 Transformations Occurring During Tempering of Ferrous Martensites (After G.R. Speich in Metals. Handbook. 8th edn.. vol. 8. American Society for Metals, Metals Park. Ohio, 1973 Temperature(C Transformation Remarks 25-100 Carbon segregation to dislocations; pre-precipitation clustering Clustering predominant in high-carbon steels 100-250 Epsilon-carbide precipitation (first stage of tempering) May be absent in low-carbon, low-alloy steels 200-300 Retained austenite transforms to bainite (second stage) Occurs only in medium-carbon and high-carbon steels 250-350 Lath-like Fe3C precipitation (third stage) 400-600 Recovery of dislocation substructure. Lath-like Fe3C agglomerates to form spheroidal Fe3C Lath structure maintained 500-600 Formation of alloy carbides. (secondary hardening or fourth stage) Occurs only in steels containing Ti, Cr, Mo, V, Nb, or W; Fe3C may dissolve 600-700 Recrystallization and grain growth; coarsening of